COUNTERING
MEANINGLESS MAINSTREAM RAP
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I
COUNTERING MEANINGLESS MAINSTREAM RAP
DEAD PREZ: RADIO FREQ
I’ve been having a personal struggle for quite some time now
trying to wrap my head around the effects, both positive and
negative, hip-hop music has made on our global culture. As of
yet I have drawn no absolute conclusions. Rather, my mind swims
through a pool of endless possibilities, and to some extent, I
am more disoriented now than ever. Therefore, this introduction
paragraph is a disclaimer of sorts. I am by no means the
authority on the subject. I have no degrees in psychology. I
haven’t done years of extensive research regarding behavior
patterns that have arisen as a result of any genre of music. I
am just a fan of hip-hop.
Over the years, I have listened to my fair share of absolute
crap. Conversely, I am a witness of the metamorphosis rap has
undergone in my lifetime. I can only say, ‘Wow’. As worthless
and futile as some of today’s music is, one can’t argue with the
fact that most of it is scrupulously produced, and many of the
lyrics we hear on a daily basis are unreal. As Eminem puts it,
we ain’t even impressed no more; we’re used to it. The following
is not so much an attempt to teach as a means via which to begin
dialogue, especially among young people in America and around
the world.
The negative side of today’s rap music, as I see it, is that it
perpetuates a problem that has existed within our society since
long before we had the genre or the means (mass media) to
promote genre itself. With “Radio Freq”, Dead Prez tries to
counter the barrage of false images coming to America – coming
to the world – via radio waves.
Woohoohoohoohoohoo...
Crank up yo' speakers!
[Stic.]
To all my (niggaz)
Every hustlin (nigga)
Strugglin (niggaz)
Revolutionary (niggaz)
The “N-Word”. Very touchy subject. Blacks in America who were
born from the days of the Civil Rights movement hate the term
under any circumstances. They say that no one has the right to
use it given its origins. Whites rarely use the term outside of
closed doors. While behind closed doors, though, they say it
within two contexts. First, (predominately) younger white people
may actually use the word in endearing terms with their friends
(interchangeable with ‘man’, ‘homie’, or ‘friend’). Laughable,
depending on who you talk to. On the other hand, and still far
too often – even ONCE is far too often – they use the filthy
term in its original context… to throw around demeaning racial
slurs. Needless to say, the word is long outdated when used in
this context. Anyone who does so should be ostracized to say the
very, very least.
All this being said, the word is no longer taboo among the
younger generation molded by hip-hop. It’s a debate for the
ages, one that may never be resolved at least until another five
to ten years passes. This is not my thinking, but that of KRS-One.
He says that at that time “you're going to see youth in
elementary school spelling it out in their vocabulary tests.
It's going to be that accepted by the society." That remains to
be seen. In the meantime, it will be continued to be used
frequently within rap songs. Let’s talk about this particular
song and the context in which the term is used.
Gang-bangin (niggaz)
Chain-gangin (niggaz)
Tune yo' frequency...
Upon first glance, one might be overwhelmed by the frequency of
the use of the term “nigga”. Here we go again, more self-hating
black males putting themselves down, keeping themselves
oppressed. I disagree with this interpretation for several
reasons. First, I want to refer to something rapper/producer,
David Banner, said during a testimony before Congress in late
2007. He truthfully professed that the term “nigger” was used
for hundreds of years by white people in order to degrade
blacks. Further, the term “nigger” was used over 200 times in
Mark Twain’s HUCKLEBERRY FINN, yet this text remains
(uncensored) on required reading lists nation wide. It has only
been since the black society, and namely hip-hop culture, has
taken ownership of the word that it has been recognized as
offensive, and thus censored..
It’s not up to me. If it were, I’d choose to remove the word
from history all together. First of all, the word promotes such
debate as this. It requires such explanation as this, and it
continues to put a racial strain on society. With such a term
present in anyone’s vocabulary, any form of utopia is
unimaginable. It’s not my place to use the word, but I hear it.
And the reason why I have brought it up and talked at such
length about it is to answer possible rebuttal in the future.
People might ask, “How can you praise a song that uses such a
derogatory term so frequently?” My reply is simple. Dead Prez’
language is a product of the environment in which they were
raised. What’s more important to recognize about the term is how
it’s used. In contrast to mainstream rap where “nigga” is often
used in violent, degrading terms –
Jay-Z - "Nigga stop fuckin' with me, R.I.P."
50 Cent - "I teach niggaz sign language, that
ain't def son.
[gun click, click]
You heard that? That mean RUN"
Wu Tang Clan - “Shame on a nigga who try to run game on a nigga
Wu buck wild with the
trigger!”
– Dead Prez uses the term to recognize, friends and comrades in
the struggle against the man in society. What is still more
important to recognize is the overall meaning of the song. It’s
not about money, cars, or well… we’ll discuss that in just a
moment.
I refuse to be a stereotype in ya box
Never wanna try to be somethin' I'm not
What is this stereotype to which Dead Prez refers? Though the
answer to this question seems painfully obvious, I don’t want to
state any of my own ideas of stereotypes as truth. This
categorization of hip-hop stereotype comes from the following
links:
If you’re pressed for time, or simply don’t want to read the
links, here they are in a nutshell: Flashy car. Big gun.
Excessive jewelry. “Urban” clothing such as Ecko, Roc-A-Wear,
and Baby Phat. Misogynist, violent lyrics. My suspicions have
been confirmed.
Dead Prez stands for the opposite of ALL of the above.
I'm just a nigga from the block, if you got it twist it
Stay blowin on green, if you got it, twist it on up
Next question: “How can you praise a song that glorifies a
harmful gateway drug!?!?” Please. The war on drugs, especially
if that war includes a war on marijuana, is a racket that
perpetuates an incarceration industry, creates an artificial
demand for a virtually harmless product, makes money for
cartels, and funds local police who confiscate money, property,
and assets from those who (in most cases) have the least. Some
of the most intelligent minds, amazing musicians, recognized and
widely read authors, and timeless artists promote the legality
of marijuana… or at the very least advocate its private
consumption. If it is one’s choice to avoid marijuana, I would
never knock that. Don’t push that opinion on other people,
though, and don’t judge peoples’ worth solely because they
choose to use it. http://www.slatts.fsworld.co.uk/famous.htm
Some surprising names you will find on this list include William
Shakespeare, George Washington, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali,
and Joan of Arc.
DP's givin a fuck - R.B.G.'d up in some gangsta chucks
Throw ya fist up homie if ya know what's up
All my comrades puttin in soldier work
We rollin dirty wit it, fully dedicated
So real that the radio'll never play it
Just for confirmation, when was the last time you heard a
“controversial” Dead Prez song on the radio, or MTV, or BET, or…
Okay.
But that's cool, the enemy supposed to hate it
Freedom ain't gon' come til we regulate 'em
That's why I'm in the dojo, not just for the video
Really though, we really got beef with the po-po (woop-woop)
Never know when they gon' put you in a chokehold
“Nine years ago
Human Rights Watch published a report entitled, "Shielded from
Justice: Police Brutality and Accountability in the United
States." The report stated:
‘Police
abuse remains one of the most serious and divisive human rights
violations in the United States. The excessive use of force by
police officers, including unjustified shootings, severe
beatings, fatal chokings, and rough treatment, persists because
overwhelming barriers to accountability make it possible for
officers who commit human rights violations to escape due
punishment and often to repeat their offenses. Police or public
officials greet each new report of brutality with denials or
explain that the act was an aberration, while the administrative
and criminal systems that should deter these abuses by holding
officers accountable instead virtually guarantee them impunity.
This is for you new niggaz, holdin for the radio
[Chorus]
Turn off the radio!
Turn off that bullshit! (freak-freak y'all)
Turn off the radio!
Turn off that bullshit! (freak-reak y'all)
Turn off the radio!
Turn off that bullshit! (freak-freak y'all)
Turn off the radio!
*phone rings*
[M-1] People's Radio
[Stic.] Yo hang up. that's the police
[M-1]
What's on the radio, propoganda, mind control
And turnin it on is like puttin on a blindfold
Cuz when you bringin the real you don't get ro-tation
I'll ask once more: Have you thought about any real Dead Prez
music (or any other really real music for the matter) you've
heard via mass media lately? Just checking.
Unless you take over the station
And yeah I know it's part of they plans
To make us think it's all about party and dancin
And yo it might sound good when you spittin your rap
Mainstream rap, though meticulously produced and catchy, is a
far cry from what its audience needs to be taught. Take a look
at most of (if not all of) the recent Grammy Award winners of
hip-hop. What do they tell us? Get money. Make money. Try to
attain a life in which you drive a “candy coated” car with big
platinum rims. Go to clubs. Ride with no fewer than three
models. Shoot a motherfucker if he gets in your way.
In his 2007 “Best Rap Solo Performance” track entitled “What You
Know”, rapper T.I. asks me what I know about “key by the three
when I chirp shawty chirp back, Louis knapsack where I hold'n
all the work at, loaded 44s on the low, fresh off the jet to the
Jects where the G's at, ridin’ with a couple Latin broads and a
China doll, ridin’ in shiny cars, walk in designer malls, on
them dubs in front of every club, leather guts and fish bowl, 50
on the pinky ring just to make my fist glow?”… among other
things.
http://rap.about.com/od/awards/a/2007GrammyAward.htm
Nothing. I personally know nothing about any of that. And
neither do 99 percent of his fan base or ninety-nine percent of
the world’s population. And I wouldn’t want to know anything
about that because doing so would mean I would have to cut
further into that 99 percent of people who don’t have shit
because of the Capitalist machine in which we are cogs.
Who in their right mind would ever even think to argue that this
is in any way beneficial to our world? And don’t get me wrong.
The beat is catchy. I bob my head. The lyrics are delivered
flawlessly. I’m impressed. I’m just saying, and Dead Prez is
just saying:
But in reality,
don't nobody live like that
What would be the harm in spitting lyrics over beats like that,
and to an audience like us, that actually mean something. Lyrics
that can inspire us to go to school and/or change the education
system… to get a education full of truth rather than lies… to
raise a family held together by strong moral [AND MORAL DOESN’T
NECESSARILY MEAN CHRISTIAN!!!!] values?
You wanna know
what kinda nigga I am?
Lemme tell you 'bout the nigga I'm not - I don't fuck with the
cops
Platinum don't mean that it gotta be hot
I ain't gotta love it, even if they play it a lot
You can hear it when you walk the streets
How many people they reach, how they use music to teach
A "radio program" ain't a figure of speech
Like it or not, the music from the list of Grammy winners above
is taking a part in the education of our children.
“[F]ollowers of hip hop and dance music were more likely to have
had multiple sex partners over the last five years and were
among the biggest drug-takers surveyed.
‘It comes out in the study that, in these types of music, fans
score worse in various behaviours, such as criminality, sexual
promiscuity and drug use," said Dr Adrian North, who led the
research.
‘It was shown that this had nothing to do with their ethnic
backgrounds," he added. "The behaviour was linked purely to
musical taste in its own right."
Source:
news.bbc.co.uk
Don't sleep, cuz you could be a radio freak (freak-freak y'all)
[Chorus]
Turn off the radio!
Turn off that bullshit! (freak-freak y'all)
Turn off the radio!
Turn off that bullshit! (freak-freak y'all)
Turn off the radio!
[Stic.] People's Radio, you on the air
[caller] I got a phat chain, I got a phat whip
[caller] I got a... *hang-up*
[Stic.] Nigga get off that bullshit!
[*high-pitched voice*]
Crank up your speakers, your woofers and your tweeters
Turn up your receivers, we bangin off the meter
Crank up your speakers, your woofers and your tweeters
Turn up your receivers, we bangin for the people
Crank up your speakers, your woofers and your tweeters
Turn up your receivers, we bangin off the meter
[Stic.] - 2X
Freak-freak y'all, to the beat y'all
DP's dawg, we got the heat dawg
People's Radio, on ya stereo
For the ghettos, and the barrios
The problems which Dead Prez address in their music are not
limited to American streets. They are worldwide. We can find
them existing in various forms and degrees in the ghettos of
inner American cities, “the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the
callampas of Santiago de Chile, the jacales of Mexico, the
barrios of Caracas, the barriadas of Lima, the villas miserias
of Buenos Aires, and the cantegriles of Montevideo.” These are
all synonyms for the word slum found in Eduardo Galeano’s OPEN
VEINS OF LATIN AMERICA: FIVE CENTURIES OF THE PILLAGE OF A
CONTINENT. And these are terms referring only to the Western
hemisphere of our globe. I encourage you, as a fellow human, to
pick up a book and read about these places and the people who
live in them. Buy a passport and travel. Meet new people. Listen
to some real music. Pick up a Dead Prez album.
[*high-pitched voice*]
Crank up your speakers, your woofers and your tweeters
Turn up your receivers, we bangin' off the meter
Crank up your speakers, your woofers and your tweeters
I, of course, have no authority to speak for corporate America,
but I have the sneaking suspicion that despite anyone’s pleas
for censorship, the mass circulation of superficial music is no
mistake on the part of the white owners of America. In other
words, the predominance of hip-hop culture in our society is not
a victory for Black America.
These messages keep the youth hungry for the dollar, and willing
to attain it by any means necessary. For urban minorities,
mainstream music promotes hustling as a more viable means of
success than education. The gun, more often than not, outduels
the pencil. Corporate White America is making money by keeping
minorities in prison instead of the classroom.
Meanwhile, millions of little white kids from the suburbs spend
many millions of dollars each year on concerts, memorabilia,
CDs, attire, and accessories all in the name of what (you
guessed it) CORPORATE AMERICA decides to tell them is cool! It’s
a vicious, yet highly effective cycle that preys on our society
at every level. It’s a cycle that creates scapegoats and
billionaires… and the scapegoats and billionaires alike are
content, or at least content to sit back and accept the world as
unchangeable.
When will education be cool? I guess when it is no longer in the
interest of the current owners of the world to keep the
situation just as it is.
As a final disclaimer, I can’t say with certainty that I agree
with every single thing Dead Prez puts on a record. I do,
however, believe wholeheartedly that their music is far more
valuable to our society than mainstream music because it spits
truth. More importantly, it beckons people to wake up from their
false slumber, to speak out and act against authority that has
worked for centuries trying to hold the common folk down
Turn up your
receivers, we bangin’ for the people
For more Dead Prez
music online, please visit the following links. Peace.
http://www.videocure.com/music-videos/d/096e7c47e900e983d92ab1a9edde119a.html
http://kr.truveo.com/tag/Dead%20Prez
