Hip Hop and Activism

By Ericka Foster and Maggie Allen *click on images for photo credit

Music has a long tradition of putting into words the frustrations of a people. From the beginning, hip - hop has served as a voice for people who couldn’t reach mainstream America. It started as early as The Message, “Don’t push me / ‘cause I’m close to the edge…” In 1988, N.W.A. made national headlines with their hit – you know the name – that put a national spotlight on police brutality. Pol ice brutality that is causing people around the world in 2020 to march in protest. As hip - hop became more sophisticated, so did the ways in which it made a contribution to America’s psyche.

Artists like Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common, and The Roots integrated thoughtful lyrics with hip - hop techniques to create a movement of artists dedicated to social change .

Born in London , raised in Sri Lanka, and trained as a graphic designer, M.I.A. (pictured left) wrote politically radical lyrics that are set to musical tracks that drew from wildly diverse sources around the world. Not only was her album Kala named the best album of 2007 by Rolling Stone, but M.I.A. was also listed as one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential Peop le” — illustrating the reach and power of a music born decades earlier on litter- strewn playgrounds.

Over time, m any rappers have used their fame and influence to bring visibility to causes that are important to them.

Jay- Z supports criminal justice reform

Jay - Z has had the platform and means to continuously speak out on behalf of Meek Mill and the unfairness of the criminal justice system. Meek, and Jay, along with several others founded the Reform Alliance, which seeks to reduce the number of affected by parole and probation law by 1 million over the next five years. He was also produced the documentary on Kalief Browder, the young man who spent 1000 in pre - trial lockup, and ultimately committed suicide. In 2006, he paid for and produced Diary of Jay - Z: Water

For Life a film meant to raise awareness on the lack of clean water accessible in underdeveloped countries.

accounts for kids."

Rappers like Lil’ Wayne and Eminem have created foundations to give money to causes that are important to them But even if rappers don’t have d ecades of hits under their belts, they use their voices and resources to affect change.

21 Savage is passionate about teaching kids money skills and improving his hometown of Atlanta. In March 2018, he announced the creation of the 21 Savage Bank Account Campaign (named after his hit song "Bank Account") "I started the 21 Savage Bank Account Campaign to help kids learn how to save money and make money, and open bank

In early August 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, 21 Savage also hosted the " Issa Back to School Drive" (named after his album Issa Album) in his home neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia. The drive gave out free haircuts, hairstyles, supplies, and school uniforms.

Chance the Rapper (pictured above) is a prominent voice in his Chicago community. Whether he is addressing the city’s gun violence through song, or meeting with Governor Bruce Rauner to discuss funding for Chicago Public Schools, Chance is actively using his platform to make a difference.

professionals within the schools.

Also from Chicago, Vic Mensa (pictured left) created a non - profit organization called SaveMoneySaveLife , with a mission to “ mission is to foster civic action through arts and entertainment, facilitating sustainable change “ the organization focuses on mentorship programs, training first responders in the Chicago area , and placing mental health

Currently, as protests are taking place around the country, Run the Jewel’s K illa Mike has become a voice of activism.

The Life and Legacy of Tupac Shakur

By Ericka Foster * click photos for photo credit

On June 16 th , Tupac wou ld have been 49 years old. You can’t help but to wonder what he would say as people around the world protest police brutality and racism. Tupac had his own run - ins with the law – including serving a few months in jail for sexual assault. However, he was complex and multi - faceted. To characterize him as just one thing – thug, rapper, and actor – would be unreasonable and unrealistic. The truth is, no one is all one thing. Tupac was one of those rare individuals who was able to be many different things to many different people while being authentic.

In an interview with MTV last year, singer Jhene Aiko explained, "He was so contradictory to people, but to me, he was just human and not afraid to express himself. I could relate to that a lot... How dancing turned into music, turned into acting, turned into all of the things that he did. And he still had this passion and this purpose about him. That spoke to me so much."

Tupac the R apper

Rappers like Game, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole (pictured left) openly discuss the influence that Tupac has had on their careers. “ You can’t just listen to ‘Pac, you feel ‘Pac. If you listen to him, you gonna feel him.” Eminem said when describing Tupac’s i nfluence during a Shade45 radio special.

Tupac began his rap career in the group Digital Underground. He released his first solo album in November 1991, 2Pacalypse Now. He released his second in February 1993 Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z ., and his third solo album, March 1995's Me Against the World . The fourth 2Pac solo album, and last in his lifetime, February 1996's All Eyez on Me .

Although California Love is STILL on everybody’s party playlist, songs like Keep Ya Head Up , Dear Mama and Brenda’s Got a Baby , demonstrated his gift to portray a thoughtful humanity to the “thug” persona that had previously(and presently) painted Black men as one -dimensional.

“ Everything in life is not all beautiful,” he told j ournalist Chuck Phillips. “ There is lots of killing and drugs. To me a perfect album talks about the hard stuff and the fun and caring stuff. ... The thing that bothers me is that it seems like a lot of the sensitive stuff I write just goes unnoticed.”

He’s had an impact on artists across all genres: "He’s the first rapper to talk about the fact that his mom was a crack addict. For me, that’s courageous as fuck. He took that risk and spoke about everything in detail openly and without any shame. For me to li sten to that album as I grew up, it really helped me to understand that it’s OK to be honest with your art, because people appreciate that." says singer Zayn Malik in an interview with Complex magazine. To many, he was more than a rapper, he was a poet.

Tu pac the Poet

While we use the word poet to describe a lyricist who can paint a picture, Tupac’s estate actually released a book of poetry, The Rose That Grew from Concrete , in 1999. Between 1984 and 1988, Tupac lived in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended Ba ltimore School for the Arts, studying acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet. As his world was opened to a variety of arts and artists, Tupac integrated all of those influences into his life’s work.

Famous poet Nikki Giovanni wrote the foreword for his book, and also has Thug Life tattooed on her forearm as a tribute to the rapper she never met.

Tupac the Actor

In high school, both in Baltimore, and in Marin County, Tupac starred in multiple high school plays, including Shakespearen productions. In 1992, he had his breakout role in 1992’s Juice , playing Bishop. H e also starred as Lucky, opposite Janet Jackson, in Poetic Justice, directed by John Singleton . Additionally, Tupac had acting parts in TV and movies such as Above the Rim, Gridlock’d, and Gang Related .

Tupac was much more than a hip-hop artist. He was a black man guided by his passions." ~John Singleton.

Tupac’s legacy

Tupac’s legacy began where all of our legacies do, with our forefathers. Afeni Shakur was a member of the Black Panther Party. Several of Tupac’s family members had ties with the Black Panther Party. He was no stranger to political advocacy, to speaking out against injustice, and going toe - to- toe with law enforcement. He was born in Harlem, and grew up in low- income neighborhoods.

In addition to his tremendous talent and work ethic, he had a charisma that transcended music. People who weren’t into hip - hop, or his style, were still affected by the way he carried himself, he was “woke” before that was a word.

Though he was murdered more than 20 years ago, Tupac’s influence lives on not only in music, movies, and pop culture – but also in the hearts of those who never even met him.

Final Thoughts…

I can’t definitively say I love rap. Quite frankly, I prefer a smooth melody every time. BUT, as we put this issue together, I can definitively say that I appreciate hip hop as well as the influence it had on my life and the lives of others. I have the pleasure of being old enough to have had an LL Cool J tape in my boom box. When I was in the fifth grade, I wrote down and memorized all of the lyrics to Doug E. Fresh’s “Rising to the Top” so I could learn the words and fit in with my friends. Me Against the World was a rite of passage for me. I could listen to his music in my car without my mom around to ask a whole bunch of questions – a true sense of independence.

College at the University of Maryland was one of the few places I truly felt that I belonged. Those first two years were about going into D.C.’s nightclubs and hearing Biggie over the speakers. I’ve seen the Roots in concert so many times that I need both hands to count. The music of rap has marked some of my fondest memories.

But, the culture of hip - hop, the culture of self- expression, the culture of using your voice, is something that I can always get behind, because that is an essential part of who I (think) I am.