TRUTH Minista Paul Scott will bring the Black Culture Bailout Tour to New York City next weekend. He is scheduled to take part in the Great Debate #4 "Is Hip Hop Good for Black Folks" 3/15 in Harlem NY.
http://nowarningshotsfired.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post.html
Last February, Scott started the Black History Bailout Tour (now the Black Culture Bailout Tour) to raise awareness about the need to preserve black culture in the "Obama Age" when many people are saying that we are living in a "post racial America."
For more info on the Black Culture Bailout Tour contact (919) 451-8283
info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Showing posts with label conscious Hip Hop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conscious Hip Hop. Show all posts
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Hip Hop's Judgement Day
Hip Hop's Judgement Day
Paul Scott
For everything there is a season; a Day of Reckoning; a Judgement Day. Now it's Hip Hop's turn.
On March 15th in Harlem NY, some of the greatest Pan_ African thinkers will gather to put to rest once and for all, the matter of, "Is Hip Hop Good for Black Folks ?"
While the issue of the positive and negative nature of Hip Hop has been discussed for over 20 years, rarely has this topic been entertained from an Afrocentric point of view. Therefore, most Hip Hop discussions have never ventured far beyond the topics of "dirt words" and "young men pulling their pants up."
Consequently, the view of Hip Hop through an Afrocentric prism has been clouded by the European concept of morality and its many contradictions.
While some may blame the failure to tackle this issue on black youth, in actuality, the reason for this breakdown in communication is multifaceted.
First, while writers such as WEB Dubois wrote extensively about the duality of race and the idea of being both African and American, simultaneously, they never had to deal with members of a "Hip Hop Generation," who have to struggle with the concepts of being "Hip Hop," African and American even when these concepts are diametrically opposed to each other.
Secondly, the elders of the community greatly underestimated the cultural impact that Hip Hop would have on the world during the early days of its conception. What many people considered noise or just a temporary fad in black music in the early 80's,within a decade had morphed into a cultural juggernaut that began to eclipse both the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. What was thought to be a passing phase had now begun to shape the perception of African people, globally and had moved from the arena of entertainment to become a major social, economic and political force.
Thirdly, although many in the black community misjudged the longevity of the pseudo-culture, corporate entities latched on to the Hip Hop movement and turned what began as two turntables and a microphone into a multi -national billion dollar business. While during the early 80's there was a possibility to appeal to the consciousness of the early practitioners of the art form, by the mid 90's the seductive lure of Capitalism had made the success of such appeals improbable.
Perhaps most troubling is the fact that the Pan African community has not held a plebiscite to construct an official position to define Hip Hop from a Pan Africanist point of view. Without a solid consensus, there was no scale available to weigh in the balance the deeds of Hip Hop artists versus the key attributes of African culture/spirituality . It was allowed to become all things to all people and since the majority of those
financially supporting the art form were white middle class Americans, Hip Hop began to reflect either their world view or their warped perceptions of what it meant to be black in America.
In 2009, the black community finds itself at a crossroad. Where we go from here culturally, economically and spiritually depends on the outcomes of events like the Great Harlem debates.
On March 15th, we raise the issue, Iis Hip Hop good or bad for black people?"
The answer we give will determine the destiny of a generation.
(The Great Debate 4 " Is Hip Hop Good for Black folks" is sponsored by CEMOTAP and will be held at 3PM March 15th at Salem United Methodist Church . For more information contact (347) 531-8936
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com
Paul Scott
For everything there is a season; a Day of Reckoning; a Judgement Day. Now it's Hip Hop's turn.
On March 15th in Harlem NY, some of the greatest Pan_ African thinkers will gather to put to rest once and for all, the matter of, "Is Hip Hop Good for Black Folks ?"
While the issue of the positive and negative nature of Hip Hop has been discussed for over 20 years, rarely has this topic been entertained from an Afrocentric point of view. Therefore, most Hip Hop discussions have never ventured far beyond the topics of "dirt words" and "young men pulling their pants up."
Consequently, the view of Hip Hop through an Afrocentric prism has been clouded by the European concept of morality and its many contradictions.
While some may blame the failure to tackle this issue on black youth, in actuality, the reason for this breakdown in communication is multifaceted.
First, while writers such as WEB Dubois wrote extensively about the duality of race and the idea of being both African and American, simultaneously, they never had to deal with members of a "Hip Hop Generation," who have to struggle with the concepts of being "Hip Hop," African and American even when these concepts are diametrically opposed to each other.
Secondly, the elders of the community greatly underestimated the cultural impact that Hip Hop would have on the world during the early days of its conception. What many people considered noise or just a temporary fad in black music in the early 80's,within a decade had morphed into a cultural juggernaut that began to eclipse both the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. What was thought to be a passing phase had now begun to shape the perception of African people, globally and had moved from the arena of entertainment to become a major social, economic and political force.
Thirdly, although many in the black community misjudged the longevity of the pseudo-culture, corporate entities latched on to the Hip Hop movement and turned what began as two turntables and a microphone into a multi -national billion dollar business. While during the early 80's there was a possibility to appeal to the consciousness of the early practitioners of the art form, by the mid 90's the seductive lure of Capitalism had made the success of such appeals improbable.
Perhaps most troubling is the fact that the Pan African community has not held a plebiscite to construct an official position to define Hip Hop from a Pan Africanist point of view. Without a solid consensus, there was no scale available to weigh in the balance the deeds of Hip Hop artists versus the key attributes of African culture/spirituality . It was allowed to become all things to all people and since the majority of those
financially supporting the art form were white middle class Americans, Hip Hop began to reflect either their world view or their warped perceptions of what it meant to be black in America.
In 2009, the black community finds itself at a crossroad. Where we go from here culturally, economically and spiritually depends on the outcomes of events like the Great Harlem debates.
On March 15th, we raise the issue, Iis Hip Hop good or bad for black people?"
The answer we give will determine the destiny of a generation.
(The Great Debate 4 " Is Hip Hop Good for Black folks" is sponsored by CEMOTAP and will be held at 3PM March 15th at Salem United Methodist Church . For more information contact (347) 531-8936
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Black History Bailout Tour Comes to Charlotte
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott will bring the Black History Month Bailout Tour to Charlotte NC 2/20. He is scheduled to be part of a panel discussion at Johnson C. Smith University.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
NWSF Exclusive: The Real X-Man
NWSF Exclusive: The Real X-Man
Everybody's lookin' for a hero. While some are waiting for Wolverine, Cyclops or one of the other X-Men to save the day, No Warning Shots Fired.com recently caught up with another X-Man who is on a mission to save the planet through Hip Hop; Pittsburgh artist Jasiri X.
Jasiri X started rappin' in the early 90's when rap was still in its conscious phase. His first rap was based on Eldridge Cleaver's book "Soul on Ice." However, he says after that as Hip Hop became less conscious, so did his music.
X says that he made a turn around in '96 because of personal situations and his studying of books such as "the Isis Papers" (Dr. Frances Cress-Welsing), "Stolen Legacy" (Dr. George GM James) and "Message to the Black Man" (The Honorable Elijah Muhammad). It was also during that time that he began to listen to the teachings of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and shortly afterwards he joined the Nation of Islam.
Jasiri's first big break came when he read about the Jena 6 situation in the Final Call newspaper. This inspired him to record the anthem, "Free the Jena 6" for his Myspace page. The song was discovered by radio personality Michael Baisden and the rest is history.
Jasiri X is busy these days producing a weekly radio/video spot called, "This Week with Jasiri X." The spots feature X rappin' about news events from the previous week.
When asked about the current state of Hip Hop in 2009, X says that "these are the best of times and the worst of times."
The positive thing is that the internet has leveled the playing field so voices like his can be heard. The negative side is today's music lacks substance and is more about getting attention, producing what Jasiri calls "reality TV music." However, he is confident that good music will stand out even in these times.
What does the future hold for Jasiri X?
He says that peeps should be on the look out for his upcoming cd, "The Autobiography of Jasiri X," which will be released Summer of '09.
So, true Hip Hop heads can rest assure that wherever there is evil, injustice or wack Hip Hop, Jasiri X will be there!
To reach Jasiri X visit his website at http://www.jasirix.com/ or email jasirix@gmail.com
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com
Everybody's lookin' for a hero. While some are waiting for Wolverine, Cyclops or one of the other X-Men to save the day, No Warning Shots Fired.com recently caught up with another X-Man who is on a mission to save the planet through Hip Hop; Pittsburgh artist Jasiri X.
Jasiri X started rappin' in the early 90's when rap was still in its conscious phase. His first rap was based on Eldridge Cleaver's book "Soul on Ice." However, he says after that as Hip Hop became less conscious, so did his music.
X says that he made a turn around in '96 because of personal situations and his studying of books such as "the Isis Papers" (Dr. Frances Cress-Welsing), "Stolen Legacy" (Dr. George GM James) and "Message to the Black Man" (The Honorable Elijah Muhammad). It was also during that time that he began to listen to the teachings of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and shortly afterwards he joined the Nation of Islam.
Jasiri's first big break came when he read about the Jena 6 situation in the Final Call newspaper. This inspired him to record the anthem, "Free the Jena 6" for his Myspace page. The song was discovered by radio personality Michael Baisden and the rest is history.
Jasiri X is busy these days producing a weekly radio/video spot called, "This Week with Jasiri X." The spots feature X rappin' about news events from the previous week.
When asked about the current state of Hip Hop in 2009, X says that "these are the best of times and the worst of times."
The positive thing is that the internet has leveled the playing field so voices like his can be heard. The negative side is today's music lacks substance and is more about getting attention, producing what Jasiri calls "reality TV music." However, he is confident that good music will stand out even in these times.
What does the future hold for Jasiri X?
He says that peeps should be on the look out for his upcoming cd, "The Autobiography of Jasiri X," which will be released Summer of '09.
So, true Hip Hop heads can rest assure that wherever there is evil, injustice or wack Hip Hop, Jasiri X will be there!
To reach Jasiri X visit his website at http://www.jasirix.com/ or email jasirix@gmail.com
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com
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