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