Real Facts About Hip Hop, The Music Industry & Black Folks 

- Pearl Jr.

    Due to the Don Imus racist rant with his producer, Bernard McGuirk calling a group of female college basketball players, "nappy-headed hos" plus "hard-core hos", which I personally find just as offensive due to diminishing their femininity, an important conversation has taken place that should lead to positive action. According to my belief system, this is where God, the spirit of goodwill, has shown up to evoke a critical conversation about the diminished value of Black women worldwide and the decline of Black progress.

Now for the facts (billboard.com):

~In the first quarter of 2007, hip-hop sales are down 33.6 percent from same quarter of last year

~Hip-hop sales are down 21 percent from 2005 to 2006

~In 2006, only two hip-hop artists attained platinum status (T.I. & Jay Z)

~Hip Hop artists have the highest incarceration rates of any musical genre's artists list

~This week (4-17-07), due to the massive media exposure of the Don Imus racist remarks, every single album released before last week (despite the genre), has declined in sales among the top 50 selling albums (hitsdailydouble.com). Average drop of nearly 50 percent

~The music industry is suffering from massive losses beginning in the early millennium, when Black executives/executive producers were being dropped like flies and the ownership and distribution of music was conglomerated by non-Black ownership.

~Digital downloads is NOT making up the difference (15 percent digital - 85 percent CD = marketshare)

~Despite massive declines in CD sales, radio spins of negative hip-hop (rap crap) remained in high rotation (allaccess.com)

~The ONLY music genre to gain for the first quarter of 2007 is R&B, which is non-inclusive of hip-hop and that is only 1 percent.

~According to David Lopez of Nielsen Soundscan, they have never ever monitored or taken statistics on the race or ethnicity of any consumer who purchased music. So where the heck does that lie that told many Americans, that 80 percent of hip hop is purchased by White consumers come from? That made-up figure has been a lie told over and over again to make Blacks feel like they were not targeted for mental destruction, in which there is absolutely no proof to the contrary.

Furthermore, as I watched Oprah Winfrey this week, I'm found myself very disappointed watching some desperate millionaire fall guys speak about NOT blaming filth-spewing rap crap artists for the NEWLY arrived heights of devastation among Black American Citizens. Oprah's in studio on stage guests, who have gained from our pain was Russell Simmons, Bernard Chivers, Kevin Liles, and Common (who is among the few positive artists), who made excuse after excuse for the vast widespread devastation of the Black community. I'm asking all those who watched Oprah not to get confused with their mind-twisting fast-talking bullying tactics that was force-feeding everyone to look everywhere else but inside themselves to make that change; they are their own man in the mirror, who hold the power to rid our lives of the mental trash that cleverly deceived us with beats that were given to us as gifts from our ancestors to be used for loving and healing purposes. 

I must disagree with a popular notion that negative lyrics sell. No, the consumer bought the beat and the groove and was tricked into condoning and repeating lyrics that commonly used the rhythms of nursery rhymes to convince us that being horrible human beings would render us massive rewards. The glamorizing of despicable language such as nigga, bitch and ho could have only involved the work of the devil who is THE master of deception.

What is missing are all the non-Black record company owners and executives that hated Black people while smiling in their faces telling them that they will pay them riches for putting down Black people and lying to Black people telling them over and over and over again what is wrong is right.

In case you are one of those believers in the first amendment's freedom of speech clause, you must also consider two important elements of that same amendment: 

The right to PROTEST

2. One can't yell fire in a crowded theater scenario, which means speech or communication cannot be used to destroy a targeted group of people.

During the past 15 years, which also correlates with the massive widespread distribution of rap crap filth, nearly every single statistic within the Black race has reached epidemic proportions:

~50 percent high school drop-out rate for Black students (nationwide average)

~Double the number of incarcerated Black men

~Highest decline of Black students in college in the past 50 years

~Highest number of single parents, especially single Black mothers

~Sharp increase in Black female incarceration rates (highest in history)

~Increase of Blacks living in poverty (nationwide 25 percent)

~Increased unemployment of young Black males

~Health of Blacks poorest in every single major illness, except for skin cancer (thanks melanin)

~Highest number of Black children in foster care (orphanages)

~Highest number of Black children, especially boys, in special education classes

If these statistics don't make anyone reading this article make that change to turn off those soft-porn distasteful videos, change from the radio station that plays rap crap filth, throw out all those rap crap CDs that tells lies, and finally tell everyone that you know to do the same, to behave in Black's Best Interest, will only get more of the same. These changes can represent giant steps that are necessary to stop the horrible beast of dysfunction.

Many people blame parents for not raising their children properly. O.K. so some of us aren't being the best parents possible, then someone else MUST help them out? The point is too many parents can't, so those who know better must teach better.

The declines within the Black population isn't the sole fault of rap crap, but we know for sure, rap crap filth is NOT helping--not even the artists because judging by their criminal records; you can put money in the hands of a thug but without changing his/her thinking he/she will continue to behave in thug mode, despite the changes in his/her finances.

Rap crap is exactly what I describe it to be, which is crap. Don't get it twisted by saying, "but what about the positive hip-hop?" Yea, what about it? I'm not talking about positive hip-hop. I don't fight to change something that doesn't need changing. But I do know that some stains just can't come out, even in our most favorite garment. My general sentiment about hip-hop is that it is so filled with stains that nothing can ever cleanse it. Ba-ut, we'll see our most talented and resourceful go to work to save their careers and fortunes, and that, my friend can be a good thing.

We can stop feeding the beast, but we must also build a new, so be sure to order your copy of my book, Black Women Need Love, Too! so that we can be as productive as possible learning about our history, societal set-ups that breed failure, and ways in which to enhance our knowledge of self, while adding excitement about dating and finding that special person who is going to love, honor, and cherish each one of us.

Black Women Need Love, Too! is available on amazon.com 

April, 2007