Hip Hop! Where you at?

Welcome one and all to the Kash Rundown! Today I want to talk about something really close to my heart and soul (Yes I have both) but you can bet it is a burning issue in society. As a product of South Africa’s post Apartheid Rainbow Nation I was exposed to a number of various cultures and customs, both internally and externally, modern and traditional but nothing had captivated my imagination than the often misunderstood but revolutionary culture of Hip Hop. The clothes, the music, the dancing, the graphics even the crude language has been subject to both praise and debate. What started as an underground hobby for a select few evolved into a world wide phenomenon that has influenced modern culture in almost every aspect, from entertainment to social relations even the English Language has had to adapt Hip Hop on some level.

I was fascinated by these men and women who would use their words, their bodies and even their clothing to express their anger, their happiness, their fears and even their pain in methods that society had not even began to comprehend at the time. But as grew older I became more interested in the personalities of these seemingly wild characters. The question that kept circulating in my head was, “Who are these guys?”

While the rise of Hip Hop as a culture is really something to behold, it is it’s influence on society (and more specifically the youth) that sparks much debate and controversy. Rap music has been criticized by many because of the way it seems to encourage violence and sex, condone degenerate behavior, the way it portrays women and its very crude language. Hip Hop has been blamed for black on black violence, teenage pregnancy and blasphemy among the youth, forgeting that if you hear someone say he has had to kill someone to get to where he is does not entitle you to start acting like street diva.

The Rundown: People of different ages and backgrounds are captivated by a number of different things and with technology forcing the world to become a global village it is very important that everybody learn about tolerance and compromise.

Hip Hop has been for some reason been able to redefine a number of social aspects but because many have misunderstood what the real message entails it has been poorly represented by most.

The older generation would be wise to learn from the mistakes of their younger fellow members of society and try to understand it rather than criticize it.