Democrats unveil hip hop task force to tackle racial inequity

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

They should encourage black people to stop embracing hip-hop culture; we should not spread its corrosive ability to promote crime and violence


https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4468099-democrats-unveil-new-congressional-hip-hop-task-force/

A coalition of Democrats are looking to use the power of music to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing Black and Brown Americans.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday unveiled the Congressional Hip Hop Power and Justice Task Force outside the Capitol.

The taskforce, led by Bowman, will use hip hop’s messaging of building a more equitable society to help spearhead initiatives to address economic equality, affordable housing and racial justice imperatives.

In an exclusive with The Hill, Bowman explained that the inspiration behind the task force came from reflecting on how the genre impacted him over the years.

Artists like Eric B. & Rakim, Queen Latifah, Chuck D and Public Enemy inspired the New York lawmaker throughout his life, he said, including during his time as an educator.

“They were very instrumental in creating a curriculum and blueprint for my life,” Bowman told The Hill. “I owe a lot of who I am to the lessons that they taught me on and through their music.”

Hip hop, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last August, has often been used as a political tool for Black and Brown Americans, and Bowman said he hopes to capitalize on that through the taskforce.

“Hip hop has always been about ending poverty in America, about fully funding our public schools. It’s always been about justice reform and police reform,” the lawmaker said. “It’s always been about affordable housing and dealing with the issue of threats of violence.”

“At this moment in particular when you consider the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ceasefire movement and the fight that continues for freedom, justice and equality — now it’s time to build political power at a level that’s never been done before,” he added.

Some of that is already happening.

In September, artists — including Fat Joe, Rick Ross and Busta Rhymes — partnered with Power to the Patients, to film a public service announcement demanding legislators create a more honest, affordable and equitable healthcare system.

Maybe Democrats will do that when Republicans stop supporting Trump who is capable of nothing other than promoting violence and crime (including his own.)

It's one thing to use hip hop to tackle racial inequity, the music has good and bad, just like country, blues and folk music which have traditional murder ballads, it's quite another to actually vote for Trump who is nothing but a thug, rapist and grifter into the White House.

Any Republican who complains about this but supports Trump is a joke.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Redban's premise is wrong. His argument was invented by a combination of the Satanic panic and tough on crime politicians who saw a false correlation between crime and people who listened to hip hop. The original purpose of hip hop was to express emotions because of the crimes and frustrations of people living in ghettos. I think that further investment in these communities are essential, but I would be interested to know how successful this is at reducing crime and recidivism.

The Satanic panic was (in terms of music, obviously not in things like the McMartin preschool case) correct for the most part, the target of it was evil metal music that promoted evil and destructive behavior.

I've said before that this is pretty accurate and why I don't really care about any moral panics over music:

First they came for heavy metal music, and I didn't speak up because I'm not a metalhead.
Then they came for the gangsta rap and I didn't speak up because I don't like any rap at all.
Then they came for the mall (not) "emo" and I didn't speak up because it was just stupid poser sh!t anyway.
Then they didn't come for real emo or melodic hardcore because it's really niche stuff that such people were never aware of and thus I never had to worry about my musical tastes coming under threat and I lived happily ever after.

We did it. We've hit peak BRTD.

[Senator Incitatus]

As a moderate skeptic on the issue, this desperate and lame effort is the most real sign yet of a racial realignment. This is the sort of thing Rand Paul was doing in 2015.

[certified hummus supporter 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

Rapper endorses Trump: BLACKS ARE WISING UP! TRUMP WILL WIN THE BLACK VOTE! THIS IS GREAT

Can you explain how random rappers endorsing Trump is positive, but Democrats using hip hop as outreach is bad?

Actually this is a good point, conservatives definitely can't call this cringe if they get so excited every time a random rapper endorses Trump, LOL.

*Cough* heatcharger... *Cough*

[GP270watch]

Lil Pimp?

[ingemann]

Hip Hop without a doubt is America's most influential cultural development in the last 50 years both domestically and internationally, what other original American art form had the influence of Hip-Hop. If you don't like what Hip-Hop reflects about American society than look in the mirror.

This is pretty much the most anti-American thing I have ever heard, you should be ashamed of yourself.

[GP270watch]

Hip Hop without a doubt is America's most influential cultural development in the last 50 years both domestically and internationally, what other original American art form had the influence of Hip-Hop. If you don't like what Hip-Hop reflects about American society than look in the mirror.

This is pretty much the most anti-American thing I have ever heard, you should be ashamed of yourself.

 I have no idea what you're talking about because your statement doesn't say anything.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Hip Hop without a doubt is America's most influential cultural development in the last 50 years both domestically and internationally, what other original American art form had the influence of Hip-Hop. If you don't like what Hip-Hop reflects about American society than look in the mirror.

Emo

lol

 Hip Hop has changed business, fashion, the way people speak(English and even other languages), the movies, other forms of music that followed it.

So has emo.

The Revolution Summer movement of 1985 DC that birthed emo changed hardcore, post-hardcore, and punk forever.

[GP270watch]

Hip Hop without a doubt is America's most influential cultural development in the last 50 years both domestically and internationally, what other original American art form had the influence of Hip-Hop. If you don't like what Hip-Hop reflects about American society than look in the mirror.

Emo

lol

 Hip Hop has changed business, fashion, the way people speak(English and even other languages), the movies, other forms of music that followed it.

So has emo.

The Revolution Summer movement of 1985 DC that birthed emo changed hardcore, post-hardcore, and punk forever.

 Go up to anybody under 50 in the mall, streets, in nearly any country. Ask them if they can name 10 "emo" artist or 10 hip hop artists, what do you think the results will be. You're trolling or you live in a bubble. Emo is irrelevant.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Hip Hop without a doubt is America's most influential cultural development in the last 50 years both domestically and internationally, what other original American art form had the influence of Hip-Hop. If you don't like what Hip-Hop reflects about American society than look in the mirror.

Emo

lol

 Hip Hop has changed business, fashion, the way people speak(English and even other languages), the movies, other forms of music that followed it.

So has emo.

The Revolution Summer movement of 1985 DC that birthed emo changed hardcore, post-hardcore, and punk forever.

 Go up to anybody under 50 in the mall, streets, in nearly any country. Ask them if they can name 10 "emo" artist or 10 hip hop artists, what do you think the results will be. You're trolling or you live in a bubble. Emo is irrelevant.

Emo has shaped music as diverse as both this:

and this:

And those are both local bands to prove a point...that's just a sample from one city. Yet the influence of emo can be felt in just one city with music that diverse!

Sure people are more familiar with more hip-hop artists but relatively speaking they all sound basically the same. It all sounds the same to me.

[Anti-Trump Truth Socialite JD Vance Enjoying Juror]

Hip Hop without a doubt is America's most influential cultural development in the last 50 years both domestically and internationally, what other original American art form had the influence of Hip-Hop. If you don't like what Hip-Hop reflects about American society than look in the mirror.

Emo

This is more-or-less objectively incorrect. By any quantifiable metric hip hop has more influence than emo and adjacent genres. That isn't a statement on the quality of either kind of music, but the question of which one has had more influence is, at this point, undebatable.

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

As a moderate skeptic on the issue, this desperate and lame effort is the most real sign yet of a racial realignment. This is the sort of thing Rand Paul was doing in 2015.

The skepticism is warranted but can we at least acknowledge there's a difference between Jamaal Bowman and Hank Johnson doing this and Rand Paul doing this

[All Along The Watchtower]

As a moderate skeptic on the issue, this desperate and lame effort is the most real sign yet of a racial realignment. This is the sort of thing Rand Paul was doing in 2015.

The skepticism is warranted but can we at least acknowledge there's a difference between Jamaal Bowman and Hank Johnson doing this and Rand Paul doing this

Republicans could’ve made real inroads with black voters by nominating Herman Cain, but they chose the whitest man alive to run against the first black President instead, and then they rallied around Trump, who would go on to murder Cain at his COVID rally in Tulsa.  

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Hip Hop without a doubt is America's most influential cultural development in the last 50 years both domestically and internationally, what other original American art form had the influence of Hip-Hop. If you don't like what Hip-Hop reflects about American society than look in the mirror.

Emo

This is more-or-less objectively incorrect. By any quantifiable metric hip hop has more influence than emo and adjacent genres. That isn't a statement on the quality of either kind of music, but the question of which one has had more influence is, at this point, undebatable.

The most listened to song of all time is Baby Shark. Point?

[Horus]

Hip Hop without a doubt is America's most influential cultural development in the last 50 years both domestically and internationally, what other original American art form had the influence of Hip-Hop. If you don't like what Hip-Hop reflects about American society than look in the mirror.

Emo

This is more-or-less objectively incorrect. By any quantifiable metric hip hop has more influence than emo and adjacent genres. That isn't a statement on the quality of either kind of music, but the question of which one has had more influence is, at this point, undebatable.

The most listened to song of all time is Baby Shark. Point?

The only emo bands who are household names are Blink 182 and Paramore, both of which are far from traditional emo. There are probably 50 rappers who are household names. Emo has not influenced fashion for almost 20 years. Hip hop influences fashion every year.

Emo is a whiny subgenre of punk. A very small part of the diverse giant that is Rock music. Hip hop is as at least as big as that entire umbrella of rock now. It's not even close. I get that you don't like rap but it is literally insane to think emo has had even one twentieth of the impact hip hop has.

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

Imagine engaging in a debate with BRTD about emo and expecting him or anybody else to care about whatever you are saying.

This is like arguing with SnowLabrador. Y'all are smarter than this.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Hip Hop without a doubt is America's most influential cultural development in the last 50 years both domestically and internationally, what other original American art form had the influence of Hip-Hop. If you don't like what Hip-Hop reflects about American society than look in the mirror.

Emo

This is more-or-less objectively incorrect. By any quantifiable metric hip hop has more influence than emo and adjacent genres. That isn't a statement on the quality of either kind of music, but the question of which one has had more influence is, at this point, undebatable.

The most listened to song of all time is Baby Shark. Point?

The only emo bands who are household names are Blink 182 and Paramore, both of which are far from traditional emo.

Neither of those is an emo band. Blink actually does have a song called "Emo" but that's the only one they have that really sounds like emo and the fact they even noted it shows how non-emo they usually are, they're just pop-punk. Paramore has like three emo songs on the first album, everything else is pop-punk, and then the sort of stuff they do now.

Emo is a whiny subgenre of punk.

What the hell is whiny about Moss Icon? Or Texas Is The Reason? (Actually a very Atlas band that should appeal to Atlas posters, they're basically a JFK assassination-themed band!) Or Jawbreaker (the only real remotely "whiny" songs they have are "Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault" which is actually a pop-punk song and I suppose "Million", still great songs though!) Even the most commercially successful emo band of all time, Jimmy Eat World is hardly whiny.

A very small part of the diverse giant that is Rock music. Hip hop is as at least as big as that entire umbrella of rock now. It's not even close. I get that you don't like rap but it is literally insane to think emo has had even one twentieth of the impact hip hop has.

Some of which is actually influenced by emo, like Lil Peep. So that does not exclude emo influence.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Next step: Democrats unveil emo task force to reiterate that the party is ALL LIBERAL, ALL THE TIME