Why are the “conscious” rap artists ignored? Are Rap Artists The new minstrels?

I know I’m late writing about the whole Kanye West Vs 50 CENT record sales battle but I had to listen to both albums. I got to say Kanye wins by a landslide. I’m not really into rap music. I remember when I was a kid during the golden age of rap music in the late 1980s early to 1990s rap music was so much more pure. I liked listening to MC Lyte, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff, Queen, Roxanne Shante, Supersonic, Salt and Pepa. Rap music meant something back in those days when I was a young kid. And now rap music has transformed into something I don’t even understand anymore.

BET had a hip hop town hall episode called Hip Hop Vs America recently and I got a chance to watch the program. And I feel like the vicious cycle was just repeating itself. I mean its the same discussion that takes place over and over again and again. I suggest to anyone that bothers to read my blog to pick up an anthology collection of essays called “Everything But the Burden” edited by Greg Tate. “Everything But the Burden” should be available at any bookstore or on Amazon.com or even better I am sure its available at any public library.

In the book, “Everything But the Burden”, black scholars discuss the issues of racism, sexism, and a little bit about homophobia in rap music. However, the most important issue “Everything But the Burden” discusses in detail is the issue of capitalism. And I feel that’s an issue everyone casually ignores. 70% of the rap music bought is not by blacks its by white youths most likely from the suburbs.

On the BET special, the rappers like Nelly and Ti appeared to be very defensive. The scholar and  writer Michael Eric Dyson and the feminist from Essence Magazine slammed the rappers. And the issue of homophobia in hip hop wasn’t talked about much. A lot of the discussion was about misogyny. Of course, misogyny and the degradation of black women is absolutely abhorrent and unacceptable.  The rappers say they are red blooded men and they have a right to talk about heterosexual sex. I think that’s fair. However, Nelly’s video for “tip drill” is just disgusting.

I think the real issue that wasn’t discussed in detail was the record label executives. Why were the white record label executives absent from the BET special? I think they are the ones that have to be held accountable to a certain extent. Its the white executives the corporate bosses at the major record labels that have the power to  block or release  an album. The labels decide which “rap artist” I mean “minstrel” they sign to their label.
On a recent Oprah show, she also had a town hall this year about rap music and the thing is one guest mentioned the rappers are the new minstrels.  The framework for Oprah’s town hall was all wrong once again. Oprah tries to blame black men for the language used by young people. Oprah is such a misandrist she will blame black men for everything if she could. You just cannot take a classic black man hater as Oprah seriously. Of course, mammy Oprah won’t point the target where it should be at the white male record executives.

Black people don’t own the major record labels. The big record labels are owned by whites so obviously they have the economic power. The rappers are the new minstrels. Unlike the old minstrels back in the early part of the 20th century, these young black rappers have a choice. Yet the young black rappers choose to make a profit at any means necessary. The black minstrels in the early 20th century didn’t have many choices due to racist proscriptions that prevented blacks from advancement in society. The black minstrels they danced around in blackface and sang for white audiences to make money.

Now, I think its pretty hard for people in the 21st century to criticize black artists in the early part of the 20th century. A lot of the black entertainers that did engage in the minstrel shows did so for economic survival. Yes there were blacks that could afford to attend college in the early part of the 20 century. However, for plenty of blacks during the early 1900s entertainment was a way out. The truth is, there were a lot of proscriptions in the early part of the 20th century and Jim Crow laws that prevented black advancement in society. One of the areas black people entered into to make a living was the minstrel shows.

And now when you think about it aren’t some rappers just “minstrels.” People need to know a lot of rappers are “studio gangsters”. Ice Cube was not “poor” his parents are academics and they work at  UCLA! Yes Ice Cube was raised in Compton California but his parents were not poor. There are plenty of other rappers that are from middle class backgrounds to even upper class backgrounds but they play the “poor rags to riches” storyline because it sells.  White kids like listening to rap music because they are entering their “Nigger Heaven” as Carl Van Vechten wrote about.

The white kids can have a voyeuristic kind of look at “the world” the rappers are rapping about. Yet the problem is, the rap music is not “real” its “artificial” and its ugly. The rappers stereotype the black community to make a profit and the white kids “love” listening to the “blacks” talk about how bad we got it. Its a constant vicious cycle and its the reason why I stopped listening to most rap music a long time ago.  Rap Music it is racist, sexist, garbage, homophobic, stereotypical filth. The rappers are only concerned about maximizing their profits and the white kids are only interested in getting close to the “blacks”. Heaven forbid they would actually want to “change places” with “poor blacks”.

Black kids and especially the white kids in the suburbs I think like rap music because for some of them its a form of “rebellion” just like in the 1960s when white kids listened to “rock and roll”. Some rap music is considered “dirty” and “tainted” and “forbidden” and the record companies conduct research. They find out  what the white and black kids like and they sign artists that provide the crap the kids want to listen to.  The record labels realize the rappers have to cross over in order to sell more records they have to reach a wider demographic therefore they have to do “things” to get the white kids to buy their music. Kanye West is refreshing he reminds me a bit of Will Smith in the fact he’s just a regular ordinary young black man that’s intelligent, has talent, and is a good entertainer. Talib Kweli he also is a “conscious” rapper but he’s never had the record sales Kanye West has had. Kanye West is the first “conscious” rapper from the new generation that has been able to somehow crossover and appeal to all demographics. Kanye is definitely marketed well. Perhaps that’s Kanye’s image or gimmick to just be himself? The thing is though very few rappers that are successful now in rap music are “like” Kanye West.

50 CENT became famous because he proudly proclaimed that he got shot nine times. 50 CENT glorifies violence but I feel he may disappear in the next few years for a few reasons. One, 50 CENT is over 30 and music’s young consumers are a fastidious bunch they like what is hot and current at the moment. Second, it gets kind of tiring listening to 50 CENT boast about his masculinity and how great he is all the time.

The  labels want to sell as much records as possible because with people downloading music now record sales have plummeted. People just don’t want to pay $15 to $20 dollars for a CD anymore.

My question is, are Kanye West and 50 CENT the best hip hop can offer? I have to admit Kanye  is absolutely gorgeous I’m not going to lie he’s nice to look at. And unlike some rappers he appears to me to be a bit more intelligent although also outspoken as well. West also it appears to me has a different kind of image that I find appealing. He isn’t trying to be this super aggressive stereotype of the young black male that I feel 50 CENT gravitates towards. West is also against homophobia and I think its cool that a young black heterosexual male in the media like West can denounce homophobia. I think its very encouraging.

I think Kanye West’s music is alright, but I certainly don’t listen to a lot of rap music these days. I listen to a lot of R&B, jazz, pop music, and yes even a little bit of folk. I like Ani Difranco and Tracy Chapman’s music a lot as well. I find a lot of the lyrics for rap music these days to be a bit childish and immature. I do find Kanye’s lyrics and music to be a bit more intelligent and insightful. I think Common is pretty good and I’m glad his latest album did debut at no.1 as well on the billboard top 200 chart recently. Talib Kweli is also a very talented rapper that unfortunately hasn’t had incredible record sales. I think the issue is why don’t record labels sign more rappers that have different things to say. It seems to me a lot of the current rappers are very materialistic and its tacky to see P Diddy flash his jewelry or Ludacris to flash his cash in a music video. I mean is that all there is to rap music these days?