HIP HOP HATIN' THAT HATE PRODUCED
by Minister Paul Scott

This year has seen the resurgence of the Hip Hop Wars with the
much-heralded Jay Z vs.  Nas, KRS vs.  Nelly, Dre vs JD; etc.  While
some of the rhetoric com ing from artists such as Nas and KRS may seem
revolutionary to 16 year old kids, if the dialogue is not put in the
context of the struggle for the survival of Afrikan people, it quickly
becomes counterrevolutionary.  The fight that the more conscious
rappers must rage is to put Black consciousness back into Hip Hop and
not allow these so called Hip Hop Wars to divert attention away from
the real issues facing, not only the Hip Hop Generation but Afrikan
people, in general.  In post 9/11 America, where the issues that are
exclusive to the Black community have all but been forgotten by the so
called mainstream, Hip Hop must play a major role in shoving these
issues in America's face.

We must also hold our brothers and sisters in the rap game accountable
for their actions.  Yeshua (misnamed Jesus) once said    he who is
without sin, cast the first stone.    This can be applied to Hip Hop,
as all have come up short when their ways and actions are weighed
against that historical struggle for Black Liberation.  So, it seems
somewhat hypocritical for a rapper who has never owned up to the
contradictions in his own music to point fingers at another rapper
whom he considers less conscious than himself.

The message that this is sending to the young brothas and sistas
is also problematic as they will see the insanity of disunity among
Afrikan people as not only normal but as a cause for celebration and
admiration.  This will later manifest itself into them developing the
same intense hatred and mistrust of other Black folks from which many
of us are suffering.  Malcolm X once pointed out that the media is so
powerful in its image making role that it can make your enemy seem
like your friend and your friend seem like your enemy; so it is in Hip
Hop.

What we are fighting for is the survival of Afrikan people; not
lyrics; not respect for Hip Hop; not even which Hip Hop radio station
is the best.  If we are not clear on this, we will be forever running
around in a circle, like a dog chasing its tail and wondering why with
all the talking, Black folks are still living in such hellish
conditions.

Despite the strategic placement of Black faces in high places within
the entertainment industry, it is the white owned corporate giants
that control the media images that our children see and ultimately it
is white businessmen who reap the profits from the Hip Hop Wars
(whether the artists themselves survive them or not).  So history
repeats itself; the slave   s fight each other while the slave master
laughs all the way to the bank.

Minister Paul Scott is founder of the Durham NC based New Righteous
Movement and has recently launched the National Hip Hop Reformation
Campaign.  For more information contact: operationmedia@ yahoo.com