The Cross-Over

By George Geeo Johnson

The cross- over appeal in hip- hop cannot be denied, because of this some say it is a greater unifier of different populations. Once upon a time created for the black youth on the street the reach has become worldwide. When I look at the audience now I see the majority of its consumers are non–black youths. Must I say to you now the corporations have snatched away the pure nature of hip-hop from the streets and took it all the way to wall-street?

The people who would tell you that the messages are filled with sex violence and drugs have no idea what this form of music could and should be. The music started off to challenge the system to be better to help the development of the youth. The fact that this genre of music contributes to 25% of record sales in the world alone creates power. The overall culture has been grabbed by the masses the sneakers the baggy clothes and the language have evolved into something no one expected.

Once upon a time in the suburbs you heard heavy metal and light rock from the non blacks now you hear what is now called hard core hip hop beating from CD players. My question to the artist and the corporations is this “How does this music originally for the poor youth who does not have a father growing up in the ghetto, who’s only source of what is going on outside of their neighborhood is the music he hears benefit him at all?” The music doesn’t even have appropriate female representation does this sound like hip-hop one female rapper getting all the attention? This I tell you people is the corporations of America capitalizing and who cares about the fallout.

When the music was in its early form the topics ranged from teen pregnancy to stop the violence to competitive rivalries over the origin of the art, black pride and education of the mind were things that were embraced. Once the art form was commercialized the message changed to fit the consumer. Now you hear party all the time, get high all night, and who needs an education you can sell drugs forever - look at me. Now the problem with this for the disenfranchised youth is they cannot separate the fantasy from the reality. The mother is a work or on drugs herself no father in the picture so no one is around to explain that this is not the way from him or her to go.

As a culture music influences our behavior and the black youth follow the culture which is the directions of the street. The teachers are the hip-hop artist and the students are the listeners of the music. The students who don’t live in the conditions spoken of can separate the truth from the false because they can turn of the music but the child who walks outside and sees what he hears daily this becomes their reality most of the time. There is an old saying if you knew better you would do better.

The majority of artist right or wrong give a message of self destruction and a rebellious lifestyle as way to get back at the system. This only leads to a life of crime and trips to state and federal institutions all this transcends beyond the music and affects the communities some people live in.

In conclusion one of the more positive aspects of this explosion in hip-hop is that some of the corporations who for so long ignored the marketing of the hip-hop generation now must hire be so they can profit from it. Look at McDonalds just to name one in that respect they have given back to the youth they are creating managers and higher up in there corporations. But when thousands of our youth are dying and being incarcerated for violent crimes before they can even have a chance to find out the importance of a human life. The corporations that profit have the ability to control what is sold to make it cool or not or to kill or to be a drug dealer or misogynistic or so damn homophobic; but will they ever?