Kondji Mlimwengu

No DeeDees or Mandarks here.. Couple mad scientists though

5 notes

image

What Does “The Culture” Matter if We Don’t Defend it?

Essentially Melle Mel made an accurate statement that many other emcees agree with but are too scared to make publicly for fear of this kind of backlash.


I don’t think he should have been made to apologize. Mel is a pioneer of Hip-Hop, one of the literal forefathers of Hip-Hop. He was doing his thing before “the industry”, before the commercialization and gentrification of hip-hop. He was doing this before companies like Billboard, MTV, Rolling Stones-companies ran by white men- purchased Hip-Hop then told us that a white man was the GOAT.


Eminem is a talented emcee sure but it’d be dishonest and delusional to say that him being a white man plays no role in his prestige in Hip-Hop. Like no disrespect intended but Eminem would be Royce Da 5’9 if he wasn’t a white man.

I feel like we like to act like Hip-hop is some kind of oasis- shielded away from the rest of the world- where the rules, laws, biases and oppressive systems of society don’t apply. It’s the opposite. Hip-Hop is a direct reflection of the society we live in and all of its systems of oppression. Under this colonial-capitalist system that we live under, white men run the world. And as long as these companies, labels, streaming services etc. determine who we listen to, white men are gonna run hip-hop too.

What Melle Mel said is an objective fact and I believe that all of these emcees who built careers off his blueprint as well as black people at large (so-called “the culture”) had a responsibility to stand up and stand beside him. We shouldn’t allow the architects of Hip-Hop to have to bend over and apologize to white people for making accurate statements about white people. What in the world does “the culture” even mean if we don’t defend it?

Filed under blackout eminem melle mel hiphop black culture culture the culture capitalism colonialism

21 notes

Today

“What are you waiting for”

is a question that’s been tormenting me as of late

Cuz I’ve always been waiting

But I’ve been unclear on the what, or even the why

The when is always changing

From “next week”

To “next year”

To the recurring, excited bursts of “today!!”

Which then becomes last week

Then last year

Then never mind

“Extensive yet unfulfilled” can be used to describe more than my notes section

It can be used to describe the many ideas and ambitions which undoubtedly grow tired of a lifetime confined to my mind

When they just want to live

It can be used to describe my 27 years on this earth

Which have been largely unremarkable

Spent devotedly waiting for a what and a when that’ll likely never come

I’m tired of waiting, and I just want to live

Well I let me live?

Filed under black culture blackpoetsmatter blackartist poetry poem blackart bgm melanin blm blackout poetsofig poetsoftwitter poets of tumblr fear of failure black men blackfamily fear