- Hip-Hop is more than music, from its
birth in the South Bronx, Hip-Hop has been a voice of the voiceless,
the “One Mic” that Nas spoke of which has allowed the oppressed
black and brown in the Ghettoes of America to communicate to the world.
- Politics is the organized system in
which people make decisions and influence decisions regarding how they
live in a society.
- Power is the ability to cause an effect.
As the dominant force and the future of popular culture in America and the world, Hip-Hop definitely has the power to affect the decisions that affect us, our families, our communities, and the world that we live in.
Hip-Hop represents billions of dollars of consumer power, or in other words - people power. In truth, the people always have the power, it's just a matter of how they use it or let others use it. People made 50 Cent hot and Ja-rule not. They may try to manipulate and influence and mis-lead the people, but at the end of the day, it's the people with the power to choose.
There is no MTV, BET, Nelly, Eminem, Russell Simmons, P. Diddy, Passion Of Christ, Lord of The Rings, NBA, Nike, Reebok, McDonalds, Disneyland, WWF, etc. without the people to watch, listen, and consume what is being sold. Each individual person has power, when individuals become a group, they have more power.
Politicians need votes, money, and good public relations to get elected and stay in office. We have the ability to give and or take all three, even if it is only one vote, ten dollars, and one person holding a sign that reads, "this politician lied, my brother died". You would be surprised at the impact one can have.
Voting is one part of the political process; it is not the beginning or the end. Political education, fundraising, and lobbying are other ways to influence people and the decisions they make.
As the Hip-Hop community - or any community - seeks to show forth its power in the political arena, the following is suggested:
Get informed. Knowledge is the foundation of all power. Get the facts. Define your interests - or in other words, define what's good for you and what's not.
Get together and get organized. There is strength in numbers. Getting organized means everyone playing a position and moving as one unit for a common cause. Pool your time, ideas, money, and resources. A dedicated and organized few can defeat many. Remember David and Goliath?
Move intelligently. As Pac' said, "Plot, plan, strategize.and bomb first." Use your creativity to come up with ways to get what you want. Simple things include integrating political education and activities into shows with announcements, flyers, info tables, shout outs on mixtapes, or promoters distributing important information.
Be consistent. In the words of master P be "Bout it, bout it!" or be without it. Power concedes nothing without demand. It is not going to be easy just because you may be right. Politicians and institutions count on young people to have a short attention span and lose focus easily. Chinese water torture is very effective, one drop at a time, don't be a one hit wonder.
Public Enemy told us not to believe the hype. Take nothing on face value. Don't settle for the campaign trail blasé-blah, always get specifics regarding what a candidate has done and will do for you and yours.
Find out where candidates fall on fundamental issues, what they plan to do by sending them a questionnaire or setting up a candidate forum. Follow up with WHOMEVER gets in office to see to it that they keep their word. If their word fails, expose them as a fraud.
Other important local and national issues include reparations, improving education in our communities, stopping gentrification, business development to create jobs, unfair sentencing, mass incarceration, the war, attempts to reinstate the draft, police terrorism, and building positive institutions - not prisons.
We already know about the corruption, lies, scandals, and tricks abundant in the world of politics. However, this should not be used as an excuse to not exercise your power to make things the way you want them to be, rather than crying about other people using their power to make things the way they want them to be. In life, you get what you accept but you always have a choice. Either you stand up for something or you fall for anything.
Wyking Allah (Hon. Kwame Garrett) is the founder of the Seattle Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council and a candidate for State Representative in the 37th district. He can be reached at www.votewyking.com , via email info@votewyking.com or by phone 206.726.1184.
