Hip-Hop and Politics With Davey D
Finally arriving at our destination, we squeezed past several students blocking the doorway due to the fact of their immersion in conversation – no doubt about the important things in life, who’s having who’s baby in Hollywood and things of the like. Making our way closer and closer to the auditorium, I began to wonder what exactly this speaker was going to reveal to the audience. I have seemingly thought that I have heard everything there was to be said about the politics of hip-hop, so my interest level rose to a peculiar level.
Upon passing through the wood-trimmed double doors, I was surprised to see that there were many seats unfilled. Taking full advantage of this wide array of seating possibilities, I effortlessly worked my way to the fourth row of cozy chairs. Looking at the clock we were around five to ten minutes early, so I slipped out of the “attentive” state students grind themselves into when listening to a speaker, and put on a more comfortable mindset. As I was beginning to let the old and dusty cloth from the over-used chair begin to absorb me and cleanse away my collegiate worries, there was a loud burst from the two double doors. And with a rush, as if some unseen dam was suddenly demolished, hundreds of teachers and students alike came cascading in through the entrances – I might of even saw one crawl out of a ventilation opening. It only took mere minutes for every seat in the auditorium to be occupied by an eager listener.
As I sat, a woman with the demeanor of importance approached the podium. After a brief introduction, one that could barely hold the attention of the more tuned in student; she introduced the speaker, Davey D. As he approached the same place his successor, his dress was very casual. His aura was beaming with past successes and was burning with a flame of knowledge. While he spoke every ear was attentive. He started off with the statement, “Always question why things are or aren’t being said.” It was with the momentum of this unseen blow to our ears that he continued. Throughout his discussion, he spoke on many different facets of the impact the hip-hop world has on our culture – and how it is a culture all in itself.
“Every generation has its own unique form of expression. Nothing really changes, only the people changeâÂ?¦we are the reflection of those that came before us.” It was this particular statement that truly stuck out for myself. There is such truth squeezed in-between those words. It is the discussion the older generations have about the current one that really is amusing. Mainly because it was only several decades ago that their parents were having the exact same discussion about them. I have found that this “discussion” is a right of passage for every generation. It is only in time that we will find ourselves seated in a Denny’s at six in the morning surrounded by our age ravaged peers “discussing” the horrors of the youth of that day.
It was through the rest of the speaker’s time at the podium that he began revealing many more things. He spoke on the history of hip-hop and self expression, dating back to slavery. He revealed that if we remain passive or unlimited we will remain sheltered from other cultures. All in all, I really learned many things. Actually, it’s not that I learned something new, it was my understanding was deeply stretched beyond its previous confines. There is only one question that comes to mind when discussion hip-hop and politics – is the hip-hop community a donkey or an elephant? I personally think they are a “pimp-cup”, but that’s my own opinion.
