Jay-Z said what!?!?!?!?
How in the hell did he fix his mouth to even say this? He must be smoking that dope he raps
about. Hold up. On the other hand, he just may be right. Let’s examine what he said. In an interview on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN
Network and reported by eurweb.com, Jay-Z commented, “I think that hip hop has done more for racial
relations than most cultural icons. Save Martin Luther King, because his dream
speech we realized when President Obama got elected.” Whoa!!! That’s a major statement. As a matter
of fact, this statement has seen it’s shared of rebuttal across social
media. In spite of the backlash, it is
the opinion of this writer this statement has a valid point. However, to understand this one must fully
understand the history, progression, and the importance of African-American
culture to the creation, and success, of American Pop Culture. An informed individual could also make the
correlation that American Pop Culture is African-American culture. Well, at least when it comes to American
music. Follow the path of
African-American music from the shores of West Africa with the rhythmic drums,
poly stringed instruments and horns as it is transported to the Americas. Here, the slaves incorporated it into their
field songs. Skip ahead to Post bellum
America where it continue to dominate the entertainment scene at the minstrel
shows and so forth. Continue to the Jazz
and Big Band era. Keep going all the way
to today. Black music has influenced all
American music from country to blues to rock and roll and, of course, Hip-Hop.
Music has always found a way to bring people that have
nothing in common together. So, what
Jay-Z said is correct although lacking the full progression. This bridge was not built over night. Hip-Hop has served to unite people through
culture and understanding. Imagine being
at a Jay-Z concert and every other person is white. And, it’s fun. And, it’s dynamic. And, it’s all good.
