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Mar. 31, 2005 Hip-hop fiction is a relatively new genre. This popular niche for many publishing houses features writings by black authors new to the publishing world. Some of these works are outstanding and “tell it like it is,” in the manner of Donald Goines. Sadly, many books of this ilk do little more than glorify guns, gangs and goons. In fact, I was asked by a man to draft a script that would be a remake of the film noir classic, “Angels With Dirty Faces.” When I submitted the script, the man told me that it wasn’t “urban enough.” He asked, “Where’s the gangsters and the shooting? I’m looking for something like ‘Belly’?” I told him, “Then get someone to write a remake of ‘Belly’.” My script stayed with the original theme of the movie: Two lifelong friends who choose different paths in life, with subsequent moral implications. Yes, it had some violent scenes, but apparently not enough to suit the buyer’s tastes. The writing in most of my novels and scripts is what I call “hip-hop poli-sat.” That is, it is a blend of hip-hop fiction and political satire. I seek to examine certain elements of black life and focus on the subliminal political causes and effects. One such example is my unpublished novella, “Frankenigga”. This story not only updates the tale of Frankenstein and gives it an urban twist, but contrasts it with the O.J. Simpson case. (This work will soon be posted on my website). Obviously, some people view the idea of “hip-hop poli-sat” as an oxymoron. The fact that there is a genre called “hip-hop fiction” is political in itself. Of course, by hip-hop people assume it’s “black” and in that sense, they’re right. But, I see hip-hop culture as being palatable to young backs and whites. Many white youth have adopted Ebonic expressions and mannerisms, and they are a lot more liberal and sophisticated in their thinking than their parents are. In the seventies, I saw that there was an improvement in race relations, only as far as young people were concerned. I attributed this to Muhammad Ali and Richard Pryor. I know, you thought I’d say Malcolm and Martin Luther King, Jr. didn’t you? Well, that’s whatcha get for thinking. (And for what it’s worth, I think “Ali” was the first one-name, hip-hop superstar). The Ali-Frazier “Fight of the Century” pitted one generation against another. Old black men and white men derisively referred to Ali as by his slave name of “Clay”. They rooted mightily for Joe to win. Ali was a hero to black and white youth, for standing up against the establishment and refusing to be inducted into the Army. He sacrificed the prime years of his career to defend his religious beliefs. Old folks hated him because in their eyes he was “Un-American”, and worse, a Black Muslim. I never viewed Joe as a tom per se, nor do I believe that Ali did. Joe was a “tom” before the fight was even announced. Why? Simply put, it was a situation beyond his (or even Ali’s) control. White America embraced Joe so fervently, what else could we young people think? He was the “boy” that was gonna “whip that draft- dodging, Muslim nigger”, and it seemed to me that Joe relished the “adulation”. He saw this as an opportunity to become “an America’s super hero.” While Joe went on to win the fight and become the poster boy for brain damage, Ali became a symbol of defiance, one that both young blacks and whites could relate to. Ali represented what black men had never been portrayed as— PROUD and STRONG. Joe was and continues to this day to be a tool of whites. He still refers to Ali by his slave name of “Clay” and feels “jilted” that America embraces his nemesis, while he’s merely the man who got beaten into retirement by “The Greatest”—twice. For many young whites, Richard Pryor’s landmark LP “That Nigger’s Crazy” as their first introduction to black culture. Through Pryor’s political satire (and yes, he was a satirist and social critic--check out, “I Spy Cops” on the “Craps” album), whites learned that our problems are essentially the same, but there are two mitigating factors. First, black people’s problems are usually derived from the fact that we are, as Curtis Mayfield put it, “The people darker Than Blue”. Two, whites and blacks deal with their problems in completely different ways. (Examine “The Goodnight Kiss” and “White People Vs. Niggers”). The problem I see with hip-hop as it is presented in the media, is that today’s authors of both fiction and rap music use a lot of irresponsible terminology. This is presented simply as “being part of the game” and “keeping it real.” This is not a generalized complaint about use of the more obvious “bad words” such as “bitch”, “ho” and “nigga,” but the most nauseating phrase ever spawned: “You so ghetto.” This is an expression meant as a diss, spewed by supposedly better educated and more affluent blacks. This is nothing more than their way of rejecting the elements of their culture they either don’t understand, or flat out reject. To me, being “ghetto” is beautiful. The urban hairstyles, fashions, hip-hop music and whatnot is ghetto in genesis! The ghetto is cornrows, beaded hair, FUBU, Kool Moe Dee and Ice Cube; it’s Beyonce singing and dancing; it’s Frankie Randall throwing eight punch combinations; it’s P. Diddy designing his own clothing like, and so much more. In short, a lot of our creative expression has lewd, violent overtones that is pushed by the media as being the norm, or the center of hip-hop culture. The reality is, black people themselves should be defining the parameters of hip-hop. We need to put less emphasis on the potential revenue, and focus on the lessons and imagery these works impart. For as Mao-Tse Tung wrote, “He who controls images, controls minds; and he who controls minds has little if anything to worry about from bodies.” ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is the 45-year old author of "Tempest In The Stone" and the upcoming, "The Malice of Cain". He resides in Pittsburg, California with his three youngest children Dante, Kimberly and Lawrence. I have a new website: stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@sbcglobal.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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