Reason Debates VIII-blatian vs 5 Grand Voting thread

[5th Letter]

Round 1

blatian

Hip-hop has gone from a form of music/entertainment created by tha' streets (rappers/MC's) and for tha' streets (minorities) into a powerful global business and whether people like it or not, a powerful form of media/news. With this power comes great responsibility. One such responsibility is tha' need for them (rappers/MC's) to convey a positive message. As I stated before, it was and still is a form of entertainment and expression from tha' streets, and more importantly tha' minorities from said streets. There are already far too many outlets that portray these minorities in a negative light. Whether it's from your local news, world news, community letters or hell...even school postings, tha portrayal of minorities is seen as a negative, dark and thuggish stigma. This portrayal leads directly into tha' ways minorities are viewed and treated by tha' public, government and police/judicial sytems. Which we can all agree is scarily unfair. Why should something WE have control in making perpetuate those negative views?? Why are WE/THEM (rappers/MC's)not going above and beyond our/their own control to put out something that paints US/THEM in a far more positive and accurate light?? There's already enough negativity cast on US/THEM!! Rappers should by all means balance out tha' playing field by focusing their God given talents and their own personal hardwork and dedication into putting out messages/music of positivity. This is a responsibility that rappers/MC's should take on tha' second they decide to do this thing called rap...PEACE

5 Grand

I remember back in the summer of 1987 when LL Cool J was the reigning K.O.N.Y. LL was on his second album and while KRS One and Rakim had just dropped their solo debuts. As far as skills were concerned they were about equal but LL had a bigger budget. His videos played on BET and MTV. Nevertheless, all three albums were classics and each MC would continue to release heat rocks for the next several years.

The difference between LL, KRS and Rakim was their subject matter. LL pretty much rapped for the ladies and stayed away from politics (for some reason a lot of MCs made diss records towards LL). KRS represented what was going on in the streets and part of his spiel was that you could use rap music to convey a positive message. In fact he organized the Stop The Violence Movement. He also made a song called Stop The Violence which was on his second LP, By All Means Necessary. Rakim was a member of the 5% Nation of Islam so his lyrics were more esoteric, unless you studied 5% lessons.

As KRS One's career progressed he made a lot of songs that had a so-called "positive message". The problem was that his messages were ambiguous and in some cases flat out didn't make sense.

Examples of songs by KRS One that had messages but didn't make sense;

1. Bo, Bo, Bo

2. 13 and Good

3. 95 Live part 2 freestyle

As with most rappers, KRS One doesn't have a formal education. He claims to have dropped out of high school but in the next breath he says he went to the library and read books and studied. I know he took some college courses in philosophy at either USC or UCLA but I'm not sure if he ever got a degree.

KRS One is probably the best example of why rappers shouldn't be required to make music with a positive message; Because they don't know enough. I'm sure KRS One means well. In his heart he thinks he's doing the right thing but rappers in general know the world from their perspective, as entertainers. The people, especially the youth, need to hear from doctors, lawyers, judges and stockbrokers, not from rappers that dropped out of high school. In regards to making music to inspire and uplift a generation, most rappers don't have enough education to take on that kind of responsibility.

Having said that, I used to jam to KRS One's music when I was younger but I outgrew him. I still bump Criminal Minded from time to time. I think that's his best work.

 

[5th Letter]

Round 2

blatian

Education does not equate to positivity...money does not equate to positivity. Just because an MC doesn't finish high school does not mean he doesn't have tha' right or knowledge to speak about positivity. It's sad to say but most lawyers, stock brokers or doctors don't come back to speak to tha community on a regular basis. But you know who's always speaking/performing in tha community..MC's when they're doing a show. And when better to provide a positive message than when tha MC's are performing at a show. Who better to speak to tha vast majority of "regular people" than someone who tha people consider as regular.

Tupac is a perfect example...

Tupac had the background, education, voice and views to spread positivity and change thru tha community. He was well on his way when he first came out, but instead he chose to change his message to tha' act of a gangster. The mannerisms and speech of a gangster. For tha sole purposes of making more money (money doesn't equate to positivity). For this reason I stopped listening to Pac once he changed up tha majority of his messages. Tupac was closer akin to a revolutionary that could make positive change in his community than he ever was a west coast gang banging gangster spewing hate that would help to further damage a community and people that others were already in and are in tha process of destroying. It was HIS responsibility to make positive music.

Bob Marley was not a highly educated man but made tha most powerful and positive music to help uplift mankind...ever...because he felt that it was his responsibility...and I never heard him speak about his love of money. (Money doesn't equate to positivity)

5 Grand

Yeah, Tupac and Bob Marley made some uplifting music but that's all it was, it was music that you could put on your stereo and sing along to the words. But lets be honest with each other; a song with a positive message doesn't have as much of an impact as a doctor who puts his money towards a scholarship program for kids to go to college. Or a stockbroker who holds seminars in the community teaching people how to invest their money, or a lawyer who works pro bono to help juveniles from the inner city that are in trouble with the law..

I'm talking about real, concrete positivity, not a phrase on a rap record..."Keep It Real"..."Stop Snitching"... "One Love"..."Stop The Violence"... Get Money"...

 

[5th Letter]

Round 3

blatian

Bob Marley's music DID help curve political unrest in Jamaica. James Brown (tha' most sampled artist by hip-hop artists ever) performed and helped stop rioting after tha' assassination of MLK. Both were pretty much hip-hop artists in their own right during their time. Positive messages/music can most certainly create positive outcomes just like negative messages/music can and does create negativity in our communities. Tha violence in Chicago may not be directly caused by tha "trill rap" movement by many artists in that city but it's definitely adding fuel and giving tha media more ammo to villianize tha youth of that city. Also regardless of who tha money went to after KRS help create tha Self Destruction movement it did bring a more positive light to hip-hop that up to that point was just looked at as negative music created by a negative race of people. It helped spawn positivity, however brief, in hip-hop and tha communities on tha East Coast. As did tha West Coast after artist did tha "All in tha Same Gang" track. Violence begets violence and with so many forces already spewing negativity on our people why not have our artists champion positivity to tha people. In summation it is a hip-hop artist's responsibility to make positive music to convey positive messages...its not like anyone else out there is going to do it...if you're not part of tha solution you're part of tha problem...Peace

5 Grand

I've said all I have to say

 

[Ghostdenithegawd]

The only person to vote for @5grand was @5grand haha