i'm feeling you on this one, possibly because i've got a much different view of things than y'all in amerikkka. Hip-hop, as far as it's worldwide impact goes (and muddafuck all of y'all that think no-one else but the US can live hip-hop culture) is primarily a class division. In countries like mine, where the race boundaries are not as defined as they are in America, hip-hop speaks to and is lived by all races- white, brown, black, asian, afrikan, polynesian, maori, whatever. The only people who seem to get it wrong are those who get into it because they see it merely as the 'cool' thing to do--- most people in the hip-hop culture in my city live it because it gives them a voice, it empowers them, it makes them feel like they are making a difference in the world, or at least in their neighbourhood. And these are all people who are living on the dole, on or near the minimum living allowance, or simply getting their soul sucked out by an employer so they can buy a new 12"....
Like anything, people jump on a bandwagon just cos it's going past and they wanna go somewhere. But this magical religion we have built called hip-hop has the ability to empower those who aren't in the positions of power... those of us who routinely get fucked over by landowners, lawmakers and employers....

hip-hop speaks to anyone who's ever had to sell drugs to pay rent.....
anyone who's gone a day without food to buy a record.....
anyone who spent their bill money to get into the club, just to see their favourite DJ...
anyone who spends friday night on the street kicking rhymes with their crew...
anyone who steals spraypaint cos they need to...
anyone who lives on the poverty line...
anyone who's had to ask the government for a food grant...
anyone who gets harassed by cops for no reason...

empowerment.
i like that word.
my man says, "hip-hop makes you feel BIG". Owning three houses and five cars could also make you feel big, but that's the realm of the fat cats on top. And, capitalism being a white-run game around the world (not exclusively, predominantly), this means that yes, hip-hop will have to be conscious about race, race struggles, etc, because as long as there are landlords who don't wanna rent their house to anyone who isn't white, as long as their are employers who are only after people from the right schools/families/neighbourhoods (read:race) then yes, hip-hop has to be conscious of race. Because there's fuck-all other ways to release that rage and frustration....

but that said, it will always appeal to different peoples on different levels. Some people only hear the beat: some melody: some people get off on hearing swear words...

i've completely forgotten where i'm going with this.

empowerment.
thats it, right there.
strength to those who need it.
payback to the downpressah.



CHEWWWWWWWWWWWWW mee, piTch!

__marching through the monotonous ignorance virus__

aotearoa hip-hop worldwide...
king kapisi
che fu
nuvonesia
p-money
te kupu
DLT
upper hutt posse
urban disturbance

__i poo paintings__
http://www.paulwalsh.co.nz