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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2005)
August io. 2005______________________________________ ilï‘^ lo rtlan ò (© bseruer______ ________________________ Small City. continued P hoto by N icole H ooher /T he P ortland O bserver Author Bakari Kitwana writes about the parallels between hip hop and the Civil Rights movement in his book “Why White Kids Love Hip Hop. " Why White Kids Love Hip Hop continued from Front dent that rap has crossover appeal. His opinions and theories are formed by interviews with white hip-hop kids and by documenting hip-hop for over 10 years. One thing that Kitwana heard consis tently from both white hip hop fans and artists is that they had a fascination with black culture early on in life that they couldn'texplain. In the movie Malibu’s Most Wanted, comedian Jamie Kennedy played the lead roleofa white suburban kid who thinks he’s a black person named B-Rad. At a young age his parents weren’t there for him, but his black nanny was and turned him on to hip-hop. B-Rad’s parents take him to a psychiatrist as if something is wrong with him because he identifies with black culture and he isdiagnosed with "gangsterfrienia”. To Kitwana, the story tells of the pro found social implication of white kids lov ing hip-hop. Since B-Rad’s parents’ aren’t home, Yo! MTV Raps and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is how he learns life lessons. “Culture used to be translated from parent to child,” he said. "Now culture is transm itted through telecom m unica tions.” In W hy W hite K id’s Love Hip Hop, K itw ana discusses the ‘w ig g ers’ or ‘w ankstas,’ words that many would de scribe the B-Rad character. Can white kids’ really understand hip-hop or is it just something they play to anger their parents? Kitwana believes that a line is crossed when there isn’t a sincere appreciation for the beginning of hip-hop. “As a white kid in hip-hop you have a responsibility to not only engage in hip- hop as music but to look at the politics and cultural stem of the music,” Kitwana said. “You can’t just go to a concert, learn how to break dance and go home.” He believes hip-hop will go far when rappers change what they are talking about because it offends their white audiences. As a journalist and author, Kitwana’s work has been praised but also dissed. “It bothers me when people misquote me or belittle me. I think that we as a country need a healthy conversation about race,” he said. Why White Kids Love Hip Hop chal lenges the musical genre as a both cultural movement and apolitical one to ensure that what our parents fought for in the Civil Rights era will not be forgotten. In the Neighborhood Everyone wants to be into hip hop because it's in. Other cultures besides African-Americans are trying to get on the bandwagon. All of the sudden it’s cool. I don’t like it and I take it personal. Everyone is trying to steal rap. -R a sh a d Salter How has hip-hop music influenced society? People are showing a lot more skin, it’s more main stream to sing about sex and body parts. It’s made people feel more comfortable with sexuality and it’s okay to have a bigger butt now. --Erin Morgan Diversity Works at Big HiP H op from Front They’re still very humble and very hun g ry ” When musicians still have that hun ger, Sokonisaid.it makes their music real. “Hip hop is about talking about what’s going on in the street and the things that the everyday person goes through,” he said. “You'll get that from an artist before he blows up. You're going to get those types of everyday struggles.” Once an artist goes mainstream, he said, those struggles begin to mean deal ing with success, haters, and bling bling - issues not everyone on the streets can relate to anymore. Considering Portland’s African Ameri can community is slowly diminishing (only making up 6 percent of the city’s population in the year 2(XX)) there’s a stark reality at the forefront of his hip- hop messages. “Portland is super, super w hite,” Sokoni said. “Even though you have a northeast Portland, you still have white people everywhere on MLK (Martin Luther King Jr. Bou levard). What hap pens in Portland is kind of what hap pens in a cafeteria at a p re d o m in a te ly white school - all the black kids come to school and sit at the same table. The dynamics of not having a huge black community is that you have artists with different issues.” Sokoni gives a voice to artists frus trated by the mandatory sentences of Measure 11, corrupt police officers and multiracial relationships. Another issue the music genre faces is a generation gap between the civil rights generation and the hip-hop gen eration. Sokoni believes it’s due to lack of communication. “Hip hop has taken over the entire PaseAS photo by K atherine B i ackmore Opio Sokoni brings light to Portland's hip hop community, a hub for impres sive but undiscovered talent. "It shows about how these people do business. It shows some of the positive things they deal with," Sokoni said. “You get the young people at the same time talking about how the adults don't under stand. We bridge that gap.” Sokoni’s primary hope for the film, though, is simply to get the message out that in the world o f hip hop, the Rose City definitely shouldn’t be overlooked. “I made it as a teaching tool for people outside to see w hat’sgoing on. 1 like to say I made this for the bootleggers. 1 just want to get it out there,” Sokoni said. "When the street cats pick it up, they can learn to appreciate something intelligent. They’ll begin to think about respect.” Locally, it’s going to take collaboration to put the city on the map with hip hop. “The people here need to appreciated what they have and really begin thinking the unity that’s needed for a city to blow up. Y ou’re not going to get any help anywhere else unless you have your own community,” Sokoni said. Appearances in the film include com munity members Turiya Autry, Kamari Lohar-Singh, Bosko, Soul Plasma, Libretto, U Krew, L iq u id A n th ra x , R odeezy, M ic Crenshaw, DJ Chill, Marlon McClain of P leasu re, M aniac Lok, Good Sista/Bad — Opio Sokoni Sista, Paul KnausSr., N z in g a S o k o n i, Kevin Berry, Afrodijio, Elijah Hasan, Walidah Imarisha, Rob Ingram, Stephen Spyrit, W olverine, Monique Serrell and Pastor W.G. Hardy. “Small City, Big Hip Hop" will debut at the Hollywood Theatre at 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd. on Saturday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. For more information or to reserve seat ing, visit 503-493-1128 or 503-335-9305, or visit hollywoodtheatre.org. Sokoni and participants in the film will be available for a question and answer period following the screening. It shows about how these people do business. It shows some o f the positive things they deal with. world, but it did it the way a bastard would do it - without a father. It did it without learning from the adults. It's doing it the way it wants to do it,” Sokoni said. “ Inside the music, they talk too much about issues that adults really can't support. The im ages are so strong - always talking about drug dealing, pimping, strip clubs - that adults never really get to see too much of the positive side. “SmalI City, Big Hip Hop” is consciously appropriate for all audiences, with no strong language or foul content. I think hip hop is a real culture most of society wants to be a part of it. I think hip hop has taken over everything like clothing and cars; you can’t get away from it. —Rashaad Pitcher It’s given an opportunity for young black men like Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg to open their own businesses that are outside of rap. Businesses are now catering to hip-hop music lovers. —Linda Scott It's music that for the first time gives people who aren’t affluent a venue to get their point across. It has influenced art with graffiti. It's a chance for people to be political especially those who have been kept from having a voice. It’s great that everyone likes hip hop and it has a collective voice. --Jen Hackworth Overall it’s just caused a blending and this "anything goes" mentality. It's sort o f like a culture pastiche. Hip-hop has made its way into every form of art and pop culture and every day conversation. -N ic k Bruno
