[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 97 (Friday, July 21, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1491-E1492]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SCHOMBURG CENTER HOSTS A SUMMIT FOR HIP-HOP ACTIVISM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 20, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to enter into the Record an 
article from the Volume 6 Edition of Africana Heritage magazine which 
highlights an event hosted by Dr. Cornel West celebrating the music 
genre of Hip-Hop. This panel based event, held on Monday, April 24th, 
2006, was titled ``A Hip-Hop Revolution?'' and it featured expert 
panelists from the academia, entertainment, and publishing spheres who 
gathered to address the issue of whether Hip-Hop music had the 
capability to serve as a tool for revolution.
  This event formed part of a four-program series, the ``Leadership 
Forum Series: Higher Pursuits'' taking place at the Schomburg Museum in 
Harlem, New York. This particular event that focused on the potential 
of Hip-Hop to serve as an instrument for social movement shed some 
light on contemporary perspectives on the evolution of Hip-Hop from a 
subgroup of African American music born to the New York borough of the 
Bronx, to one of the most popular genres of music around the world.
  To some panelists, the answer to this question was positive. Writer 
Greg Tate held that Hip-Hop was just a manifestation of black people's 
way to transform their world. To him, Hip-Hip embodied a culture that 
produced leaders and prophets ``to get us through the next plateau of 
our struggles.'' On the other hand, Dr. Imani Perry, associate 
professor at Rutgers Law School, submitted that ``Hip-Hop doesn't exist 
as a viable social movement, but its music generates courage.''
  Whatever the case may be, facilitator Dr. West concluded and all the 
panelists agreed that Hip-Hop may perhaps offer the ``soundtrack'' for 
a movement. However, one should

[[Page E1492]]

not look to it for a ``blueprint'' for a revolution when there is a 
great exemplar from the African-American and African Diasporan history.

              [From the Africana Heritage, Apr. 24, 2006]

              Cornel West and Panel Talk Hip-Hop Activism

       On Monday, April 24, 2006 the Schomburg Center held the 
     third of four programs in its Leadership Forum Series: Higher 
     Pursuits hosted and moderated by Dr. Cornel West. The focus 
     of the discussion was ``A Hip-Hop Revolution?'' and featured 
     guest panelists Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, Assistant Professor of 
     Urban Education at Temple University; Dr. Imani Perry, 
     Associate Professor at Rutgers Law School and author of 
     Prophets of the Hood: Politics and Poetics in Hip-Hop; 
     Carlito Rodriguez, Producer Consultant at BET News and former 
     Editor-in-Chief of The Source magazine; Akiba Solomon, Senior 
     Editor at Vibe Vixen and Co-Editor of Naked: Black Women Bare 
     All About Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips, and Other Body Parts; 
     and Greg Tate, author of Everything But the Burden: What 
     White People are Taking from Black Culture and long-time 
     contributor to the Village Voice.
       Dr. West gave each of the panelists time to address the 
     issue of whether Hip-Hop music has any revolutionary 
     potential. According to Carlito Rodriguez, people often have 
     a very romantic view about Hip-Hop and its influence, but he 
     reminded the audience that he grew up in the Bronx during the 
     music's toddler years and everything about the culture wasn't 
     necessarily a good thing. ``I don't subscribe to the 
     revisionist history that everybody and everything in Hip-Hop 
     was positive. It began with acts like Run-DMC who went from 
     looking like Parliament Funkadelic to [wearing] street gear. 
     It soon became `I want that chain, that car' and somewhere 
     along the line, that became the norm. I think someone has to 
     make music that caters to me--grown man rap.'' Rodriguez 
     emphasized that the lyrics today don't really address the 
     many issues he faces as a man in his late 30s.
       Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, who is currently working on several 
     book projects regarding Hip-Hop culture, made a very 
     important distinction. ``The question mark at the end of `A 
     Hip-Hop Revolution?' is so critical. Is Hip-Hop a 
     revolutionary form, born out of resistance? Yes. Is it in 
     content? I'm not sure.'' Dr. Hill added, ``When someone looks 
     at a rapper like Lil' Kim as a feminist role model, there is 
     a [disconnect] with the message of Hip-Hop not engaging 
     listeners in the day-to-day politics of the `hood.' ''
       Writer Greg Tate was more optimistic on what the future 
     could bring as far as leadership. ``I know it has never 
     really been about Hip-Hop; it has always been [about] black 
     people's way to transform their world,'' explains Tate. ``The 
     culture spits [out] the prophets, the leaders, to get us 
     through the next plateau of our struggles. The future of Hip-
     Hop is in a maternity ward somewhere. The answer to the 
     crisis is a voice we haven't heard before, but because we can 
     imagine it, it probably exists.''
       Dr. Imani Perry believes that a community-based approach 
     seems more realistic than a creative one. ``Hip-Hop doesn't 
     exist as a viable social movement, but its music generates 
     courage. I am more interested in the community providing a 
     social justice movement.'' Editor and journalist Akiba 
     Solomon put things rather bluntly: ``my short answer to the 
     question [about Hip-Hop being revolutionary] is `no.' I've 
     gone through a lot with Hip-Hop; I compare it to an abusive 
     marriage. Every time it punches me in my face--it gives me 
     gifts. Hip-Hop has been used as a euphemism for different 
     things. It's important that we define what we're talking 
     about and whom we're talking about. My mid-80s view is that I 
     think we are talking about predominately black and Latino 
     youth who come from a certain class or struggle. But I think 
     a major piece that is missing is that you cannot have an art 
     form have any social change potential when it objectifies or 
     minimizes half the population.''
       Dr. West offered closing thoughts: ``Latinos and blacks 
     have so many resources, but they still don't have total 
     control of it. Hip-Hop is a global phenomenon and it has a 
     different context in other countries like Bolivia and 
     Colombia.'' Unlike those countries, Hip-Hop here in the 
     United States can often be more degrading than it is 
     uplifting. But one thing that all the panelists, Dr. West 
     included, agreed on is that society's ills will not be 
     changed by a song or a performer, but by small pockets of 
     people doing their best to make a difference. And while Hip-
     Hop can sometimes provide the soundtrack to a movement, no 
     one should look to it for a blueprint, when there is so much 
     more from African-American and African Diasporan history that 
     could provide that sort of guidance.

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