from live cypha.com
I have concerns… And my concerns are for the culture in which I was raised. I’m not speaking about the state of black America nor am I speaking of the state of the black union; it’s bigger than that. You see, I have had concerns for a long time, and have never voiced them, assuming things would get better, but they didn’t. My concerns are now becoming worries because I’m now hearing reports that the culture that once raised me is either dead or dying, so this is my state of the hip hop union address.
Hip hop, as I once knew it, was an urban style of music and culture that was birthed with intentions of getting the urban voice heard creatively. It was similar to an artistic protest. The theme of most songs concentrated on social issues, and discussed the harsh realities of inner-city living. Hip hop gave us an innovative way to poetically vent, protest, and express ourselves. It was also the voice that provided other cultures and social classes with an understanding, to some extent, of what inner-city living was like. Songs like Grand Master Flash’s “The Message,” KRS-1’s “Love’s Gonna Get’cha,” or Tupac’s “Brenda’s got a Baby” took us on a journey through some interesting stories that were either true or not far from it. These were issues emcees dealt with and they earned the respect and praise of fans world-wide for sharing their lives and experiences.
This is the culture that raised me…
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