ES 397 1st Assignment

1)      What are the ground (reasons) for Tate’s pessimism over the current condition and the future trajectory of Hip Hop culture?

2)      What are the grounds (reasons) for Pough’s optimism over the future trajectory of Hip Hop culture?

3)      What are the common grounds between these two perspectives?

4)      What are the missing elements in these two opposite perspectives?

In Tate’s article “Hip – Hop turns 30: Whatcha Celebratin’ for?” he essentially sums up his opinion on of the current hip – hop movement in the title. Tate claims that hip – hop has gone from being a grassroots space for political thought and self-expression and insight into the oppression of black people through the use of folkloric music. Tate notes that the contemporary hip – hop community seen today is not reflective of the past but a packaged fallacy sold to the masses by the white male dominated music industry. The rap industry has become just as profitized as other industries and is no longer about the music and the people but about the money that can be made from them. In his article Tate compares the rap music industry and the NBA and how neither rap music nor NBA ballers can be viewed separately from the respective industries that build them up in order to profit from them. In Tate’s opinion money has become the goal and foundation that created Hip – hop culture is quickly becoming so distant from what exists today that it could be viewed as having died.

Pough’s article “Seeds and Legacies: Tapping the Potential in Hip – Hop”, offers insight into the past back when the Hip – Hop culture was in its infancy. She emphasizes the distinction between Rap and Hip – Hop stating that “rap is the music and Hip – Hop is the culture” that rap is one part of the Hip – Hop culture but that the two are not the same thing. For Pough, Hip – hop is heavily connected to the Black Party Movement and how the anger and hostilities that existed during this time period (1960s – 70s) allowed for a space in which black people could give voice to their frustrations in public places and have people hear them. Pough sees the potential of the Hip – Hop movement to reach out and tap the minds of the masses of people who are consumers of the culture, one that has crossed all the boundaries of social axis and touches people of different ages, race, sex, etc as well as the within the context of the United States where the main consumers of Hip – hop culture are white males who will grow up to be white males of privilege and power. Pough states that there is not only the potential for Hip – Hop to influence the patriarchal powers that be into making steps towards real social change but also for new Black leaders to rise up and take their place in the fight against the oppression of black people.

Both Tate and Pough acknowledged the change in the structure and promotion of the Hip – Hop culture as one delineated to one singular aspect of its entirety – rap music. Rap music and the rappers that perform rap music has been packaged to the young youths of America by large entertainment industries whose interest lies with the profit not the message.

Missing from both Tate and Pough’s binary perspectives regarding the future of Hip – Hop (Tate’s pessimism versus Pough’s optimism) are other aspects of Hip – Hop culture other than rap music which Pough herself states is only one part of what Hip – Hop is. Also missing are the influences that Hip – Hop has had on other cultures and in other countries and while mainstream Black rap music has been overly commodified and popularized that other areas may not have fallen to such capitalist motives.

Denni M

Hip Hop's Not Dead: Tate, Pough, and the State of Hip Hop

            Following the celebration of Hip Hop’s 30^th anniversary hip hop scholars and well-known personalities, Greg Tate and Gwendolyn Pough, both shared their views on the future of hip hop and the challenges it faces today. In his article “Hip Hop Turns 30: Whatcha Celebratin’ For”, Tate expressed a pronounced negative view of today’s hip hop and where it is headed. He chronicled the beginnings and development of hip hop – from unifying Black Power Movement aimed at giving disadvantaged African-Americans a voice to a commercialized anthem of wannabe gangsta rappers selling out their brothers and sisters on a world market for White money. In Tate’s own words, “Twenty years from now we’ll be able to tell our grandchildren and great-grandchildren…how once upon a time there was this marvelous art form where the Negro could finally say in public whatever was on his or her mind…and how the Negro hip hop artist…chose to take his emancipated motor mouth and stuck it up a stripper’s ass because it turned out there really was gold in them thar hills.” However, Pough – markedly more optimistic regarding the state of hip hop – articulated a hip hop that is more than music but rather a “state of mind” and a culture that simply reflects the society in which we are currently living. In Pough’s opinion, hip hop has limitless potential for the greater good and will achieve that – but only once the practitioners and consumers of the hip hop culture change their behaviors and generate “constant and steadfast” messages of betterment for the greater community.  

           While Tate and Pough disagreed on the future of hip hop, they did agree on the current situation being less than ideal, with so called “artists” choosing to refrain from producing art and instead producing commercialized stereotypes that generate dollar and upgrade their own bank accounts (but not the community). In their opinions hip hop is no longer a fresh beauty, but more like a paled and beaten youth laid up in Intensive Care somewhere. However, Tate and Pough both fail to acknowledge to a large extent (and perhaps even realize) that hip hop’s Black roots were never really that Black – parallel to the Black Art Movement and Black Power Movement – but not singularly a part of them. That being said, hip hop is not solely American either, and while the scene in America seems morbid, hip hop culture in other regions of the globe are healthy and thriving in the folk traditions of the hip hop culture – and by that, I mean to say, that hip hop outside of America is still working towards the advancement of disadvantaged people, equal rights and equal representation before the law and in mainstream media, and the unification of all peoples. Hip hop is giving an outlet to frustrated youths living in highly repressed societies throughout Asia; hip hop is inspiring and unifying the marginalized across Europe; hip hop is empowering and motiving the deprived and dejected in the Middle East; and despite what has previously been said, hip hop is still giving hope and a voice to the lost souls of America (North, South, and Central). Hip hop is alive and kicking – Tate, Pough, and the rest of us kickin’ it State-side merely have to look outside of ourselves to see it.

 

- Su Veney

First Assignment

      1. What are the grounds (reasons) for Tate’s pessimism over the current condition and the future trajectory of Hip Hop culture?
          

                Tate believes that the Hip Hop culture will disappear from society and is not getting the recognition it should because of the way the public is using Hip Hop and the depiction of Hip Hop is only being seen in a negative aspect. He discusses how Hip Hop is being used to make money nowadays by using African Americans troubles and physical traits such as their hair. The struggles for African Americans lead people to believe that Hip Hop is only associated with drugs and violence. Tate tries to mention that African Americans are trying to let their voices be heard through the Hip Hop culture.  

2. What are the grounds (reasons) for Pough’s optimism over the future trajectory of Hip Hop culture?

                Pough’s believes that the Hip Hop culture will live on because of the voices of the African American community, history, and historical people. The people of the Bronx spoke up and allowed their voices to be heard through their music. They showed their frustrations and emotions to the world and demonstrated what is actually going on in society. Another example is the Black Panther Movement which gave people the opportunity to speak their minds. Then along came Tupac, Biggie, Martin Luther King Jr., and others who helped build communities and allowed them to think about what is going on in society. The combination of Hip Hop and social movements allows the culture of Hip Hop to live on.

3.  What are the common grounds between these two perspectives?

                 Both writers know that the evolution of Hip Hop has to do with the history of African Americans. What led African Americans to gain power and acknowledgement from the people was speaking their mind through Hip Hop and social movements. Tate and Pough tell the reader how much history has played a role in the Hip Hop culture.

4. What are the missing elements in these two opposite perspectives?
      

                Elements that Tate and Pough should have mention are how other ethnicities are involved with the Hip Hop culture and what Hip Hop is like in present day. Talking about other ethnicities can allow the reader to see how much Hip Hop has grew besides associating the Hip Hop culture with blacks only. Also bringing up present day of Hip Hop could show that people of all races are greatly affected by the Hip Hop culture as well. 

JKW

1.what are ground ( reasons) for Tate's pessimism over the current condition and the future trajectory of hip hop culture?

Tate writes," I will wake up tomorrow  and there was no hip hop on the radio  or on television, if  there was no money in hip hop then we could see what kind of culture it was he also said," hip hop as we know it would cease to exist except as nostalgia. We'll tell our grandchildren about the history  and marvel at the art form of how hip hop formed a social freedom of expression, with in Tate's pessimism he  hopes that hip hop isn't  a dying breed of pop culture.

2. what are the ground reasons for pough's optimism  over the future trajectory of hip hop culture?

Pough's optimism  is that hip hop will live out its time. People  would list the negative ratifications of what hip hop represents in our society violence, sexism, drug use and drug sales. the two missing  elements  is we will run out of ideas and thought to write about.

3.what are the common grounds between  these two perspectives?

The common grounds between these two perspectives is the black movement gave us hip hop. the physical embodiment for the Link between the black power movement  and hip hop culture both the black power and hip hop culture are grass rooted. The Grass root movement are movements that involve young black people. For black males the are seen as masculine and forming a posturing  discursive spaces, both  work to disrupt the status Que on various levels. Without the disco era the black power movement left us with a young movement called hip hop.

4.What are the missing  elements in these two opposite perspectives?

The two missing elements in these two opposite perspectives is finding the greatness in our youth; the youth enables one to transform subjects and objects  an attempt to describe  or change the character or ones being.  we have the x generation and the o generation that won't come up with creative thought and feelings.

carolyn rosenthal