Hip-hop nation

It would be very effective if the NAACP or Al Sharpton's National Action Network said they were going to work with the younger generation, not to bring them into their group, but to create their own organization where they could put their issues on the national agenda. But what's happened is that a lot of these groups, and these groups' leaders, have gotten comfortable with being in leadership. Leadership has become a business. Because of that it's much more difficult for them to step aside and say, "OK, this is a new generation. Let's nurture this generation and help them to come into leadership."

What did you think about the charges that Sharpe James launched at Cory Booker during the Newark mayoral race? James said Booker was a pawn of whites, that he wasn't black enough.

Until a hip-hop generation candidate emerges with serious support from the hip-hop generation, people like Sharpe James will be able to cast those types of charges. But those days are numbered. Ras Baraka, for example, ran for councilman in Newark. [He lost after this interview was conducted.] He is the type of candidate that someone like Sharpe would be less able to cast those type of charges against.

But someone like Cory Booker is also representing this younger generation. He may not be a grass-roots type of person like Ras Baraka, but at the same time, our generation is very multifaceted and Cory Booker is as representative of our generation as Ras Baraka. The older generation can say we're not ready, and we haven't done this or that, but Sharpe James cannot point to young people in his administration that he's nurtured for leadership. Until the older generation can address that issue -- what they've done to nurture a new generation of political leadership -- then it's not fair for them to just stand on top of young people and say, "Oh, we're gonna continue to be in leadership for 20 to 30 years and not let you guys do anything and then get mad when you run against us."

What's the difference between a Cory Booker and a Ras Baraka? Why do you think that Baraka makes a more appealing candidate? He still hasn't won in Newark, whereas Booker was a councilman there. Sharpe James defeated Booker, but it was a close race.

Booker did not appear as an authentic candidate -- not authentically black, but authentic. He seemed handpicked. Ras has been in the community, he's been a teacher for 10 years. He's visibly a part of the hip-hop nation; he was featured on the Fugees album.

But, still, people have to start thinking out of the box. Booker is a product of this generation. He might not be as close to the hip-hop nation as Ras, but he could have tapped into hip-hop more. Booker had some support from Queen Latifah at the end. If he had tapped into that more, I think he would have won. Booker went to Stanford and Yale -- the ability of people in our generation to do that is a result of the civil rights generation. He's a little more polished than what's seen as an authentic hip-hop voice but he's not an aberration.

I thought it was interesting that you say that the old guard encourages people to vote for the Democratic Party candidates. Russell Simmons endorsed Hillary Clinton, for example. But you write that members of the hip-hop generation don't necessarily respond to Democratic Party candidates. Why not?

I don't think that the hip-hop generation believes that the Democratic Party has been any more effective in terms of bringing about change than the Republican Party has. The old strategy of "let's just everybody vote for Democrats" ... this is a generation for whom results matter more than just some theory of "we've always done it that way."

So what kind of candidates will appeal to them, then?

Candidates who support issues in terms of what I call the crises in African-American culture. Crises that are more and more affecting middle America and young whites. A survey that was done in Salt Lake City showed that the most listened-to radio program for young whites 18 to 25 was the hip-hop show. There's always been a certain element of fascination with black cool. But what's happening differently for this generation is that the alienation that young blacks have been feeling throughout the '80s and the '90s is affecting whites. Globalization is a big part of that. If you look at the world trade protests, many of them are young, white and middle class.

What is the most important issue for this generation?

The important issues that spin out into all others are education and employment. The problem begins with education. No one can possibly believe that African-Americans are inferior to whites. But yet we live in a country where we continue to accept these disparities in standardized tests. When you look at the high incarceration rates, you're dealing with people who were not prepared educationally to be able to secure a job that could allow them a living wage. So you're going to have a lot of people who can't even begin to think about participating in the political process because it's just not at the top of their agenda.

So what effect do hip-hop images have on this generation -- you write that achieving wealth is the most important thing to hip-hop generationers.

It's had an effect. You have more young people not just wanting to be financially secure, but wanting to be instant millionaires by the time they're 30. They point to people like Puffy as an example that it can be done. Or Shaq. Or Kobe. Or Allen Iverson.

Next Page: What role will white hip-hop fans play?

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