[ad_1]
Bragadocio may be a common hallmark of rap, but Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, if he calls himself hip-hop’s godfather, lyrical virtuoso, or political provocateur, is simply I am just stating a fact. Apparently, he actually describes himself as a “military man,” whose most significant achievement was “fighting for voices that had long been silent and strangled.”
Fight The Power: How hip-hop changed the worldis a new four-part BBC documentary series produced and hosted by Chuck D. It offers an interesting exploration of what came to rule the world. World charts in progress.
Like HBO/Netflix series evolution of hip hop, covering similar ground for four seasons, the show builds on the contributions of rap heavyweights like Ice-T, Melle Mel, Eminem, and Killer Mike. But while the spotlight is on the groundbreaking rap record, the emphasis here is on social commentary, not on the technical aspects of sampling and production, but on the socio-political context from which rap songs were born. The discussion is focused mainly on context.
For example, the urban collapse documented by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five in “The Message,” the political consciousness stirred by Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” and the NWA’s “Fuck Tar Police.” Even if you’re not into music, it’s hard to argue with the potency of such songs to give a voice to the impoverished black community who are ignored, exploited and demonized by discriminatory government policies and policing methods.
“Fight the Power” highlights female trailblazers such as Queen Latifah (center) © Al Pereira/Getty
While the first two episodes celebrate hip-hop as a symbol and product of resistance and ambition, the second half of the series shatters rap’s reputation for inciting and reflecting violence. Not only does it stimulate consciousness, it promotes greed and misogyny. While there are efforts to be equal and to give due recognition to female trailblazers like Queen Latifah, these valid criticisms are only a small fraction of what moral panic rap can induce. can be lost among defensive points.
The final chapter explores the cultural and commercial rise of hip-hop in the 2000s. Around this time, rappers went from fighting power to helping elect the first black president. But the show also soberly emphasizes that progress is at best ongoing and at worst an elusive illusion.
The growing influence of hip-hop, the best-selling genre in music today, is something the documentary may have explored in more detail than a short run-through of contemporary artists. As reminds us, “hip-hop has always been [the song we] I need it for now.”
★★★★☆
On BBC2 on January 21st at 9pm.Episodes 3 and 4 will air next week
[ad_2]
Source link
