Table Of Content

Pulse of the People Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 13.07.16 23:22 AMERICANGOVERNANCE:POLITICS,POLICY,ANDPUBLICLAW SeriesEditors: RichardValelly,PamelaBrandwein,MarieGottschalk,ChristopherHoward Acompletelistofbooksintheseriesisavailablefromthepublisher. Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 13.07.16 23:22 PULSE PEOPLE of the Political Rap Music and Black Politics Lakeyta M. Bonnette UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PRESS PHILADELPHIA Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 13.07.16 23:22 Copyright(cid:2)2015UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress Allrightsreserved.Exceptforbriefquotationsusedforpurposesofrevieworscholarly citation,noneofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformbyanymeanswithout writtenpermissionfromthepublisher. Publishedby UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress Philadelphia,Pennsylvania19104-4112 www.upenn.edu/pennpress PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica onacid-freepaper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Bonnette,LakeytaM.(LakeytaMonique),1981–,author. Pulseofthepeople:politicalrapmusicandblackpolitics/LakeytaM.Bonnette. pages cm—(Americangovernance:politics,policy,andpubliclaw) Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN978-0-8122-4684-1 1.Rap(Music)—Politicalaspects—UnitedStates—History—20thcentury.2.Rap (Music)—Politicalaspects—UnitedStates—History—21stcentury.3.African Americans—Politicsandgovernment—20thcentury.4.AfricanAmericans—Politics andgovernment—21stcentury.5.AfricanAmericans—Politicalactivity— History—20thcentury.6.AfricanAmericans—Politicalactivity—History—21st century.7.AfricanAmericans—Attitudes—History—20thcentury.8.African Americans—Attitudes—History—21stcentury.I.Title.II.Series:American governance. ML3918.R37B66 2015 782.421649(cid:2)1599—dc23 2014040779 Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 13.07.16 23:22 Thisbookisdedicatedtomyfamily;thereisnogreatergroupof people.Specifically,Idedicatethis booktoLorenzoBailey,Jahzari Nelson,ImaniBailey,FrancesBonnette,BarneyAllen, Tiffany Bonnette-WallingtonandTerenceWallington.Thankyouforholding medown,forsupportingme,forbeingpatientandhelpingmewhen Imostneededit.Iloveyouallverymuch! Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 13.07.16 23:22 This page intentionally left blank Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 13.07.16 23:22 C o n t e n t s Introduction.WatchfortheHook 1 Chapter1.BehindtheMusic:BlackPoliticalAttitudes andRapMusic 6 Chapter2.MusicandPoliticalResistance:TheCulturalFoundation ofBlackPolitics 30 Chapter3.It’sBiggerThanHip-Hop:RapMusic andBlackNationalism 51 Chapter4.BeyondtheMusic:BlackFeminismandRapMusic 75 Chapter5.TheFutureofPolitics:TheImplications ofRapMusicandPoliticalAttitudes 103 Conclusion.It’sStillBiggerThanHip-Hop:TheFuture ofRapandPolitics 140 Appendix1.PoliticalRapSongs 155 Appendix2.HSANandBPPDemands 171 Notes 177 Bibliography 185 Discography 197 Index 209 Acknowledgments 217 Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 13.07.16 23:23 This page intentionally left blank Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 13.07.16 23:23 I n t r o d u c t i o n Watch for the Hook ScholarsofpopularmusictreatitasatruismthatAfricanAmericans havealwaysturnedtomusictovoicetheirdiscontent,their grievances,andtheiroutrage. —Zillmanetal.,‘‘RadicalRap:DoesItFurtherEthnicDivision?’’1–2 Y’allgotme,wellIgoty’all,longasIknowy’alllistenin I’maalwaysbringfoodforthoughttothetableinthekitchen —BigBoiofOutkast,War,Speakerboxx In2006,comedianDaveChappellereleasedDaveChappelle’sBlockParty,a documentary chronicling a 2004 concert he produced in Brooklyn, New York. Featuring socially and politically conscious rap artists such as Dead Prez,ErykahBadu,TheRoots,TheFugees,LaurynHill,TalibKweli,Kanye West, Common, and Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, the secret and free event was easily the rap concert of the year. It was reminiscent of the many street rap battles that existed on New York corners when Hip- Hopfirstcameintoexistence.ChapelleisavocalfanofnotonlyHip-Hop butpoliticalrapinparticular,andhisdocumentaryfeaturesinterviewswith Dead Prezand FredHampton, Jr.,son ofslain BlackPanther FredHamp- ton Sr. During a performance by New York rap artist and half of the duo BlackStar(withrapperTalibKweli)YasiinBey,1Hamptontooktothestage brieflytoremindtheconcertgoerstocontinuesupportingandfightingfor the release of political prisoners. Now rewind about forty years when Fred Hampton, Sr., also advocated ‘‘power to the people’’ and used music to Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/13/16 11:17 PM 2 Introduction facilitate discussions about the importance of supporting political prisoners. Clearly, Hip-Hop has a strong relationship with political and social issues. As I settled in my seat to watch Block Party for the first time, I had no great expectations and was only looking for entertainment and distraction fromtheanalyticallifeofagraduatestudent.Thismovie,however,hadthe oppositeeffect:insteadofsurrenderingtomind-numbingpleasure,Ifound myself invigorated and excited even after I left the theater. I immediately begin to think of activities I could orchestrate, support, and participate in to advance political equality inAmerica for African Americans. Could this euphoric, contemplative, and politically charged feeling stem from exposure to political rap music? Yes, this film definitely primed certain views andattitudesinme. It wasnot Chappelle, his comedy, or his commentarythat inspired me, butratherthelyricsthatwerepassionatelyspokenandsung.Atatimewhen many believed that using culture as a resistance mechanism was a dying aspectoftherapgenre,thisfilmreasserted theimportanceofculture—and specifically rap music—in Blacks’ continual demand for political inclusion. Thus,Iwondered,wasItheonlyonetoleavethetheaterfeelingasifhehad been charged with righting the political wrongs of the world? Or would exposuretothistypeofmusichaveasimilarimpactuponothers?Doesrap music influence an individual’s attitude and/or behavior? In light of my personal transformation, I was willing to argue for the affirmative. Specifi- cally, it is my contention that exposure to political rap not only provides political information but also impacts specific political attitudes of those exposed.InthisbookIexaminehowoneformof‘‘everydaytalk’’influences publicopinionandpoliticalbehavior(Harris-Lacewell2004). Like the Black Arts Movement, Hip-Hop was initially seen as the cul- tural extension of politics in the Black community. Within the Hip-Hop culture of break dancing, disc-jockeying, rapping, and graffiti, one could observethepoliticalsentiments,issues,anddesiresoftheurbanBlackcom- munity.Currently,theHip-Hopgenrehasexpandedfromitsoriginalspace of urban northern communities into a commercial worldwide subculture. Yet,itisstilleffectiveasaculturalplatformfromwhichitsartistscanadvo- catefor theinvolvementand resistanceof thosewhoare marginalizedand alienated in the United States and abroad. Hip-Hop is still a vehicle that teaches the world about places in America that progress has neglected, where mouths go hungry and the American Dream is nearly impossible. Inhabitants of this community need not share gender or race, but rather Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/13/16 11:17 PM