So, yesterday I attended this excellent Black Power Rally on my campus (Michigan State) where Michaela Angela Davis (check her credentials if you don't know who she is) spoke, and she made a great point during her speech. Since Davis is part of the Hip Hop generation 1 (as she put it, and I must admit, I often wish I was part of that generation) and there was a room filled with young blacks, although not the focus, the subject of hip hop obviously came up. And with the subject matter comes the questions of lyrical ability of certain rappers. Well, without blasting off the song and artist that Ms./Mrs. Davis (not sure which one, sorry!) referenced to make her point (I would say it, but out of respect for her and not knowing her wishes I won't), she made the point that a lack of lyricism in hip hop points directly to the lack of literacy within the hip hop and (by association) the black community.

Although this is something that we already knew, whether consciously or subconsciously, putting it so bluntly really drove it home. There honestly could not be any other reasoning for the lack of craft and skill that has managed to come out of hip hop recently. It is no secret that the school systems in which black folks come out often fail in providing the proper education to the youth. So, it's not necessarily these artists fault that they don't quite possess the lyrical ability that we once cherished in hip hop (although they do need to be held accountable for not even attempting to be clever when writing rhymes). It is not a direct reflection of our lack of education or ability to learn, but rather a system that has historically played a role in keeping us down.

Now, there are many of those who are self-educated and that is why so many of the high school and college drop outs in hip hop will still drop one line deeper than anything you may ever hear in a class room. Another important note is that often times, artists will mention that they read a lot of books or will mention specific books that they have just read in interviews, but there is no follow up on literacy and good books to read by interviewers. If this was the case, then maybe more young people would be inspired to read. Instead, we get interviewers and those in the media that tend to push those positive aspects aside and focus on the negative; the beefs, the label issues, etc. (shout out to Mark at www.hiphophopedealers.com for already breaking this down).

As a community, we need to start getting into our books and learning about or history. That includes both black history and, for those who  don't know, our hip hop history. This will help not only inspire those who don't really worry about lyrical content to start paying more attention to it, but it will also force them to be more lyrical because they will have a deeper understanding of life and connections to make. I will admit that this summer was the first time that I really found an appreciation for reading (I am proud to say that I went through 3 or 4 books this summer alone), but I still don't read the way I am supposed to. I often attribute it to the fact that I am forced to read other books for classes that don't interest me at all, but I still have other times to read, but usually find myself in front of the computer. Now I am still reading when I'm on the internet, but it's not anything that will really stimulate my mind like a book will.

One of the most common (if not the most common) trait you can find in great MCs is that they are well read. Not only that, but most were outstanding students (ironically before they dropped out of school). However, dropping out of school and being illiterate has switched from being a lack of interest or, at times, a necessity to being cool. We need to break this cycle and if we do, we will rise not only as the hip hop culture, but black culture as a whole.

What do ya'll think? I know I jumped back into my lyricist bias even after the last blog (check it out if you haven't), but I can't help it lol. Are artists illiterate or just not trying? Are they not trying because the don't have to? Or are we just hurting ourselves by not self-educating? Let me hear it. Comment here or email at straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.

Peace.