Remember hearing N.W.A’s “F*ck tha Police” for the first time? Even those who didn’t own Straight Outta Compton were overwhelmed by that defiant apothegm playing onto radio airwaves. Its violent connotations were condemned so N.W.A and similar groups from the mid 80s to early 90s were, and continue to be regarded with fear and disgust. But though the beats were heavy and the lyrics wrathful, Gangsta Rap continues an old tradition, both entertaining and necessary.
History and Hip Hop
Rap comes from a long tradition of musical styles, spanning the course of American history. Before rap we had the blues. The classic voice of Louis Armstrong built on the foundation of earlier blues artists, like Sippie Wallace and her “Bedroom Blues.” These songs matured from slave chants, and the slave chants came from overseas, in Africa. The African song was preserved by a griot, or a storyteller. Most griots used percussion instruments like the balafon to relate tales of their kingdoms.
Among the imperative functions of the griot was the task of interpreting culture. Stories of important social events and their consequences were crafted into the griot songs. The hero epic of Sundiata, immortalized by Malian storytellers, narrates the tale of the Keita family line establishing a new, unified empire. It is necessary to preserve the epic of Sundiata because it marks an important social and political shift. Today, we have the luxury of having this tale in print, and we can recall the tribulations and triumphs of that time.
The Crack Epidemic
Rap continues the tradition of the griot. During the Reagan era, griots took the form of MCs and DJs, who rhymed tales of their culture. The overarching monster that plagued the inner city and poverty ridden areas was the persistence of crack addiction. During the mid 80s to early 90s, crack was prevalent in America, so much so that it was deemed an epidemic. Those most exposed to this vice were those in poor communities, and the denizens of slums became aware rappers.
N.W.A, in their song “Dopeman” tries to convey the way crack has distorted their neighborhoods. Using vulgarity, N.W.A comments on the repercussions the epidemic has, making friend distrust friend and destroying the bonds of marriage:
Do anything for a hit or two
Give the bitch a rock and she'll f*ck your whole damn crew
It might be your wife and it might make you sick
Come home and see her mouth on the Dopeman's dick.
From that distrust came anger. Most Gangsta rap became a furious backlash against their social situations, made terrible by political neglect and the rampage of drugs. These communities became villainized and the rap that came from that time had the intention of original griots: to tell a profound story as a lesson and a warning.
Gangsta Rap does have its low points. There are some groups that glorify violence, not for the sake of oral tradition, but for the sake of sales and profits. KRS-One, whose album Criminal Minded also received flak for brutal lyrics, gives us a warning against that money-minded style of rap when he says:
1987 I was at the Latin Quarters
Listenin to Afrika Bambaata give the order
The call of the order was to avoid the slaughter
He said, "Record companies ain't got nuttin for ya!"
Without a lawyer, he taught The Infinity Lessons
In how hip-hop could be a, many a blessing
Sources
Bradley, A., & DuBois, A. (Eds.). 2010. The Anthology of Rap. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Inciardi, J.A., (1992). The Crack Epidemic Revisited. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 24, 305-416.
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