ant_7000 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 Nelly’s comments ignore hip-hop’s political power Date: Friday, October 08, 2004 By: Walter Higgins, BlackAmericaWeb.com What would hip-hop music be without Grandmanster Flash and the Furious Five, Tupac or the revolutionary lyrics of Dead Prez? Don’t know? Well ask platinum-selling rap artist Nelly. The rapper, whose real name is Cornell Haynes, Jr. urged fellow entertainers to keep politics out of music if they want to stay successful in a recent interview with Blender magazine. “Some people don’t want politics in their music,” said Nelly. “Some people want their music to be uplifting so they can have fun and dance.” “If you want to do the politics thing, be more involved personally, but you could talk about that and then tomorrow wake up and you’re not selling records. So now you protested the war…and your broke!” Critics say that Nelly’s comments ignore the political legacy of hip-hop and the powerful social influence it has today. “That’s basically a slap in the face to Public Enemy and others who have come before him and changed the face of hip-hop more than he ever will,” said Aaron Bernard, a hip hop activist and program director for KJAMZ 105.3 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “It’s sad for somebody in his generation of hip-hop to say something like that because he sells so many records and has so much influence. He doesn’t have to make conscious records, but to say that no one else should is ridiculous,” added Bernard. While Nelly’s album sales just passed the 30 million mark, the ‘politics thing’ has not damaged the record selling potential of other artists. Jadakiss’ platinum selling “Why,” sparked controversy by questioning the Bush administration’s knowledge of the September 11 attacks. Kanye West’s album sales increased after the release of “Jesus Walks,” a song that blurs the lines between politics and spirituality. With more hip hop artist realizing their social influence, Bakari Kitwana, author of “The Hip-Hop Generation,” added several big names in the hip hop community have begun to direct their energy toward the political arena, including Russell Simmons, Jay-Z and P Diddy. “Hip-hop is political,” said Kitwana. “His comments defy what is going on now, 5 years ago or 20 years ago.” All the critics agreed that Nelly’s comments represent the difference between hip hop culture and the mainstream appeal of rap music which is driven by record sales. “For him to say keep politics out of the music is basically saying he’s not hip-hop,” said Greg Thomas, professor at Syracuse University. “How do you have black music without politics? Look at all the people we would loose.” “Nelly is rap, he is not hip hop, there is a difference,” said Kitwana. “The mainstream attention has been good but the downside has been the pioneers don’t get respect and people aren’t really studying the art and culture of hip-hop.” Although Nelly says his music is solely for dancing and having fun, Thomas says it can become a political statement when it promotes negative images common in rap music. “He’s not keeping politics out his music when it comes to his views on women,” said Thomas, referring to controversy surrounding the ‘Tip Drill’ video in which Nelly swipes a credit card through a black woman’s backside. The video initiated a protest at Spellman University that led to Nelly canceling a charity event there last April. Nelly also raised eyebrows when he unveiled his Pimpjuice Energy Drink last November, which caused a national boycott by a coalition of black consumer activists. Plus, he started the P.I.M.P. Scholars program that gives grants to college students. When asked if the brand of rap currently dominating the airwaves will ever change, Bernard said there is a “bright light” at the end of the tunnel. “There are plenty of artists out there that still make you move but come from a different direction, people like that are going to last,” said Bernard. “ Songs like Nelly’s are going to come and go because they are disposable.” http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site...awnews/nelly107 In a way he respresents how some rap fans (Shoes Head) feel these days when it comes to "Political rap." Nelly knows his fan base so this won't affect him, but pop fans aren't loyal and I hope they turn on his ass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AboveAverage484 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 Nelly sucks. If only rap would return to the glory days of the late eighties to mid nineties then everything will be cool again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snuffbox 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 Nelly sucks. Word. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nighthawk 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 Fuck you guys. Nelly is god. He's so awesomesly, outrageously, unbelievably bad that he goes all the way back around and becomes great. "You ain't from Russia, so bitch why you rushin?"... who else would even try that line? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spiny norman 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 “Some people don’t want politics in their music,” said Nelly. “Some people want their music to be uplifting so they can have fun and dance.” Yes, because no popular enduring artist before has ever created dance music with political statements within their music. He's a joke. I think people knew that before clicking on this thread. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B. Brian Brunzell 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 Good thing I don't listen to Nelly's post-Country Grammar music. I'll stick to my intelligent Hip-Hop like Kweli, and KRS-One and Public Enemy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nighthawk 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 Seriously, you guys just don't get Nelly. He's like CB4 meets Pink Floyd. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Shoes Head Report post Posted October 16, 2004 On the one hand, Nelly sucks shit. On the other, politics and rap have always been a joke. Anyone here ever actually LISTEN instead of just nodding your head and saying "that's deep?" PE, KRS, Gangstarr, Dead Prez, and whoever else come across just slightly to the left of Genghis Khan in the political spectrum and never seem to say much more than "The government is evil because they don't fix our problems for us." Tupac was slightly more bearable - he was like an angry black version of the Green Party platform. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 I just can't take political messages in rap seriously. Not that they shouldn't do it. I just can't take a message seriously listening to it thump out of a Buick a mile away. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dangerous A 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 Folks shouldn't be listening to Nelly anyways. He's a hack, no matter what the hell he is rapping about. Nelly is just telling people the truth though. I find it funny that the article mentioned Jay-Z and P Diddy as heading to the political arena. Since when? Was it when Jay-Z was going on about how he's got 99 problems and a bitch ain't one? What's the message there? How about Jay and Diddy talking about how people need to go out and vote, yet neither one of these guys has cast a vote, ever. I love Jay-Z's music, but he can keep his politics to himself. Diddy can rot in hell for all I care. He's as musically bad as Nelly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haVoc 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 How can you not support P.Diddy when he has people like this backing him up? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dynamite Kido Report post Posted October 16, 2004 Seriously, I would honestly love to see Chuck D and the S1W's kick the shit out of Nelly.................meh, it's wishful thinking though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Shoes Head Report post Posted October 16, 2004 ^^ Somewhere, Vince Russo pulls out his notepad... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edwin MacPhisto 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 Who cares? I prefer "aware" rap, but Nelly makes party music, which has always been a big part of hip-hop. He's ridiculous and amusing and I don't begrudge him that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razazteca 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 Seriously, you guys just don't get Nelly. He's like CB4 meets Pink Floyd. More like Wackie D.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2004 I just can't take political messages in rap seriously. Not that they shouldn't do it. I just can't take a message seriously listening to it thump out of a Buick a mile away. That ain't gold that's platinum. Yeah there's a place for political rap, and a place for fun rap. Let them both be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lil' Bitch 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 I pay artists to hear music about what makes life good, not about what they have to say about Bush. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dynamite Kido Report post Posted October 18, 2004 I pay artists to hear music about what makes life good, not about what they have to say about Bush. That's not exactly what was meant................. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 I personally don't care either way what a rap artist(or any musician for that matter) chooses to write/sing music about, however the ones who don't WANT TO, are probably also the ones who aren't informed in the first place and have no business talking about politics. There are plenty of underground rap/hip hop artists that display heavy political influences in their music, and maybe P. Diddy and Chuck D, should concentrate and bringing their voices into the public view, rather then ask Nelly to inject some empty rhetoric into his music. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheBigSwigg 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 How can you not support P.Diddy when he has people like this backing him up? If she truly believed what her shirt said, I would be willing to prevent her from voting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest SP-1 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 Is there more to what he said than that? I'm just not pulling out of the quotes provided that he actually said, "Every rap artist should stay away from this." It looks more like he said that some people want political rap and some don't. That he's not one who wants to do that and that's not his target audience. And then he points out, truthfully, that it can be detrimental to one's career to go off on big political tangents in their body of work. I'm just not pulling this blanket statement from what he said. But that's just me. I'm also not defending him because I don't listen to his music that often anyway. I just hate seeing things pulled out of context and misconstrued. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brett Favre 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 I pay artists to hear music about what makes life good, not about what they have to say about Bush. Yeah. Being a pimp, having hos, being filthy rich and spending it on bling bling is what makes life good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 I pay artists to hear music about what makes life good, not about what they have to say about Bush. Yeah. Being a pimp, having hos, being filthy rich and spending it on bling bling is what makes life good. Well actually.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
