Re: [microsound] [OT] hiphop article

["Dominic Lanzone" <dubvurt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

oh ok. cool. yeah, i'm enjoying the different spins as well =)

 for those who don't already know, Mos Def ( http://www.rawkus.com/ ),
Blackalisicous ( http://www.quannum.com/home.html ),
 and the Roots ( http://www.okayplayer.com/theroots/ ) are examples of
artists currently trying to say something outside the thug/pimp dialogue.
they are also all selling some records, although not of course as many as
Fitty. oh, and check out the other folks on their labels. 
plus, i'd like to address the person who said that there was no political
change (or not enough political change?) in the themes chosen by hip hop
artists by saying that  the way that political ideology is dealt with in
African Diaspora cultures is sometimes coming out of very different
traditions (specifically in this case black church music, islam and
rastafari, Franz Fannon, MLK, ect.) than those of white intellectuals.
holding a white intellectual yardsick up to black ideologies is sort of
like trying to speak to a Yanamamo indian in Esperanto and getting upset
that she doesn't understand you. there is also a situation where african
diasporic thinkers (and other post-colonial peoples) have to learn and be
able to work with not only their own systems of thought, but also those of
the white intellectuals. mostly white intellectuals do not have to do this
in return. in recent years some white and brown folks have been working to
correct this imbalance, or at least be more aware of it, which is a good
thing i think. 
ok, that was my slightly obnoxious (sorry) and long winded way of saying
that if you don't listen to hip hop enough to really learn the language(es)
of it, then you are missing ALOT of what is being said. like picking up a
book on thermodynamics and assuming that since it is written in english you
will be able to understand it in one quick read with no previous
background.  
simple examples are the critiques of pimp ideology coming out of the RnB
world (and some of the hip hop world too, check out Pussy Galore by the
Roots), mostly by the ladies who are tired of dating misogynistic men. it's
easy to hear this and think "oh just another sappy love song" and totally
miss the fact that it is a woman making a cultural critique of male
behavior in her community. 
eh blahblahblah..........
ok carry on.
dominic

> What I was going for here was asking the group. Someone else may have a =
> different spin on finding articles and such. So no I was not addressing =
> you but the group.=20
>
> Enjoying the different spin,
> PoM:A
>

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