Just trying to experience this blog as well as share and understand everyone’s perceptions of and opinion’s on hip-hop. Being 40 yrs. old and a child of hip-hop, to me hip-hop is all about ’coming of age’. It reinforced the notion that I should have pride in my appearance. It solidified my admiration for sistas being that most all the females involved in early hip-hop were ”real” (e.g. no air brushing, no ’made-for-t.v.’ personalities, no synthetic or man-made body parts, etc…). The sistas in hip-hip were the same as the sistas around the block, slick-talkin’ occassionally but still sincere for the most part with integrity. These processed, synthetic sistas in the game now keep their titties fallin’ out not include an occasional snatch shot compliments of the paparazzi’s.
Most importantly though, hip-hop gave us voice. As a youth it gave me the understanding that I didn’t have to be given license by someone outside of my cultural community to be heard. It validated the peculiarities I observed about our society as well as the injustices and also spoke to the better things about being black. It’s unimaginable that the hip-hop of yesterday would allow, a young black male to be shot in the back, while being subdued by four other officers, AND be video taped, to go without comment or be the fuel for dozens of artist to address. I am certain what’s being passed as hip-hop today by the mainstream market is hip-hop. So I thank Talib, Erykah, and the few other artist who I feel are protecting the culture. Hmmm, I suppose I tripped up on the answer. Hip-hop is a culture.

BTW, for anyone interested, please check out me t-shirt brand R U Conscious Apparel @ http://www.ruconscious.com. The label is all about promoting activism, supporting causes relevant to the urban community, and most importantly fighting against western pop-culture. So, check me out.