Time to Represent?
By Jayar Jackson
President Bush invited many prominent names to the White House June 22 to celebrate Black Music Month, an annual observance and appreciation of African American singers, composers and musicians.
He invoked the usual laughter and applause from the attendees which included Department of Housing and Urban development secretary Alphonso Jackson, former BET owner Bob Johnson, and Warner Music Group executive vice president Kevin Liles.
Some of the performers were R&B singer KEM Owens, violinists Tourie and Damien Escobar, who rose above their tough surroundings to form a group called Nuttin’ But Strings, and 15-year-old Karina Pasian, who uses music to address many serious issues such as hunger, disease, and the genocide in Darfur.
Greg Collins, one of the key players in helping launch and name June as Black Music Month, was also on hand.
He told allhiphop.com, "The influence that Black Music has had on the culture of this country and the world needs to be continually recognized and given its proper place in history. In consideration of all of the negative publicity that surrounds different aspects of our music, this was truly a day to be proud!"
Why is Collins doing the Harlem Shake all around the issue that everyone knows he’s talking about, rap music.
In my mind, ideas such as Black Music Month and Black History Month were created to bring awareness and attention to the aspects of African American culture that the rest of America so easily forgets about.
When a non-Black American is asked what they think of when Black music is brought up, they probably think of rap and all of the negative attention it draws.
Why did Collins only slightly referenced this issue?
Although it was extremely important to highlight the struggles that KEM endured to make it, and the substance that Karina Pasian puts in her music, it is just as vital to address the reasonable questions, concerns, and countless misconceptions many Americans outside and inside of the Black community have regarding the most recognized form of our expression, hip hop.
No matter how many negative artists of the rap genre there are, it is our duty to take the opportunity of national recognition to emphasize real aspects of hip hop, the passionate and worthwhile lyrics that go into so many songs.
It is also our responsibility to address the widely known and commonly reported negative aspects as well. If anyone understands why there is so much apparent violence and misogynistic lines in the most popular genre of our music, it is us.
The majority of the population doesn’t have the interest to go beyond the commercialization of 50 Cents, Snoop, Dre, and Jay-Z to realize that even the negative parts are there for a reason and need to be addressed, not simply written off as “more pissed off Black men that can’t think of anything else but smoking, rims, and bitches.”
We have to stop going to the White House acting like hip hop is a small movement that will soon fizzle out. If we ignore it during the month we set aside to have the world celebrate it, there’s no reason for anyone else to pay attention to its importance and power, either.
Hip hop has reached every part of the world and influenced people that don’t know there are Black folks from all walks of life and backgrounds with something to contribute to every intelligent discussion.
We need to always point out to the people so far from the issues that affect us and our music where it’s all coming from and why. Understanding begins with sparking conversations and exposing people to the topic that simply don’t get it.
Maybe we should begin with the rest of America.