Hip Hop as the Benz Among Genres For Advocacy
In my History of Pop Music class, we were asked to comment on contemporary artists that act as agents of change. In other words, those who continue the tradition of protest music. The tradition stretches as far back as the seventh century (Candelaria). Protest music is not only important for what it incites and achieves, but it is also important we study protest music throughout the centuries since it commemorates important issues and societal values of the time. Protest music throughout the years has evolved but continually, like most art, builds off what has come before it. Different genres have been at the forefront of protest music, and right now rap reigns supreme. Rap is an effective means of advocacy because the genre itself was built ground up from a minority group that used the music and culture of the music to express their laments, themselves, and call for change. Rap incorporates not only lyrics as a way to express their ideas but also the music and specifically their sampling choice to make a statement.
Rap had its origins in protest. Rap, also referred to as hip hop, came out of the bronx in 1970s where poverty and race relations were at the forefront of issues (Blanchard). Hip hop was not only a musical art form but also visual. Hip hop was comprised of the djs, the turntables, the breakdancing, and graffiti. Graffiti was another effective way to spread messages of protest and hope.

Image: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/111886371962220187/
The hip hop sound came from djs extending the break from popular disco songs. However, hip hops influences does not stop there. It is influenced by jazz, blues, rock, and gospel music (“hip hop music”). Hip hop as advocacy heavily pulls from blues and gospel music. Blues music was known to focus on topics like prison, addiction, poverty and depression. Ma Rainey’s single released in 1929 “Hustlin’ Blues” recorded a prostitutes struggles and “Countin’ the Blues” released in 1924 recites the struggles and worries african americans often faced in the early 20th century. Gospel music has been a big contributor to advocacy in hip hop because often the metaphor of struggles with faith is applied to struggles in life as an african american. Especially in the civil rights era when they often used spiritual songs either changing or keeping the original lyrics.
Issues from the blues and gospel music are found throughout hip hip, but rappers are not necessarily always advocating for change. Kendrick Lamar, however, is a rapper who explores and shines light on the dark side of hip hop culture while using it as a vehicle to comment on race relations and poverty. During his 2016 Grammys performance, Lamar dons chains and a prison suit to give mass incarceration a public forum (Blanchard). The music accompanying his performance is jazz and blues influenced which evokes feelings of the past and the struggle of the urban black man. He weaves together the visual, musical, and lyrical components of hip hop to make a statement. The powerful effect his music has on our society can be seen from the Black Lives Matter movement. Some have taken up his song “Alright” from the album To Pimp a Butterfly released in 2015 as the anthem for young african americans. You can see in this video a group of protestors singing his song. It is reminiscent of civil rights protest when people were singing “We Shall Overcome”.
Kendrick is one of many rappers who brings social justice issues to the table and advocates for change. He is so effective because he creates music with the intent to show case issues. There are other rappers who are subtle with their approach or even do it inadvertently. There are songs on the Billboard top 100 in the top 10 that have protest origins. I think that shows the power of hip hop as an effective means of advocacy because it comes easily when the genre is built off of raising awareness for issues within the african american community. Sometimes it’s not even done on purpose which further showcases its ability and place for advocation. An example of this is Future’s song “Mask Off”. The song reached #5 on billboard top 100. The song sounds typical to commercialized hip hop; listing off drugs and talking about violence. However, the sample is pulled from “Prison Song” which appeared in Tommy Butler’s play retelling the civil rights movement “Selma” (Witmer). I don’t think Future was trying to make a political statement, but the historical nod wasn’t lost to everyone, and I think it emphasizes the fact that hip hop has deep ties to advocacy, and it is almost impossible to escape those issues that have been drenched in the music from the beginning.
Another big moment of advocacy in the modern age has been the fight against homophobia in the rap community and overall rights for the LGBTQ community. From big artists like Jay Z to Kanye West coming out in support of LGBTQ rights to younger artists like Frank Ocean who came out as bisexual in a long letter explaining that his Grammy Award winning album Channel Orange was about a guy. They have used their platforms to influence many, and I think helped bring momentum leading to the Supreme Court decision in 2015 for gay marriage to be legal in the United States (i.e. that state level bans are unconstitutional). The song that comes to mind that was used most obviously as a song for advocacy is Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s song Same Love released in 2012. Here is a call to action like statement within the lyrics of the song:
“When everyone else Is more comfortable remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans, that have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same But that’s not important
No freedom ’til we’re equal
Damn right I support it”
Same Love by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
The song has seen similar effects like Kendrick Lamar’s Alright. Both songs have been taken up as anthems for minority groups advocating for change.
You can see here the song was used at a rally to support a Vice Principle fired for his sexual orientation from a Catholic school. Hip hop has been effective in producing these moments of advocacy and a lot of that is due to its beginnings as a social issues movement. As hip hop is appropriated and commercialized for the masses, I don’t foresee the genre losing any momentum in its advocacy as it pulls samples from the past and lyrical influence from blues and gospel. The genre that was initially made by and for a specific minority group now has the power to advocate for issues out of its realm which is the real evidence for hip hop’s power as a medium for change.
Works Cited:
Blanchard, Becky. “The Social Significance of Rap & Hip Hop Culture.” THE SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF RAP & HIP-HOP CULTURE. EDGE, n.d. Web. 10 July 2017.
Witmer, Phil. “A Brief History of That Kickass Flute Sample on Future’s.” Noisey. Vice, 23 Feb. 2017. Web. 10 July 2017.
Candelaria, Daniel Kingman. American Music: A Panorama. Fifth edition. Samford CT: Cengage Learning, 2015, 2012. Mindtap. Web. 10 July. 2017.
“Hip hop music.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 July 2017. Web. 22 July 2017.
