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Monday, Nov 9, 2009
But even some grassroots Republicans, working hard to convert college students into GOP supporters, concede the party needs to do a better job understanding the crucial shift that's underway inside the youth culture. "Within the Republican community, they don't understand hip-hop," says Adam Hunter, founder of the Republican Club at predominantly black Howard University, in Washington. "Republicans are trying to marginalize the hip-hop experience. They think it's just music and don't understand it's a full-fledged culture. It's the way people communicate. And it's not specifically an African-American culture. Most people who buy hip-hop are white."
As rap has crossed over to the mainstream, record sales have increased by 75 percent during the last decade, from 8 percent of overall sales in 1994 to 14 percent in 2002, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. By comparison, rock's overall share of music sales has dropped from 35 percent in 1994 to 24 percent today. This week alone, Billboard's Hot 100 single chart, awash in Chingy, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Kanye West, D12, G-Unit and others, boasts 18 hip-hop-flavored songs among the top 20 singles.
"People can try to dismiss or ignore hip-hop if they want, but the truth is, it is youth culture in America, for blacks and whites," notes Hilary Rosen, the RIAA's former CEO.
As the Christian Science Monitor recently noted, "Teens living on cul-de-sacs and in small towns are increasingly taking fashion cues from rap music videos. Sales of hip-hop fashion, estimated by the NPD Group, a market information company, to be $2 billion in 2001, are considered one of the fastest growing segments of the apparel industry. That's mostly thanks to mall stores such as Sears, Nordstrom, and Target stocking more urban brands."
And Business Week weighed in: "Hip-hop music is not about race or place. It's an attitude, a state of mind. Marketing experts estimate that one-quarter of all discretionary spending in America today is influenced by hip-hop."
Any serious discussion among 18- to 24-year-old voters must at least acknowledge the legitimacy of hip-hop. And that's the point Kerry was making on MTV.
"Kerry was saying rap is a cultural language and is a valid part of the younger generation. That's an indisputable fact," says Danny Goldberg, CEO of Artemis records and former president of Atlantic Records. "He was sending an innocuous, symbolic message that he respects youth culture. It's a no-brainer."
Still, the reaction was swift from conservative commentators who mocked Kerry's interest in hip-hop. "Is there anything this guy won't say, anyone he won't lie to for a few more votes? He ain't hip-hop, he's flip-flop" (Boston Herald). "Really? You're "fascinated" by rap and "listening" to hip-hop? You're America's first flip-flopper hip-hopper?" (Chicago Sun Times). "Does anyone, especially under the age of 30, believe this crap?" (New York Press).
A day before Kerry's MTV interview, Joseph Farah, the editor of the right-wing Web tabloid WorldNetDaily, published a column attacking Democrats for inviting the rap act OutKast to perform at a recent party fundraiser. OutKast is the same group that won top honors at this year's Grammy awards and whose single "Hey Ya!" was the most listened-to song on American radio last year. Nonetheless, Farah claimed that Democrats, by associating with OutKast, "have declared themselves openly to be on the side of the enemy, the barbarians" in today's cultural war.
Of course, hip-hop is not above reproach: it's often shallow, violent, misogynistic and pro-drug. "I love rap, but it's hard to defend this shit," quipped Chris Rock in his recent HBO comedy special, referring to a recent, borderline pornographic rap hit by Lil Jon. Too often rap musicians do project negative, minstrel-like images of black America. And Kerry himself noted the lyrics have sometimes "stepped over what I consider to be a reasonable line."
