Saturday, July 3, 2004

Signs of growth

Is There Room for Conscious Hip-Hop? - Global Black News (African American News) - Bakari Akil II

Only days ago I complanied about the impact of negative rap lyrics on our culture and, epsecially, Black culture ("I don't listen to it for the lyrics").

But this article suggests a more creative, morally edifying form of hip hop may be wading through the insipid commercialized pessimism of mainstream hip hop.

Although you had artists such as KRS, De La Soul or the occasional group such as the Refugees creating PC music, the release dates were so far away that it was nearly impossible to maintain a constant supply of positive hip-hop.

Today, that excuse is no longer valid. Positive/Conscious hip-hop artists are coming out more often and their styles and topics are diverse and broad ranging. Their beats are just as infectious as any other brand of hip-hop and they are bringing a sense of balance and reality that has been missing for a while.

Although most conscious hip-hop artists still do not receive the attention they deserve, many artists or groups such as The Roots, Mos Def or Common are gaining mainstream attention, which does not hurt when they are promoting positive values. In addition, with the influx of R&B artists such as Erykah Badu, India Aire and Musiq Soulchild who also promote positive conscious lyrics, PC hip-hop is gaining even more credibility and force.


Praise Allah!

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