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Alicia Keys' Hip Hop Conspiracy Theory
Min. Paul Scott
When most folks hear the words "Conspiracy Theorist" an image pops in their heads of some middle aged white dude in a trench coach with horn rimmed glasses bangin' on his lap top trying, desperately, to communicate with the alien life forms that the government has hidden away in some warehouse in the desert just south of Las Vegas. That is why many people were shocked that a "conspiracy theory" would come out of the mouth of a glamorous, Hip Hop diva.
In the current issue of Blender Magazine, songstress Alicia Keys dropped the bomb on many of her white fans (or former fans) by saying that "gangsta rap was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other."
This did not come as a shock to members of a black community who have long kicked around such theories on street corners and in barbershops but many white folks immediately became engaged in America's second favorite pass time; shooting the messenger.
Apparently, Keys came upon this revelation while studying the autobiographies of members of the Black Panther Party. So, I wonder if her critics are really upset about her statements or just amazed to discover that black people read more than just glossy Hip Hop magazines.
What some people are referring to as "Conspiracy Theories" are actually based on historical facts. During the Civil Rights Era, the FBI launched a program called COINTELPRO which had as one of its goals a mission "to prevent the raise of a Messiah that could "unify and electrify the militant, black nationalist movement." Now who would be in a better position to do that than your favorite Hip Hop star whose grimacing face is on television several times a day and electrifying voice in continuous rotation on radio stations across the globe?
In this context, Keys' theory that Tupac Shakur and Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace were actually victims of political assassinations begins to make sense. Now, I'm not suggesting that Wallace's tales about selling crack on the block had political overtones but suppose he, one day, decided to join The Alicia Keys Black Panther Book Club and encourage his millions of highly impressionable (and heavily armed) "ghetto" fans to do the same?
The potential was there.
For the average middle aged, white American, Hip Hop and gangsta rap have always been inseparable but for Hip Hop enthusiasts, there was always something funky about the sudden appearance of "gangsterism" at a time when political Hip Hop was dominating the charts.
Although Hip Hop was originally known as party music, by the late 80's, it had evolved into a political movement that was instrumental in exposing a new generation of black youth to the speeches of Malcolm X and Huey P. Newton. However, over the next few years this music was gradually replaced by what the media tagged "gangsta rap."
The real turning point came during the LA Rebellion (The Rodney King Verdict Aftermath). Until then, the effect of rap music on the minds of black youth was a matter of debate. White America had been wondering "if we really ticked black people off would they really 'Fight the Power" as rap group, Public Enemy urged ?" On April 29,1992, white America's worst fears were realized when thousands of black youth took to the streets with rap music serving as the soundtrack to the revolution.
White reporters were shocked when they interviewed gang members that could articulate the oppression of black people, nationally as well as globally courtesy of the Hip Hop cd blasting in their headphones.
"Excuse me Mr. O Dog, can you please tell me the reason that people are rioting? "
"Sure, Madame. Allow me to first quote from Franz Fanon's great work, 'The Wretched of the Earth'. On page 105 he clearly states...."
"Sorry, we're out of time...um...back to you, Ed..."
After the LA Rebellion, rap with a message had to be stopped by any means necessary.
Hence, the 15 year dominance of "gangsta rap;" a music where "the enemy" was no longer an oppressive system of white global domination but the neighbor down the street who decided to wear a red T-Shirt to school.
Maybe folks, like Alicia and I, are a little conspiracy minded but coming from a people who have suffered atrocities ranging from The Tuskegee Experiment to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, can you really blame us?
To borrow a line from the "WKRP in Cincinnati" DJ and part time conspiracy theorist, Dr. Johnny Fever,
"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they're not out to get you."
Min. Paul Scott's is a "Hip Hop Conspiracy Theorist" His blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com . He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com
