2008 Woodie Awards
Chappelle raises hip-hop awareness
Erika Ramirez
Issue date: 11/15/04 Section: No Limits
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"They shine upon the strength of an nation / Conquer the enemy, on with education / Protect thyself, reach with what you wanna do / Know thyself, teach what we been through / On with the knowledge of the place...Pulling the life of your brain, I can't explain / Beg as you can obtain from which you came..." Sound familiar?
"Words of Wisdom" is from Tupac Shakur's earliest tracks oh his 2Pacalypse Now album. Camaraderie and fights with Notorious B.I.G., criminal convictions, shoot outs, near death incidents, parties, and smokin' out were the things people focused on when it came to Tupac Shakur.
No doubt Shakur's art never lacked emotion, depth, and truth. With tracks such as "Changes," and " Brenda's Got A Baby," the conscientiousness in his lyrics and poetry were not nearly as appreciated and recognized as the previous mentioned incidents.
The University of California, Berkeley, offered a seminar on the Poetry & History of Tupac Shakur in 1997, but it was an elective taught by an undergraduate student and many did not know such course existed.
Shakur's unrecognized lyrical depth has made me question the consciousness of hip-hop music today. Why is it greatly appreciated underground, in forms of freestyle and poetry sessions, but not in the mainstream? Hot beats sell, why not lyrical consciousness?
Lately, with the CD release of "The Beautiful Struggle" by Talib Kweli, and certain tracks on Kanye West's "College Dropout," such as "Two Words" (featuring Mos Def) and "Never Let Me Down" (featuring Jay Z), I can still listen to hip hop music with creativity and still worthy of being called art.
Truth is spoken and emotions flow in each word. When one becomes in touch with their talent, whether it be writing, dancing, or singing, their talent becomes spiritual. Now, if only people would listen to these sentiments, they might be enlightened by many of these MC's spiritual creativity.
On the track "Ghetto Show," by Talib Kweli (featuring Common and Anthony Hamilton), Kweli spits, "If lyrics sold, than truth be told, I'd probably be just as rich and famous as Jay Z?" Truth?
"Words of Wisdom" is from Tupac Shakur's earliest tracks oh his 2Pacalypse Now album. Camaraderie and fights with Notorious B.I.G., criminal convictions, shoot outs, near death incidents, parties, and smokin' out were the things people focused on when it came to Tupac Shakur.
No doubt Shakur's art never lacked emotion, depth, and truth. With tracks such as "Changes," and " Brenda's Got A Baby," the conscientiousness in his lyrics and poetry were not nearly as appreciated and recognized as the previous mentioned incidents.
The University of California, Berkeley, offered a seminar on the Poetry & History of Tupac Shakur in 1997, but it was an elective taught by an undergraduate student and many did not know such course existed.
Shakur's unrecognized lyrical depth has made me question the consciousness of hip-hop music today. Why is it greatly appreciated underground, in forms of freestyle and poetry sessions, but not in the mainstream? Hot beats sell, why not lyrical consciousness?
Lately, with the CD release of "The Beautiful Struggle" by Talib Kweli, and certain tracks on Kanye West's "College Dropout," such as "Two Words" (featuring Mos Def) and "Never Let Me Down" (featuring Jay Z), I can still listen to hip hop music with creativity and still worthy of being called art.
Truth is spoken and emotions flow in each word. When one becomes in touch with their talent, whether it be writing, dancing, or singing, their talent becomes spiritual. Now, if only people would listen to these sentiments, they might be enlightened by many of these MC's spiritual creativity.
On the track "Ghetto Show," by Talib Kweli (featuring Common and Anthony Hamilton), Kweli spits, "If lyrics sold, than truth be told, I'd probably be just as rich and famous as Jay Z?" Truth?