Hip Hop Stands as the Soundtrack of the Black Experience
I was listening to the broadcast of The Black Authority with Jason Black a few days ago as he addressed what he described as a selling out of the Hip Hop community to white influences. In addition to highlighting the point that we lose our ability to complain about the appropriation of our culture when we invite others into the core of its existence, he made another statement that was, at least to me, more profound. He said, “Hip Hop is the soundtrack to the Black experience.” That statement resonated with me in ways that are inexplicable.
He was addressing the ongoing debate surrounding the suggestion that Eminem is the G.O.A.T. of Hip Hop music and rap. I agree 100 percent with Jason when he makes the assertion that the emulator or impersonator can never be the greatest in something they did not create out of an experience. Hip Hop is so much more than the mechanics and techniques expressed through lyrics.
While I could literally elaborate on why I refuse to accept Eminem as the G.O.A.T., especially when viewed in juxtaposition to MCs like Immortal Technique, Black Thought, Rakim, Jay-Z (in his prime), Big Pun, Jada Kiss and many more, I will focus on the bigger issue. The hijacking of Hip Hop by those with non-black interests.
Because we tend to view everything from a perspective of its entertainment value and not the scope of its influence, we have completely lost sight of the power of Hip Hop. Hip Hop influences buying trends, self-image, and behavior, and the powers that be understand this. What is more important, the powers that be are behind the push for Eminem to be perceived as the G.O.A.T. by the Black community, especially the older heads in the world of Hip-Hop.
As Jason Black pointed out in his broadcast, if we buy into the idea that a White man can dominate something we sired and birthed from the depths of our experiences here in America, it will not be long before they completely separate Hip Hop from the idea of Blackness and classify it as just another musical genre. We better wake up fast… ~ Rick Wallace, Ph.D., Psy.D.