Mark Naison: Advice for Hip Hoppers
[Dr. Naison is Professor of History and African American Studies at Fordham University. He is the author of Communists in Harlem During the Great Depression, White Boy: A Memoir, co-editor of The Tenant Movement in New York City, and over 100 articles on African American politics, social movements and American culture and sports. Dr. Naison is the Principal Investigator of the Bronx African American History Project.]
One of the most popular phrases in hip hop culture is “keeping it real.” The phrase has many meanings, but the one that has gotten the most attention, and the most play, is the idea that hip hop should remain true to the atmosphere of the inner city neighborhoods and that it should be tough, gritty, and willing to use words and images that make most middle class Americans nervous..
As a musical credo, “keeping it real,” has helped keep hip hop on the front lines of popular music for over 25 years.Not only is hip hop the most important youth music in the US, it has truly grown to be worldwide music. Wherever you find a ghetto, whether its in Paris, Johannesburg, Rio De Janeiro or Bombay, you are going to find hip hop, and also find artists determined to tell the truth about the streets and housing projects of the neighborhoods they grew up in.
But when “keeping it real” becomes a lifestyle, not just a standard for musical authenticity, it can cause serious problems for the people who practice it. Because the types of language, dress, and styles of communicating that enable people to survive in tough inner city neighborhoods will make them an object of aversion and contempt in the mainstream middle class world where the jobs, the money and opportunities are.
Look, nobody knows better than I do that there are certain blocks, streets and even schools where “you have to get your thug on” in order to ward off danger. If you don’t wear baggy clothes, walk like you own the street, cultivate an intimidating stare, and speak the language of the street, people may start insulting you, threatening you, beating on you, and stealing your clothes and money. Minding your own business doesn’t cut it in the hood. You have to actively create an image that will ward off danger. Even if you are a scholar or a poet at heart, you have to look, and act intimidating in public in order to “get a pass” from the REAL thugs who are out there, some of whom might live on your block or in your building.
The problem comes when you leave the hood, and decided to shop, look for work, or attend school in a middle class or wealthy neighborhood. All of a sudden, everything you have learned about how to survive on the streets works against you. The aggressive body language, the tough stare, the baggy clothes and doo rags, and slang phrases and limited vocabulary, mark you off as a dangerous, violent person to be kept at arms length. Even though the whole way you carry yourself is a learned response to a real situation, to people who have no familiarity with this situation, you look like someone who is about to do harm - TO THEM.. You may see yourself as just another ghetto kid trying to get by, but to middle class people, you are the walking embodiment of every thug stereotype they see in crime shows, movies and hip hop videos. You’re there to mug them, rob them, intimidate them and mess up their store, their school or business with rowdy behavior.
Now you might want to say, “Hey, they don’t like how I dress or speak or act, that’s their problem.” But since most of the best jobs, the best schools and the best things to buy are in middle class neighborhoods, their problem becomes YOUR problem. Basically, if you want to progress in life, if you want to get a good education and get jobs that will enable you to live in comfort and security, you’re going to have to learn to make people “downtown” comfortable when they meet you. That means speaking softly and clearly, looking people in the eye, trying to make people comfortable instead of intimidating them, and dressing in a style that will make you blend in to your new surroundings. If you do that, you defuse stereotypes and encourage people to think the best of you rather than the worst of you. Who knows, they may even let you shop without having the store detective follow you or hire you for that job they are advertising.
Let’s be clear. I am not asking you to change who you are. I am asking you to be different people for different circumstances. If you think of life as a performance, take the time to learn two different roles- one for the neighborhood, one for “downtown.” If you do that, you can have the best of everything. It just takes a little imagination, and a lot of hard work.
One of the most popular phrases in hip hop culture is “keeping it real.” The phrase has many meanings, but the one that has gotten the most attention, and the most play, is the idea that hip hop should remain true to the atmosphere of the inner city neighborhoods and that it should be tough, gritty, and willing to use words and images that make most middle class Americans nervous..
As a musical credo, “keeping it real,” has helped keep hip hop on the front lines of popular music for over 25 years.Not only is hip hop the most important youth music in the US, it has truly grown to be worldwide music. Wherever you find a ghetto, whether its in Paris, Johannesburg, Rio De Janeiro or Bombay, you are going to find hip hop, and also find artists determined to tell the truth about the streets and housing projects of the neighborhoods they grew up in.
But when “keeping it real” becomes a lifestyle, not just a standard for musical authenticity, it can cause serious problems for the people who practice it. Because the types of language, dress, and styles of communicating that enable people to survive in tough inner city neighborhoods will make them an object of aversion and contempt in the mainstream middle class world where the jobs, the money and opportunities are.
Look, nobody knows better than I do that there are certain blocks, streets and even schools where “you have to get your thug on” in order to ward off danger. If you don’t wear baggy clothes, walk like you own the street, cultivate an intimidating stare, and speak the language of the street, people may start insulting you, threatening you, beating on you, and stealing your clothes and money. Minding your own business doesn’t cut it in the hood. You have to actively create an image that will ward off danger. Even if you are a scholar or a poet at heart, you have to look, and act intimidating in public in order to “get a pass” from the REAL thugs who are out there, some of whom might live on your block or in your building.
The problem comes when you leave the hood, and decided to shop, look for work, or attend school in a middle class or wealthy neighborhood. All of a sudden, everything you have learned about how to survive on the streets works against you. The aggressive body language, the tough stare, the baggy clothes and doo rags, and slang phrases and limited vocabulary, mark you off as a dangerous, violent person to be kept at arms length. Even though the whole way you carry yourself is a learned response to a real situation, to people who have no familiarity with this situation, you look like someone who is about to do harm - TO THEM.. You may see yourself as just another ghetto kid trying to get by, but to middle class people, you are the walking embodiment of every thug stereotype they see in crime shows, movies and hip hop videos. You’re there to mug them, rob them, intimidate them and mess up their store, their school or business with rowdy behavior.
Now you might want to say, “Hey, they don’t like how I dress or speak or act, that’s their problem.” But since most of the best jobs, the best schools and the best things to buy are in middle class neighborhoods, their problem becomes YOUR problem. Basically, if you want to progress in life, if you want to get a good education and get jobs that will enable you to live in comfort and security, you’re going to have to learn to make people “downtown” comfortable when they meet you. That means speaking softly and clearly, looking people in the eye, trying to make people comfortable instead of intimidating them, and dressing in a style that will make you blend in to your new surroundings. If you do that, you defuse stereotypes and encourage people to think the best of you rather than the worst of you. Who knows, they may even let you shop without having the store detective follow you or hire you for that job they are advertising.
Let’s be clear. I am not asking you to change who you are. I am asking you to be different people for different circumstances. If you think of life as a performance, take the time to learn two different roles- one for the neighborhood, one for “downtown.” If you do that, you can have the best of everything. It just takes a little imagination, and a lot of hard work.