Every rapper says, “It’s more then music. This is a movement.” Oh yeah? Is America hip hop still a movement or has it been neutralized? And if it has been neutralized, by whom I ask?

According to www.dictionary.com, movement is defined as a progressive development of ideas toward a particular conclusion; a diffusely organized or heterogeneous group of people or organizations tending toward or favoring a generalized common goal; a group of people with common ideology who try together to achieve certain goals.

-Cornell Dews

Perfet timing for this editorial by Cornell Dews with Hell Rell & Big Joe shedding light on how The Dipset movement was run behind the scenes.

So, if hip hop in America is still a movement, then what is the common goal that we’re moving towards? And also, what type of movement is it? Is the common goal just to get money? If so, for what reason? Do we intend to give back or give it back? Is the goal to educate, inform, empower and uplift the people? Can you imagine if it was? Don’t get me wrong, we do educate and the music that we make is very informative. Lets consider: some rap artists have taught us how to “cook” coke to make crack, we all know how to stunt (even if we can’t afford it) and most girls know how to “shake what your momma gave ya.” Then “gangster rappers” defend their potent (less) deliveries by stating that they are just reflecting stories of the harsh realities that take place in the ghetto. To that I ask, why? Do you think people don’t know what takes place in the ghetto? How many times must we hear it? (didn’t you learn anything from Doughboy’s mumbled rhetorical reflection?) People don’t care! You can read a Donald Goines’ novel from the seventies and compare it to any “gangster rappers” lyrics of the 21st century and I guarantee you that you’ll find the exact same societal ills being inflicted upon the occupants of the ghetto yesteryear as those being inflicted on the occupants of the ghetto yesterday. No change. And no social programs created by people who read Donald Goines then or from those who were just made aware of “what really takes place in the ghetto” because they heard a “gangster rapper” explicitly talk about it on his cd today. But as a community, we could influence change if we were really a movement.

Many define hip hop as a cultural movement, but according to the definitions of cultural movement, it needs to embody all art forms, the science and philosophy. Some define hip hop culture as a subculture. When referencing the culture of hip hop, you’re specifically identifying five elements which consists of MCing, DJing, beat boxing, graffiti, and b-boying. Then of course, there’s the fashion. It may be easier to make a correlation between hip hop and the Harlem Renaissance, which is recognized as an arts movement credited with helping to inspire the Civil Rights social movement.

Whether it’s a cultural movement or arts movement stands to be intelligently argued and debated; but nevertheless, however the hip hop “movement” is labeled, I ask, where are we moving?

Written by Cornell Dews