America Has Left the Struggle

I entered the world of Twitter to have an ear to what was going on in the world of hip hop. I used twitter as a tool to access information that would be impossible to gather by merely surfing the web, Facebook, or MySpace.  Naively I began to follow back anyone who followed me.  Bad idea. There was chaos streaming through my timeline from racist Towelhead radio to butt profiles. I slowly began to unfollow people as I saw fit.

As I sifted carefully through my timeline to remove all the riffraff, I came across a tweet that stated:  “America is comfortable and left the struggle, so hip hop made its home in the Middle East." As I gave this tweet the gas face I soon realized that this person does not know the hip hop I know. The person who tweeted this has no clue about those operating on the front line of grassroots organizations. This person does not understand that when it is said THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED, these words have meaning.Words have meaning and definition; to help us express and understand, to communicate and to be understood.  

We have brothers like Hasan Salaam and Immortal Technique who not only spit fire on a mic but leave Timberland tracks in the gravel of cities and countries that most would never bother to tread. The Remarkable Current family tells the stories and struggles of the American Muslim to audiences around the world. Mark Gonzalez, is a spoken word poet but also a teacher, who appears to seamlessly bring together struggles of the world harmoniously, allowing you to walk away with a song of unity in your heart. Although I've named very few, it's a start in the right direction.

The hip hop that I know is not about favoritism. The hip hop I know has ample love. The hip hop that I know is embraced all around the world. Hip hop is beyond racism, class-ism, ageism, or any other -ism. She is beautiful and unique in that way. Hip hop is an expression of the people; whoever those people are that embrace her. Some people utilize hip hop to document social changes while others utilize hip hop to tell a story. Some have taken hip hop as an opportunity to exploit others as a modern-day minstrel.  To find the hip hop that documents the struggles of the American people you would have to travel outside Pandora's box .com.  Hip hop and all her loyalty has never left the American struggle as I’m sure she’ll never leave yours. 

Serve the People

 Najiyya♥

For a list of more artist in the struggle inbox me at muslimhiphop@live.com