The Truth behind Record Companies Acceptance of "Hip-Hop" Culture

While rereading Malcolm X's autobiography as of late, I have stumbled upon the last missing piece of what I believe to be another facet of Rich White control over African-Americans. The marketing and advertising of what is considered today to be hip-hop or rap culture.

While reading X's description of his time as a pimp, drug dealer, burglar, numbers runner and petty thief I realized what the white business controlled music industry has done.

I had always suspected, and preached whenever I could, the evils of the music industry's blacksploitation which began in the mid-90's. But now I am sure I have the why. X writes that he had become like an animal in a jungle while in the ghetto and making his living as many like him had, as a hustler. THIS is the IMAGE the WHITE POWER STRUCTURE wants to place on AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUTH, corrupting them and turning them away from the pursuit of education and rising up to fight for EQUALITY. For once the slave sees that he is as smart as the master he can no longer stay a slave. Instead their poor life of struggle in the ghetto is glorified by songs and artists like 50 cent, Jay-Z and others.

Malcolm wrote that when he began reading in prison his life in the ghetto had reduced his 8th grade reading level to nearly illiteracy. It took knowledge to open his mind to the white exploitation of black Americans.

Another facet of this phenomena that Malcolm spoke about and I believe still exists today is the social hierarchy created by this hustler mentality, this constant animal like search for money to survive the day. How can a man that can not see to tomorrow ever hope to contemplate the control over his life. Automatically because of money and stature whites are placed at the top, with African-Americans picking up the scraps and hoping to be thrown some more.

The hip-hop artist today is a white man's professional hustler, made only to hustle the black man's body and mind to keep him in his place. It is the magnification of an occupation created out of necessity because of poverty to keep the remaining masses ignorant and poor, chasing money from day to day, combating each other instead of the real enemy

"1989 the number another summer (get down)
Sound of the funky drummer
Music hittin your heart cause I know you got sould
(brothers and sisters, hey)
Listen if youre missin yall
Swingin while Im singin
Givin whatcha gettin
Knowin what I know
While the black bands sweatin
And the rhythm rhymes rollin
Got to give us what we want
Gotta give us what we need
Our freedom of speech is freedom or death
We got to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say
Fight the power

As the rhythm designed to bounce
What counts is that the rhymes
Designed to fill your mind
Now that youve realized the prides arrived
We got to pump the stuff to make us tough
From the heartIts a start, a work of art
To revolutionize make a change nothins strange
People, people we are the same
No were not the same
Cause we dont know the game
What we need is awareness, we cant get careless
You say what is this? My beloved lets get down to business
Mental self defensive fitness
(yo) bum rush the show
You gotta go for what you know
Make everybody see, in order to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say...Fight the power

Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant shit to me you see
Straight up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain
Mother fuck him and john wayne
Cause Im black and Im proud
Im ready and hyped plus Im amped
Most of my heroes dont appear on no stamps
Sample a look back you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check
Dont worry be happy
Was a number one jam
Damn if I say it you can slap me right here
(get it) lets get this party started right
Right on, cmon
What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
(fight the power)"

This hip-hop culture, a blasphemy of its origins, must be seen as it is... merely another tool for the white man in order to control the black. It is the hustler culture Malcolm X was able to escape and one that all African Americans need to take back from the white music industry, and throw off one of the shackles the white man has laid across their wrists.