“Hustle for death/no heaven for a gangsta” – “The Cool”, Lupe Fiasco
You see them hangin’ around the ‘hood late at night sportin’ the same gear: white t-shirts and saggin’ skinny jeans. At one point, they had spirits, now they are just zombies who all seem to be harkening to the same hypnotic call. Try to talk to them about real Hip-Hop, and all you get is blank stares and vicious growls, These are the walkin’ dead who have lost their souls. Just like the music that they have blastin’ in their headphones…
Although Hip-Hop once prided itself in promoting free thought and individuality, this is no longer the case, as many rap fans are just zombies following the trend that whatever the radio is playing at the moment constitutes real Hip-Hop and is good for the culture. A song could be straight garbage, but if it’s played enough, the walkin’ dead will swear on their graves that it is the best rap ever recorded.
Although, Nas upset many people in 2006 when he proclaimed that “Hip Hop Is Dead,” in retrospect, maybe it ain’t the music. Maybe its the people who listen to it.
The mission of the wicked has not just been to destroy a people physically but mentally as well. Like the creatures from the old zombie flicks, they really want to eat your brains. For example , during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the Africans could not be brought to the Americas as docile slaves until they first went through a “seasoning process” where their spirits were broken.
This same “breaking of the spirit” has been carried out in the United States through various means, ranging from drugs and the criminal justice system to the mis-educational system, all designed to create a populace of zombies that would not question authority but do exactly as they were told.
Hip-Hop has been used for this purpose as well, as those who claim they love the culture have had their spirits broken so much so that they do not have the courage to fight against the creatures of the night who are trying to destroy it. And the results of this are becoming ever more evident.
The once vibrant dance floor has become a virtual graveyard. The music that once celebrated Peace, Unity, and Love now glorifies misogyny, murder, and mayhem.
Like Brand Nubian said on “ Just Don’t Learn”, “We dealin’ with death in abundance/Dirty guns and /the pungent smell/of those who fell.”
Back in the day, Hip-Hop was a quickening spirit with the power to wake up the dead. Now, just listening to one verse of Ratchet Rap can send you immediately into an intellectual coma.
Hip-Hop has become the Haunted House of Wack. It’s just one big costume party with straight A-students dressing up like court jesters, and former correctional officers posing as Mafia Dons. Sad thing about it is that many rap fans can’t see that it’s all just a masquerade .
Also, as it’s been argued before, the rappers themselves are not totally to blame, as they are just little puppets being controlled by some evil puppetmasters (in the form of the heads of record labels) who hide behind the curtain and pull the strings
We have allowed the culture vampires to suck the life out of a once great art form, and nobody is trying to throw some holy water on Count Dracula to drive him back into his coffin.
Many don’t realize that what is now considered Hip-Hop is a result of a diabolical plan devised by some mad scientists in labs disguised as recording studios. In the name of greed and profit, the music industry has created Frankenstein monsters to destroy a culture that has the potential to liberate poor and oppressed communities on a global scale. Over the years, these monsters have taken different forms but their mission has remained the same.
The latest monstrous creation is “Roger Ratchet.” He is the personification of all that is wrong with Hip-Ho, a symbol of what happens when a culture loses its soul. Roger Ratchet is like the despised Disco Duck of the ’70s. He is the Hip-Hop equivalent of George Clinton’s arch nemesis, “Sir Nose D’Void of Funk,” who dedicated his miserable life fighting against “The P-Funk Mob.”
At some point, somebody has to exorcise this demon out of Hip-Hop. Whether they use a stake through the heart or a silver bullet, somebody has to return Ratchet Rap back to the dark evil pit that it slid out of.
In order for Hip-Hop to live, Roger Ratchet must die. So, on October 31 (Halloween), we are asking that the fans of real Hip-Hop join us in the “Death to Roger Ratchet Campaign,” as we bury Ratchet Rap once and for all.
Join us in yelling with a loud united voice: “Death to Ratchet Rap! Long live Hip-Hop! “
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott’s weekly column is , This Ain’t Hip Hop,” a column for intelligent Hip Hop Headz. He can be contacted at info@nowarningshotsfired.com and on Twitter (@truthminista). For more information on the October 31 “Death to Ratchet Rap Campaign,” visit the official Facebook page.
Photo credit: Above “Hip-Hop Halloween” image courtesy of Dreamstime.