BNP vs The EMCEE

Until now I've avoided getting all political on here but a situation has arisen which requires some action and Hip Hop is the perfect vehicle.

I, like many others across the nation this week, received this BNP leaflet through my door promoting their cause for the European elections on June 4. As much as I have a deep seated loathing for racist criminals I don't think you can ever censor these people, they have to be countered with coherent critique.

That's where we stumble upon a problem and I think it's a problem for UK Hip Hop in particular. While there's been plenty of critique in the media, much of it comes from politicians, who lets face it aren't exactly in everyone's good books. That's bound to turn many off the subject straight away.

This is a situation whereby Hip Hop can step up to the plate and make a contribution to exposing racism and hatred and motivate positive change in ordinary people as we so often like to claim whenever someone criticises the culture. Remember Blak Twang on This Morning? Instead what do I see? Nothing. There's no Hip Hop blogs picking-up on this issue, no hastily recorded freestyles about Nick Griffin drinking tea with the Queen and no discussion.

Well, it is just music after all. But it's not is it? One of the things I've always loved about Hip Hop is it's ability to encompass more that just the music it's a culture and that extends to a consciousness about society. How many raps have you heard about prejudicial police stop and search policies, knocking the war in Iraq or widespread poverty, drugs and social deprivation? Thousands. But it seems recently we've dropped the ball.

This silence is a bit too reminiscent of Cameron's outburst over the evils of Hip Hop a few years ago, a speech which only Rhymefest (who's from Chicago!) addressed. Then there was Boris Johnson's belittling of Hip Hop last year which again seemed to go unnoticed. Where were emcee's as voices of the people and keepers of the culture then? Come to mention it what is K-lash up to these days? He seemed pretty pissed about this sort of stuff before he dropped off the radar. Or Skinnyman for that matter? He was quick to jump up about his right to smoke in public.

I'll make it easy for you, the BNP candidates for Wales are Ennys Hughes, Laurence Reid, Clive Bennett and Kevin Edward. Surely we can find a few rhymes in there somewhere? I'd do it myself but we all know that wouldn't be pretty. If you're not from round here you can look up your local mob over at the BBC.

Now I'm not one to try and tell people what they should do with their art, time or money. If you're a rapper and you simply don't care that's fine, you can't be what you're not that's not what Hip Hop's all about. I'm just saying it would be nice if someone gave a shit.

Photos courtesy of Mia!

Why can't Hip Hop be high culture, Boris?

You won't find me saying this a lot but for once I think I might just agree with Boris Johnson. Today he has called for an end to young people being talked down to and patronised by government arts programmes and for a greater emphasis on high culture not Hip Hop culture.

It's a noble ambition and not one without merit. No matter what segment of society you come from broadening your horizons is rarely a bad idea. Boris feels that too much money is spent on more street level art programmes than on trying to get young people into the traditional art forms. You might describe it as, ballet instead of breaking, Gauguin instead of graffiti and Bach over breakbeats (actually that might sound good).

The point that Johnson has missed is that all this would be fine if anyone felt that it was a choice between equals. It's not. Hip Hop and its culture have consistently been rubbished by the media and the establishment for decades. Not so long ago Johnson's own party leader was making a name for himself amongst heads for blaming Hip Hop for knife crime. Hip Hop has done its time as the politicians whipping boy of choice for all of society's ills.

In reality the culture as a whole and most likely its popularity will not be affected too heavily by Johnson's removal of funding. Although no doubt there will be some artists that suffer.

Many government funded productions often seek to capture a wider audience than traditional Hip Hop heads. It is this slight that is most damaging and all too familiar. Rightly or wrongly it will be perceived by many as further stripping Hip Hop culture of its legitimacy and will most likely only serve to alienate the very audience Boris Johnson aims to capture.

To think I was so close to agreeing with you there Boris. Better luck next time.

Image by minifig on flickr