Keepin' Heads on Straight

Here’s the deal. We’ve not given Hip Hop the opportunity to do what we need for it to do...which is lead. We’ve never suggested to our children that Big Daddy Kane was a poet to be admired for his word play and message. There are few teachers standing in front of our children and saying listen to Public Enemy and write a report. The feelings about Hip Hop from the generation before is well known. But it is our responsibility to demand Hip Hop be viewed as more than just entertainment.

A friend of mine posted a question on facebook. He asked people what their favorite Tupac verse was...from the responses, you’d think Tupac said nothing but bitch, ho, fuck, shit, ass, pussy, weed and money. A whole legion of people were so manipulated by the media’s image of Tupac that they failed to spend any time really listening to the words he was communicating. I agree with Jay Electronica when he suggests that Pac would have started the revolution. Would the message have included a bitch, ho, fuck, shit, ass...probably, but that would not have been THE message. Does that make sense? Should a few explicit lyrics stop us from listening to the overall message?

Hip Hop has continued to be the overlooked child who’s voice is never fully heard because the adults assume that children can only learn from them, not vice versa. Hip Hop Hope Dealers seek to change this mentality. We don’t suggest that people shouldn’t read or take interest in the ideas of philosophers, doctors, lawyers, authors, scholars, activists or any other persons our culture has deemed it acceptable to take advice and learn from. We encourage the acquisition of knowledge. Read more...please, but don’t turn off Hip Hop.

Just listen in a different way. After bitch, shit, fuck, pussy, tittie you might just hear some of the most beautiful words you’ve ever heard. We seek to be enlightened, inspired and guided by many things in this life. Let one of things that guides you be Hip Hop. Just give it a try. We promise it works. If you need help, Hip Hop Hope Dealers will be right here.

Peace. Power.