Hip Hop music as Literature

Had an interesting discussion about how English literature can reflect working class conditions and by looking at certain literature in the 50s, 70s, 90s, we can see how the working class has changed over time. In other words, literature becomes a social mirror. This is not a novel methodology into the investigation of social structure and "cultural evolution" in defining the working class and investigating how the boundary has shifted over time. Nicole Toulis in her study of Jamaican women immigrating to England, not only draws on sociologist Stuart Hall but also looks to literature as indicative and reflective accounts of working class conditions and how black women were treated in England.

This approach is, in part, also my own approach to a study of hip hop. And while I appreciate the music's aesthetics (the beats, the rhythms, the lyrics), more importantly the music provides social commentary and is reflective of social conditions. If you look at the history of hip hop from the 70s, up to now, we can see how the music reflects accounts of police brutality, poverty, and racism (and for those who think that racism had somehow gotten better during the late 80s and 90s in the US and then for some reason got much worse in recent years would be grossly mistaken. Shit has been happening throughout and just because you become aware of it now doesn't mean the conditions were better when you were ignorant of it). Moreover, in spite of the violence and brutality, we see a celebration of "black culture" and life. Simultaneously, as we trace the histories, we can also see how the market and record labels usurp the music by restricting what the artist should/can rap about and how the DJ was cut out during the capitalization process. For example, "Gangster rap" started as a reflection of social conditions but then became a marketable enterprise for white suburbia. This also lead to the "Bling Bling" era where rappers would wax and wane about how much money they have, the cars, and the "bitches." As 50 cent and many other rappers have indicated, most of the shit they showed in the music videos were rented - the cars, the jewelry, and the women. What is refreshing today, is that we see a return of the conscious rapper. Dudes like Kendrick Lamar and Killer Mike are bringing social issues back into public eye. This isn't to say that MCs have not been doing this over the years, we can look to KRS-One, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, Immortal Technique, and many many more who have been talking about social issues for quite some time.

So, when I get some time, I'll try to go through each decade 80s, 90s, the 2000s, and the present decade and briefly note some of their reflections. But to jump it off, 'Rapper's Delight' by the Sugarhill Gang is largely considered to be the first album/record to hit the market after Kool Herc, Afrikaa Bambaata, and company give birth to the movement.