LITR 5731: Seminar in American Multicultural Literature
Sample Student Midterm, Spring 2006

Devon Kitch

The Hip-Hop Culture in African American Literature: Progress or Regression?

Upon their arrival to the Land of the Free, African Americans were denied possessions of every sort, be it property, family, children or hope. They have struggled within this past full of grievances to create a culture they can call their own, a possession of sorts.  The African American culture was born from these circumstances and has risen to develop into the multifaceted culture we see today.  The culture has especially embraced the realm of music, namely soul, rap, and hip-hop, while gaining the respect, or at least the attention, of the dominant culture.  An exploration into the music, poetry, and language of the  Classic Slave Narratives, Song of Solomon, and Push will give further insights into today’s hip-hop culture by discussing the past that birthed it, the public figures and pop culture that shaped it, and the often contradictory message today’s versions of music may elicit in both the dominant and minority cultures.

In order to fully discuss the hip-hop culture we must build a bridge between the past and the present, from the slave songs to Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech and into the rap music genre.  A few somewhat tedious definitions will help clarify this connection and create a point from which to begin.  Dictionary.com defines “language” as the “Communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols”.  The third definition for “song” is “poetry; verse”; whereas “poem” is described as “a verbal composition designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way, characterized by the use of language chosen for its sound and suggestive power”.   Thus, “rap” in its original slang was defined as “to utter sharply” and “to criticize or blame” but changes into “a talk, conversation or discussion” or “to discuss or debate informally”.  Ironically, these words: rap, language, poetry, and song, are four different ways to say nearly the same thing.  When you combine these definitions into one, rap becomes a sharp song that generally criticizes or blames through its use of suggestive language, sound (rhythm), and gestures to communicate a particular message.  Literature essentially encompasses all these ideas by incorporating the different types of communication and expression into the fiction or non-fiction. The Classic Slave Narratives, the “I Have a Dream” speech, Song of Solomon, and Push share a commonality in this modified definition of rap, but more so, they are united by the author’s/ speaker’s desire to express himself in a meaningful way.   Most importantly, I want the reader to think about our class objectives, voiceless and choiceless, as well as assimilation or resistance, within the African American culture as displayed through my analysis of literature and hip hop culture. 

Of the Classic Slave Narratives Frederick Douglass’ poems understandably evoke the strongest feelings of dislike and disgust toward the dominant culture; however, he accomplishes this feat with such intelligence in word play that the reader is coaxed into agreement rather than offense.  His “Parody” uses repetition to toy with the contradictory relationship between slaveholder, slave, and religion:

“They’ll church you if you sip a dram,

  And damn you if you steal a lamb;

  Yet rob old Tony, Doll, and Sam,

  Of human rights, and bread and ham;

      Kidnapper’s heavenly union.

  They’ll read and sing a sacred song,

  And make a prayer both loud and long,

  And the right and do the wrong,

  Hailing the brother, sister throng,

     With words, of heavenly union” (434-red edition.)

The slaveholders had no problem leading two lives, from the “pious priest”, as Frederick Douglass puts it, to the malevolent slaveholder, for they continued to stand before God and preach His word that so clearly states to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  The atrocious acts of the slaveholders gave more than enough reason for Douglass to be angry; however he managed to express his anger to the dominant culture in a socially acceptable fashion so that was more effective than outright hatred and disgust.  

            Perhaps Douglass’ poem has a taste of the same dislike and distrust that currently pervades the hip-hop culture in lyrics such as Tupac Shakur’s “Return of the Solja” where he states, “You wanted to start a problem, now you coward cops have got one/
And there's no prison that can hold a/ Motherfuckin soulja,”, but it seems that while Douglass was involved in a true fight, a fight for freedom, Tupac relays his hatred for the police by using forceful, angry, and violent images.  Douglass grew up in the world of slavery and thus felt its crushing weight, but most rappers are typically middle class, having chosen the easier life of crime when other avenues may have been open to them.   In an essay entitled “How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back”, John McWhorter addresses the harm in this lifestyle, “by reinforcing the stereotypes that long hindered blacks, and by teaching young blacks that a thuggish adversarial stance is the properly “authentic” response to a presumptively racist society, rap retards black success” (http://www.cityjournal.org/html/13_3_how_hip_hop.html.  Where Douglass presented his thoughts in a proper socially acceptable form, the hip-hop culture tends to be more brash in its use of profanity and violence.

            Where Douglass lightly touches on some of hip-hop’s characteristic tone, Harriet Jacobs’ generally contains her anger while using poetry and music to express her sorrow and despair, such as in the short poem

                        “[A Land] Where laughter is not mirth; nor thought the mind;

                        Nor words a language; nor e’en men mankind.

                        Where cries reply to curses, shrieks to blows,

                        And each is tortured in his separate hell” (481).

Jacobs’ entire narrative is filled with poetic language, for she truly carries the reader into her yearnings and tribulations, having a very similar effect to that of soul music.  She also does an excellent job of preserving some of the slave songs, while explaining that though the slaves felt freedom and happiness while singing, they were not actually happy with their enslavement “Ole Satan’s church is here below/ Up to God’s free church I hope to go” (520).  Jacobs’ own dissatisfaction and strength is displayed not only in her retaliatory verbal attacks on her master and witty rebuttals to his advances, but in her perseverance.  Throughout the course of the narrative she is able to manipulate language to her advantage, providing a clear image of slavery for the public.

            On a lighter note, Jacobs’ description of the Christmas festivities is amusing.  The slaves travel door to door, asking for gifts and such, in a state of great excitement. Jacobs’ once again relays a song, but this one was sang outside of the church as the slaves chided those who had refused to give them gifts

                        “Poor massa, so dey say;

                        Down in de heel, so dey say;

                        Got no money, so dey say;

                        Not one shillin, so dey say;

                        God a mighty bress you, so dey say” (573). 

Once again, the slaves exhibit a soft version of rap or song, which had become a sort of camouflaged way to speak their minds in criticizing the slaveholders. 

Although a century had passed between the lives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Jacobs/ Douglass, their hope for equality had not changed.  The “Dream” speech was one of the most powerful instruments in obtaining and encouraging equality between the races.  King called for “a beautiful symphony of brotherhood” that encouraged African Americans to have faith, resist violence, and remain dignified in their struggle.  In this spirit of unity, King ended his speech with the following:

“we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                Free at last! Free at last!

             Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

The power of language, poetry, and song is so strong that Martin Luther King chose this medium to express his closing sentiments.  So, if song means poetry or verse, and a poem can be described as conveying strong emotions, then King was manipulating many forms of language to elicit his desired response. However, his stance was one of non-violence, a direct opposite from that of Malcolm X who preached a sort of militant attitude toward “white” establishments.  Their doctrines appeared around the same time frame, but Malcolm X’s beliefs act may have had the greater effect on today’s African American and hip-hop culture. 

                        The clash between these two opposing doctrines leads us into Song of Solomon, which also presents these opposing viewpoints toward the African American culture.  Unfortunately, the major differences between and within Caucasians and African Americans are usually referred to as “acting white” or “acting black”, spoken as slurs from the opposite race.  The white rapper Eminem, who has had major success singing about his life experiences, has been accused by the black culture as “taking our music and selling it back to us”.  These comments extend to both sides, leaving the black man who is desirous of receiving higher education as “trying to act white”, but also, the white man who dreams of rapping or producing hip-hop as “acting black”.  In a community, city, or country that desires true equality, acceptance must be obtainable for every group, regardless of the behaviors or attitudes from another culture that they wish to display.  This is a major problem in Song of Solomon for Macon Dead, as well as the whole Dead family, who are subtly accused of this throughout the story.  Perhaps they hate the Dead family because, as Guitar put it, “Everyone wants the life of a black man”.  Macon was accused of being white for having money, owning property, having a nice car, a beach house at Honore (the Negro version of the Hamptons), and most of all, for not cutting black men any slack for late rent. 

                        I believe that in Guitar’s eyes, Milkman is also acting white for following in his father’s footsteps and his ignorance in regards to the unfair treatment of African American’s.  Though Guitar has a mission and stands for his beliefs, his militant behavior is ultimately misdirected to the point that his own greed leads him to kill his best friend just as he would kill a white man.  Where Milkman experiences an awakening throughout the story, especially when he finally learns about his heritage, Guitar’s own character seems to deteriorate.   Nicole Jackson remarked in her midterm that Toni Morrison’s   novel has a “willingness to confront those ways that blacks exploit and oppress each other.  In this novel, each character represents a person with a fragmented identity searching to become whole”.  Indeed, the characters each have personal struggles, but Guitar and Milkman’s struggle is unique in that it encompasses this broader theme of blacks exploiting and oppressing themselves.  The reader is given two childhood friends who grew up together, but hadn’t a clue as to who the other man truly was.  By the end of the story, the two characters reverse and become representatives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.  Guitar, the one who seemed to have his priorities straight, ends up being the character with skewed morals and violent beliefs; whereas Milkman, who begins as the young man without dreams, grows into the young man who truly wants to soar and make something of himself.  In relation to hip-hop culture Guitar becomes the heart of Malcolm X and gangster rap, the persona that glorifies illegal life on the streets.  Milkman’s hopes and desires were just beginning to sprout when Guitar allowed jealousy to overcome him.   

                        As we have seen with Guitar’s relation to Malcolm X, another comparison between the men of Southside and hip hop is the fact that the Seven Days are a militant gang that hates white authority. They kill random white people to even out the numbers of murdered black people, and ultimately kill their own as Guitar later proves.  Guitar tells Milkman “we don’t off negroes”, but killing must have gotten easier once he got used to it.   Just as gang banging assaults the inner city and kills people from one’s own race, so does the Seven Days forget their rules and begin to kill their own.  Perhaps the Seven Days can be justified in their feelings toward white people; since white men were rarely punished for crimes against black men, it was only a matter of time before the unfairness turned to bitterness which ultimately led to a desire for action.  I would even harden under the oppression. But today, there is none of Douglass, Guitar, or Milkman’s world; the abolition of slavery, integration, and affirmative action has helped change the way society treats minorities.  Without the horrible conditions of the past, what is so oppressive about African American daily life for the rap group NWA (Niggas With Attitude) to harbor enough resentment to name a song “Fuck the Police”?  Bill Cosby made the comment, “People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around” who can’t even speak English (http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_dmn-bill_cosby.htm).    The freedoms that were fought for throughout the civil rights movement are being thrown away by a generation, or two, of youths who find education boring and/ or unnecessary to their lives.  They are being thrown away by the rappers who don’t speak proper English, degrade women, and glorify illegal lifestyles.

                        The actual Song of Solomon that the children sing during their game is most closely related to the Slave Songs in the Classic Slave Narratives.  On first glance the song seems to be a meaningless child’s song, but as Milkman learns more about his past, and more about Solomon, he realizes that there is great meaning in those words.  Likewise in Jacobs and Douglass’ time, slave songs were seen as meaningless gibberish.  The underlying meanings behind the Song of Solomon may only seem relevant to Milkman, as an ancestor of Solomon, but that is the beauty of words.  Words can touch the soul of the author, while also speaking to the hearts and minds of many others, which is seen in the town of Shalimar where everyone tries to lay claim to kinship with Solomon.    To further the connection between the Song of Solomon and the Slave Narratives, Milkman is forced to memorize the song when he had no pen, ironically carrying on the oral tradition before many African Americans had become literate (303).

Pilate’s singing throughout the story bridges the gap between the slave culture and the post slavery culture of the African Americans.  She sings to sooth her own soul as well as the souls of those around her.  Her socioeconomic status is on the lower level, which relates her to the slaves, but her wealth comes from the insightfulness with which she sees the world around her.  For example, the poetic way she describes the different shades of black “Well, night black is the same way.  May as well be a rainbow” sums up one of the story’s main themes; a culture is first made up of individuals who are not the same, despite the unifying color of their skin (41).  As Pilate so eloquently conveyed, there are many different shades of black, with Guitar making up one end and Milkman the other.  It isn’t until the end of her life that Milkman realizes how much he loves Pilate for “without ever leaving the ground, she could fly” (336). 

The Song of Solomon both begins and ends with singing; the beginning being marked by Pilate’s version of the Song of Solomon, whereas at the end, Milkman sings out while Pilate dies.  Likewise, the reverberating echo at the end of the story, the rhythm used to reinforce Milkman’s words, takes the language of Solomon from slave song and child’s play, to a sort of rap whose rhythm escalates as the violence roars, then is silenced.

Both Song of Solomon and Push have so many elements that can relate to the hip hop culture.  Push is by far the closest book to the uglier elements of hip hop culture, the songs that reduce women to objects of desire, to possessions, or to mere “bitches” that can be tossed aside.  In fact, rap music usually refers to women by using the word “bitch”, reiterating the attitude with which they view women.  African American women once fought to obtain voting rights and respect, whereas today’s rap videos show “rap stars flashing jewelry, driving souped-up cars, sporting weapons, angrily gesticulating at the camera, and cavorting with interchangeable, mindlessly gyrating, scantily clad women” (McWhorter http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_3_how_hip_hop.html).  With singers like Freak Nasty, who in one song degrades women to mere receptacles for him to obtain pleasure, all the while referring to women as “bitches, hoes, sluts, and skanks”, it is no wonder that Precious’ world was one of disrespect and abuse (http://www.lyricsondemand.com/f/freaknastylyrics/dirtymouthlyrics.html).  Although rap was in its beginning stages during Precious’ childhood, the culture has been steadily changing since the civil rights movement.  Sapphire uses Precious’ life to represent some issues within the African American culture, but also some issues between cultures by showing that people from other cultures can be united by their experiences.

To reinforce Bill Cosby’s remark about education, Precious’ hatred of other races lessened as she became more educated.  She learned to express her feelings by expanding her vocabulary and learning to read and write.  Her poetry ultimately becomes the outlet by which she is able to expel her pent up feelings of disgust, betrayal, and anger.  Education gives her the tools to become like the little white girl she always wanted to be, except, by this time she realizes that she doesn’t have to be white to be treated with love and respect. 

Coincidentally, since it so wonderfully fits into the purpose of my paper, Precious ponders the idea of being a rapper.  Rap was a fairly new phenomenon in the early eighties, but Precious still managed to relate to the rap culture which surely fostered her hatred and resentment toward authority.   Her hatred waned, but the desire to write rap songs continued to grow from her poetry and anger at being molested her entire life. 

She is molested by both of her parents, which creates a fundamental breakdown of the family unit.  McWhorter asks the question, “How helpful is rap’s sexism in a community plagued by rampant illegitimacy and an excruciatingly low marriage rate?” (http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_3_how_hip_hop.html).  Precious’ family unit answers this question.  Her mother and father are not married; in fact, he has another family somewhere else.  Her father and mother both rape her and treat her quite similarly to how a slave-owner would treat his slaves.  Does rap reinforce this negative behavior, this objectification of women? 

            Because language is the starting point for poetry, song, and rap, this list of similarities could go on forever.  I understand that while these characteristics are not solely related to the African American culture, they typically do exist within hip hop culture.  Since rap is seen as the music of the underdog, it is often represented as the African American “Dream” where women, money, and Dom Perignon flow like water; and since we are discussing African American literature, I am only exploring how the hip hop culture pervades this particular genre.  

            As for the class objectives, I believe that African American’s were most definitely voiceless and choiceless at one point.  Today, however, African Americans enjoy the same freedoms as the Caucasians, Mexican-Americans, and any other minority group, but sometimes choose not to become educated or to rise above their situations.  Being from the dominant culture I am probably not supposed to write this paper, but I was inspired by the African American scholar, John McWhorter’s book Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America.  I enjoy plenty of rap songs, but have only recently, since I have had my own child, begun questioning the lyrics I have had memorized since high school.  Unfortunately, I have found that I want something better, something more positive, for my little girl.  I don’t want her to feel objectified or degraded, so I am making the choice to refrain from supporting the rap music genre.  However, Douglass, Jacobs, Martin Luther King Jr., and Toni Morrison’s excellent narratives will be fully available to her.  Push will have to wait until she’s thirty.