0:00:05.440,0:00:09.250 Given the relatively dominant position that[br]hip hop occupies atop the dizzying 0:00:09.250,0:00:13.590 heights of the global entertainment-industrial-complex, it can be easy to lose sight of its humble 0:00:13.590,0:00:17.199 beginnings and its enduring role as a source[br]of revolutionary politics. 0:00:17.200,0:00:21.140 I got a letter from the government[br]The other day 0:00:21.140,0:00:23.920 I opened and read it[br]It said they were suckers 0:00:23.920,0:00:27.880 I know this for a fact, you don't like how[br]I act. You claim I'm sellin' crack 0:00:27.880,0:00:31.400 But you be doin' that I'd rather say "see ya"[br]Cause I would never be ya 0:00:31.400,0:00:33.520 Be a officer? You wicked overseer! 0:00:33.540,0:00:36.400 Call me Little Bobby Hutton, cause I'm first[br]to push the button 0:00:36.400,0:00:39.580 Rappers don't be saying nothing to the system,[br]we say fuck 'em 0:00:39.620,0:00:42.400 That's why we say “fuck”[br]That's why we make hip-hop 0:00:42.400,0:00:47.400 We don't care about your badge, baton or Glock[br]Your mind's in shock fucking cop stop 0:00:47.400,0:00:49.400 Remember that time passes and never stops[br]in the clock 0:00:49.580,0:00:53.800 Though it didn’t really break out until[br]the late 70s and early 80s, hip hop’s genesis 0:00:53.800,0:00:57.520 story began in the summer of 1973, in the[br]South Bronx. 0:00:58.040,0:01:02.780 At the time, New York City’s northernmost[br]borough was by all appearances a war zone. 0:01:02.780,0:01:06.620 Decades of neglect, ill-thought out public[br]infrastructure projects, white flight, 0:01:06.620,0:01:12.580 racist redlining policies and urban decay[br]had reduced entire city blocks to rubble. 0:01:14.720,0:01:18.460 Rampant poverty and unemployment had created[br]a vacuum that was filled by street gangs, 0:01:18.460,0:01:22.820 with hundreds of small crews constantly battling[br]over territory, and literally setting large 0:01:22.820,0:01:24.710 sections of the city on fire. 0:01:24.710,0:01:29.750 Out of this simmering cauldron of social and[br]economic tension, hip hop emerged as a vibrant 0:01:29.750,0:01:34.290 DIY subculture, spread through house parties[br]thrown by working-class Black and Puerto Rican 0:01:34.290,0:01:38.870 youth who were alienated and excluded from[br]New York’s decadent disco scene. 0:01:38.870,0:01:41.460 A catalyzing moment of the emerging hip hop[br]scene was the formation of the 0:01:41.460,0:01:45.520 Universal Zulu Nation, on November 12th, 1973. 0:01:45.520,0:01:50.780 ...cars continue to change, nothing[br]stays the same, there were always renegades 0:01:50.780,0:01:54.240 Like Chief Sitting Bull, Tom Payne 0:01:54.240,0:01:56.980 Like Martin Luther King, Malcom X. 0:01:56.990,0:02:00.000 They were renegades of the atomic age 0:02:00.000,0:02:03.630 Founded by members of a gang called the Black[br]Spades, the Zulu Nation built hip hop into 0:02:03.630,0:02:08.419 a tool for community organizing – bringing[br]members of different gangs together, settling 0:02:08.419,0:02:12.370 street-level beefs and introducing codes of[br]conduct, all while imbuing the scene with 0:02:12.370,0:02:16.292 formative political values of street-based[br]community solidarity 0:02:16.292,0:02:18.160 and pan-Afrikan consciousness. 0:02:18.170,0:02:22.660 The Zulu Nation is credited with constructing[br]the foundation of hip hop culture, forged 0:02:22.660,0:02:24.280 around five core elements: 0:02:24.280,0:02:28.500 Mcs, Djs, Graffiti,[br]B-boys & B-girls, 0:02:28.500,0:02:31.200 and the fifth element: street knowledge. 0:02:31.300,0:02:33.460 But then I got wise and I begin to listen 0:02:33.460,0:02:35.980 To the whack teachers and the wick-wack system 0:02:36.020,0:02:38.160 My mother put me in Weusi Shule 0:02:38.260,0:02:40.560 Which means[br]black school in Swahili 0:02:40.560,0:02:45.380 And there is where I learned black history[br]And how to be the best that I can be 0:02:45.820,0:02:49.680 We don't talk to police, we don't [br]make a peacebond 0:02:49.680,0:02:51.760 We don't trust in the judicial system,[br]we shoot guns 0:02:51.760,0:02:54.320 We rely on the streets we do [br]battle in the hood 0:02:54.320,0:02:57.660 I was born in the G Code, embedded in my blood 0:02:57.940,0:03:01.180 In the decades that have followed, hip hop[br]has been transformed into a global phenomenon, 0:03:01.180,0:03:04.360 and a multi-billion dollar industry in its[br]own right. 0:03:04.360,0:03:09.500 But the five foundational elements have survived[br]and adapted over the years, providing a sustained 0:03:09.500,0:03:13.620 authenticity that has allowed radical artists[br]to continue to innovate, carve out space, 0:03:13.620,0:03:18.300 and even fight back against the industry’s[br]overall creep towards commercialization. 0:03:18.300,0:03:22.260 Over the next thirty minutes, we will explore[br]hip hop as a potent and persistent source 0:03:22.260,0:03:26.820 of revolutionary culture rooted in the oppression,[br]exploitation and criminalization faced by 0:03:26.820,0:03:29.770 youth and particularly poor youth of colour. 0:03:29.770,0:03:32.540 Along the way we’ll speak with a number[br]of grassroots artists who are continuing to 0:03:32.540,0:03:38.560 spit truth to power, all while organizing[br]their communities, tearing up stages and making 0:03:38.560,0:03:40.140 a whole lot of trouble. 0:04:13.780,0:04:19.160 Hip hop stands for “His or Her Infinite[br]Power Helping Oppressed People”. 0:04:19.160,0:04:20.970 That comes from the temple of hip hop. 0:04:20.970,0:04:26.880 Okay so that's from you know OGs like KRS-One[br]and other people getting together and figuring 0:04:26.880,0:04:32.100 how to effectively uplift the more positive[br]elements of the culture that are based in 0:04:32.100,0:04:34.430 community liberation and empowerment. 0:04:34.430,0:04:41.139 Hip hop to me is a way to be able to spread[br]a message of resistance to a large audience. 0:04:41.139,0:04:49.190 Hip hop to me is a way to share my story before[br]anybody else has a chance to twist up my words 0:04:49.190,0:04:51.470 or to twist up my experiences. 0:04:51.470,0:04:55.840 It is resistance and creativity, that's what[br]hip hop is to me. 0:04:55.840,0:05:02.160 Hip hop initially rose up speaking to injustices,[br]eventually it rose into stories speaking to 0:05:02.160,0:05:06.210 the issues of the oppressed. 0:05:06.210,0:05:11.430 The early days was very humble, there wasn't[br]a lot of money there wasn't a big budget. 0:05:11.430,0:05:15.580 It was kind of put together by people with[br]whatever they had. 0:05:15.580,0:05:20.180 People had come up with this medium of going[br]through the rubble and putting graffiti up 0:05:20.180,0:05:25.600 and break-dancing and MCing and DJing and[br]you know it was a way of resistance. 0:05:25.600,0:05:30.440 The same youth that were throwing bricks and[br]rocks and pushing back the police, they had 0:05:30.440,0:05:32.480 something to say. 0:05:32.740,0:05:38.700 For me, hip-hop is a tool for transformation[br]A culture that has some life principles 0:05:38.700,0:05:46.160 And some these are unity, love and respect[br]But specially, having fun, to fill the need 0:05:46.170,0:05:50.530 to defend happiness[br]There's a quote by DJ Grandmaster Caz 0:05:50.530,0:05:54.680 It says that hip-hop did not invent anything[br]The hip-hop re-invented everything 0:05:56.680,0:06:00.720 We peeped the allegory at the campfire listening[br]as elders shared the stories of the 0:06:00.720,0:06:01.980 vampire's victims. 0:06:01.980,0:06:04.540 How do I not make the same mistake? Wisdom. 0:06:04.540,0:06:06.840 Generate the vision, obliterate the prison. 0:06:06.840,0:06:09.460 Freedom's all I wanted but I couldn't [br]afford it, 0:06:09.460,0:06:12.280 my baby's got the spirit, just brilliant and gorgeous. 0:06:12.280,0:06:18.600 Oh yes, the self defence endorsement, always[br]quiet when she about to load it. 0:06:18.600,0:06:21.400 Hold it, esa morra's bout to load it. 0:06:21.400,0:06:23.720 Oh shit, and the whole barrio support it. 0:06:23.720,0:06:25.420 Seen a whole lotta people want friends. 0:06:25.420,0:06:27.340 Seen a whole lotta people want Benz. 0:06:27.340,0:06:30.440 Seen a whole lotta people can't get what they[br]want so a whole lotta people pop zans. 0:06:30.560,0:06:32.480 They say that means don't justify the ends. 0:06:32.480,0:06:34.720 Do the ends ever justify the means? 0:06:34.720,0:06:36.900 And would we end all of this hardship if we[br]just put rich 0:06:36.900,0:06:38.240 bigots in the guillotine? 0:06:38.240,0:06:43.380 Cuz I can't watch these kids die and then[br]lie like I give a fuck and not do a fuckin 0:06:43.380,0:06:44.960 thing but lie down like I've given up. 0:06:44.960,0:06:50.580 So get a gun if you ready, we grippin' on[br]the machete for anybody involved we got a 0:06:50.580,0:06:51.580 problem forgetting. 0:06:51.580,0:06:57.300 Thinking for yourself is an expensive luxury[br]For them it's not convenient that you leave 0:06:57.300,0:07:00.600 the herd[br]They win more if they keep us ignorant 0:07:00.600,0:07:03.440 Keep the people poor,[br]more power for the state 0:07:03.440,0:07:09.620 Fuck the parliament, fuck the cops and fuck[br]the robber baron bosses and fuck their offices, 0:07:09.639,0:07:14.610 predominant model of economics and elephant[br]cock in their ballot boxes. 0:07:14.610,0:07:19.050 It came from the Bronx in the 70s in New York[br]City and now it's world wide. 0:07:19.050,0:07:24.000 Hip hop is like folk music, it's very much[br]a historical record. 0:07:24.000,0:07:28.430 These are stories that are telling of the[br]American empire you know, looking from within. 0:07:28.430,0:07:32.009 And I think that's why it's so compelling[br]and that's why it resonated people may not 0:07:32.009,0:07:36.919 know it but I think the reason that hip hop[br]spread is because they're stories that everyone 0:07:36.919,0:07:40.650 needs to hear and is interested in hearing. 0:07:40.650,0:07:46.090 Hip-hop is a universal culture[br]That starts from a context of marginalization 0:07:46.090,0:07:49.860 poverty and criminalization[br]That's a very specific context from 1970's 0:07:49.860,0:07:52.680 New York City[br]That starts from a context of marginalization 0:07:52.680,0:07:55.180 poverty and criminalization[br]That's a very specific context from 1970's 0:07:55.180,0:07:57.470 New York City[br]But that's similar to other problems in other 0:07:57.470,0:08:01.050 places[br]Like exploitation, lack of housing, the lack 0:08:01.050,0:08:02.520 of opportunities 0:08:02.520,0:08:07.600 It came from people who had been displaced[br]historically from the continent of Africa 0:08:07.600,0:08:13.050 to North America, to Central America, South[br]America and the Caribbean. 0:08:13.050,0:08:18.750 It also came from ethnicities that had been[br]mixed in the process of the colonial subjugation 0:08:18.750,0:08:21.919 and conquest of the so called new world. 0:08:21.919,0:08:27.330 That was significant in drawing me in because[br]we learned that we had a shared story. 0:08:27.330,0:08:32.100 We had a story not only of oppression but[br]of resistance. 0:08:35.620,0:08:40.539 We can measure history in terms of what we[br]know about our experience here in the United 0:08:40.539,0:08:43.919 States as descendants of people who were stolen[br]from the continent of Africa. 0:08:43.919,0:08:50.570 But we also have to be able to measure our[br]existence and our influence on what happened 0:08:50.570,0:08:56.190 before that, what's currently happening in[br]the African diaspora and on the African continent 0:08:56.190,0:08:58.840 and struggles for liberation and self determination. 0:08:58.840,0:09:04.720 The driving force is just the songs of my[br]ancestors the songs that they sung to be able 0:09:04.730,0:09:10.399 to speak to resistance to speak to fighting,[br]to speak towards challenging and removing 0:09:10.400,0:09:15.300 any and all people that wish to destroy our[br]people. 0:09:16.350,0:09:21.600 Some of the major influences that I've had[br]musically have been folks who share their 0:09:21.610,0:09:27.600 narratives in a really honest way in a really[br]vulnerable way especially when they go to 0:09:27.600,0:09:32.580 represent their anger and their rage with[br]the way that these systems of oppression are 0:09:32.580,0:09:34.180 set up around us. 0:09:34.180,0:09:39.120 I recognize first and foremost that I am a[br]guest in the house of hip hop. 0:09:39.120,0:09:42.450 I don't take someone else's experience and[br]try to whiteify it. 0:09:42.450,0:09:48.740 I see things through the lens of white people[br]and so I feel like it's my job to criticize 0:09:48.740,0:09:51.959 white culture in the way that a white dude[br]can. 0:09:51.959,0:09:58.640 So I use my music to confront the shittiest[br]parts about white culture: imperialism and 0:09:58.640,0:10:03.300 colonialism and capitalism and authoritarianism. 0:10:13.330,0:10:17.001 Although it has since spread all around the[br]globe, hip hop first emerged from, and has 0:10:17.001,0:10:21.580 always remained rooted in the lived experiences[br]of Black and LatinX youth hustling to survive 0:10:21.580,0:10:23.970 in America’s inner-city ghettos. 0:10:23.970,0:10:27.570 And the so-called “Golden Age” of hip[br]hop, spanning the late 80s to the mid 90s, 0:10:27.570,0:10:29.700 were specially turbulent times. 0:10:29.700,0:10:33.820 The flooding of poor, racialized neighbourhoods[br]with crack in the mid-80s provided the spark 0:10:33.820,0:10:37.700 for a rapid surge in street violence, waged[br]between increasingly well-funded and heavily 0:10:37.700,0:10:38.830 militarized gangs. 0:10:38.830,0:10:39.830 0:10:39.830,0:10:43.730 This, in turn, provided the justification[br]for the ramping up of Ronald Reagan’s 0:10:43.730,0:10:49.070 War on Drugs, a policy framework for the wholesale[br]criminalization of Black and brown communities 0:10:49.070,0:10:54.100 that opened the door to enhanced police repression[br]and mass incarceration, twin pillars of US 0:10:54.100,0:10:59.000 domestic counter insurgency strategy that[br]continue to this day. 0:10:59.000,0:11:04.420 In 1986 a group formed in South Central, LA,[br]that fed off this raw sense of desperation 0:11:04.420,0:11:07.300 and rage, forever changing the face of hip[br]hop in the process. 0:11:07.310,0:11:14.430 That group was NWA, the first successful pioneers[br]of a new subgenre of hip hop: gangsta rap. 0:11:14.430,0:11:18.860 These days, it’s hard to appreciate the[br]shock and terror that NWA provoked in America’s 0:11:18.860,0:11:23.330 white supremacist power structure, and specially[br]its front-line troops, the cops. 0:11:23.330,0:11:30.080 Rap music promotes by its very language and[br]by its very actions, promotes violence against 0:11:30.080,0:11:33.830 authority and consequently violence against[br]law enforcement. 0:11:33.830,0:11:38.041 Songs like ‘Fuck Tha Police’ became rallying[br]cries for a generation of Black and Brown 0:11:38.041,0:11:42.860 youth whose rage would soon find popular expression[br]in the LA Riots of ‘92. 0:11:45.140,0:11:47.700 Fuck the police comin' straight from the underground. 0:11:47.700,0:11:49.920 A young nigga got it bad cause I'm brown. 0:11:49.920,0:11:55.600 And not the other color, so police think,[br]they have the authority to kill a minority. 0:11:55.600,0:12:00.269 But while NWA provided a megaphone to Black[br]youth’s widespread hatred towards the police, 0:12:00.269,0:12:04.560 they also injected mainstream hip hop with[br]a violent strain of misogyny and homophobia 0:12:04.560,0:12:07.170 that continues to fester to this day. 0:12:07.170,0:12:11.670 They also provided the emerging hip hop industry,[br]largely controlled by the white capitalist 0:12:11.670,0:12:16.269 power structure that they were rebelling against,[br]an opportunity to make millions of dollars 0:12:16.269,0:12:20.900 selling records that glorify Black and Brown[br]youth killing one another over nothing. 0:12:27.940,0:12:33.360 A lot of the brothers that were my same age[br]man, they were involved in the type of shit 0:12:33.390,0:12:34.700 where they were killing each other. 0:12:34.700,0:12:38.240 You know, they were killing cats that they[br]grew up with, that they went to church with, 0:12:38.240,0:12:42.670 that they went to school with, that they played[br]ball with, trying to be part of the whole 0:12:42.670,0:12:45.020 gang set culture you know what I mean? 0:12:45.020,0:12:48.820 Or they were trying to get their money selling that dope and like that's cool, whatever... 0:12:48.820,0:12:50.040 But really? 0:12:56.660,0:13:01.930 I was living during the crack era and so the[br]criminalization that began this whole mass 0:13:01.930,0:13:07.050 incarceration that we have now, this new Jim[br]Crow, it was heavily going on during that 0:13:07.050,0:13:09.130 crack era all the way through the 90s. 0:13:09.130,0:13:15.590 And so of course the theme in the music was[br]about either fighting against this new drug 0:13:15.590,0:13:19.870 that was dropped on to our community or else[br]using it as a means to get out of the community. 0:13:19.870,0:13:25.460 And so it's always been a part of the music[br]from the very early days. 0:13:26.500,0:13:29.120 Let's use the phrase "The Personal is Political"[br]as a starting point 0:13:29.120,0:13:33.280 Because even if we think our actions are personal[br]They are going to affect our family and our 0:13:33.290,0:13:36.370 close friends[br]Because even if we think our actions are personal 0:13:36.370,0:13:40.810 They are going to affect our family and our[br]close friends 0:13:40.810,0:13:45.019 And in the community and the society that[br]we are part of 0:13:45.019,0:13:50.920 There's a difference between telling your[br]story and glorifying some of the things that 0:13:50.920,0:13:52.680 you have to do to get by. 0:13:52.680,0:13:58.050 So I appreciate you know, when artists can[br]yeah maybe talk about the gang-banging past, 0:13:58.050,0:14:02.730 talk about the past where you had to sell[br]some shit, you had to do some shit that you're 0:14:02.730,0:14:03.730 glad you don't have to do anymore. 0:14:03.730,0:14:06.840 Government plans, fencin' us in,[br]life in the pen' 0:14:06.860,0:14:09.780 For sellin' shit you put in our hood, knowin'[br]I'll do it 0:14:09.800,0:14:12.820 We desperate, starvin' and dyin' to eat, die[br]in the street 0:14:12.820,0:14:15.680 For a fraction of what I get now for a soundin'[br]fly on the beat 0:14:15.680,0:14:21.371 I feel the weight of not glorifying some of[br]the things I've done in my past because I 0:14:21.371,0:14:25.390 see it happening with other artist with their[br]songs. 0:14:25.390,0:14:27.390 Cold gang with the cocaine. 0:14:27.390,0:14:28.910 The more money make more rain. 0:14:28.910,0:14:31.070 Pourin' up a pint while I'm baggin' propane. 0:14:31.070,0:14:33.690 Point blank range give a nigga nose rings. 0:14:33.690,0:14:35.800 Skip to my lou with a pack in the cat. 0:14:35.800,0:14:36.800 Jiffy, Lube where the bricks where they at? 0:14:37.320,0:14:41.480 In hip hop they might call it, bitches, hos,[br]guns, money, sex, murder and all that but 0:14:41.480,0:14:46.770 if you look at the army, navy, airforce, marines,[br]and the US government, that's all it is. 0:14:46.770,0:14:49.820 It's a reflection of the culture[br]that we live in. 0:14:49.820,0:14:55.520 It's the values that we've inherited as part[br]of the conditions of survival in this country, 0:14:55.520,0:15:00.220 to prioritize the things that are going to[br]get us pussy, get us respect and get us paid 0:15:00.220,0:15:04.840 and get another motha fucker to recognize[br]us you know, and that is some bullshit. 0:15:06.240,0:15:13.639 It's been really motivational to me when artists[br]cast aside all of the parameters of respectability 0:15:13.639,0:15:21.130 politics and are willing to speak their truths[br]without coddling the feelings of 0:15:21.130,0:15:24.440 those who are oppressing us. 0:15:24.840,0:15:29.160 That's the job of my music, to challenge everything[br]that has been imposed upon us to say no and 0:15:29.160,0:15:30.460 go drastic with it. 0:15:30.460,0:15:36.000 Again like, I don't follow the format, the[br]status quo of hip hop. 0:15:36.000,0:15:40.880 I'm also still unlearning a lot because it[br]wasn't like I grew up in a Native community, 0:15:40.880,0:15:46.279 I grew up in a city, because of the fact that[br]people that came generations before me were 0:15:46.279,0:15:50.850 removed from their homelands and placed into[br]cities. 0:15:50.850,0:15:55.199 What you won't find me doing in my music,[br]lyrically, you won't find me killing niggas, 0:15:55.199,0:16:01.990 you won't find me on some exploitative, downgrading[br]shit about women, you won't find me talking 0:16:01.990,0:16:05.570 about killing faggots and faggot this and[br]faggot that. 0:16:05.570,0:16:09.280 There's lots of people saying fucked up shit[br]in the world of hip hop, 0:16:09.280,0:16:11.260 to me I can't have that. 0:16:11.270,0:16:16.120 You know I'm not going to throw a show where[br]I book those guys or I can't do collabos with 0:16:16.120,0:16:21.710 them, I can't work with them, I'm not going[br]to taint the work that I'm doing with this 0:16:21.710,0:16:22.710 hate right? 0:16:22.710,0:16:26.459 I try to promote the kind of hip hop that[br]I like to see, I work with people that are 0:16:26.459,0:16:29.130 doing the kind of hip hop that I like to see. 0:16:29.130,0:16:34.200 No matter what the content[br]there's a political context from where it 0:16:34.200,0:16:38.820 comes from[br]Becuase there's a need to reclaim our history 0:16:38.820,0:16:42.160 And even though it may not seem like "real"[br]activism 0:16:42.160,0:16:45.740 There is an intention to survive a reality[br]of violence 0:16:45.740,0:16:51.519 I feel like it's extremely important that[br]you are responsible and disciplined and mature 0:16:51.519,0:16:53.850 enough to not abuse that platform. 0:16:53.850,0:17:00.170 To be predatorial, to escape any accountability[br]for patriarchal tendencies. 0:17:00.170,0:17:05.839 I learned early that I had to be three times[br]better than the guys to even remotely get 0:17:05.839,0:17:11.329 even recognized and it made me already come[br]out swinging and I never stopped swinging 0:17:11.329,0:17:15.809 because I already recognized that I had a[br]disadvantage or I was already seeing patriarchy 0:17:15.809,0:17:18.489 and sexism. 0:17:18.489,0:17:23.509 Whenever I do a show and I'm the only woman[br]on the lineup, we have to call it out, we 0:17:23.509,0:17:28.720 have to address the fact that I'm not the[br]only woman there because I'm the only woman 0:17:28.720,0:17:33.129 with something worth saying with something[br]worth listening to, I'm the only woman there 0:17:33.129,0:17:38.430 because we don't listen enough to the women[br]around us and we don't give up the mic, men 0:17:38.430,0:17:40.620 don't give up the mic enough. 0:17:40.620,0:17:43.052 I put my face in a book ‘cause my people[br]are profiled 0:17:43.052,0:17:45.300 erased from the books and my people are[br]told lies 0:17:45.300,0:17:48.120 Sky’s the limit? Go fly! Cali green? We go high 0:17:48.140,0:17:49.900 I mean back in ‘05, already knew I'd grow wise 0:17:56.440,0:17:57.440 0:17:58.200,0:18:03.380 Queen and Master of the chaos I inhabit[br]Sometimes a tyrant, sometimes outlaw 0:18:03.380,0:18:08.800 The best battle, is with myself[br]I'm self government, my flag is anarchist 0:18:08.800,0:18:12.200 When I wake up, no makeup, half naked, I feel[br]like I’m the shit 0:18:12.200,0:18:14.900 Pardon my language, but hang ups do not define[br]the kid 0:18:14.900,0:18:17.600 No, I’m not flawless, I’m scarred up and[br]I’m fine with it 0:18:17.600,0:18:21.000 My body art a laundry list of all of life’s[br]unkindnesses 0:18:24.929,0:18:28.260 A lot has changed in the 45 years since hip[br]hop’s founding. 0:18:28.269,0:18:32.710 For one thing, many of the iconic inner-city[br]neighbourhoods where hip hop first flourished 0:18:32.710,0:18:36.769 have been redeveloped, their former communities[br]scattered to the winds of gentrification. 0:18:36.769,0:18:41.029 Far from the dilapidated pressure cookers[br]of revolt and subversive urban decay that 0:18:41.029,0:18:45.029 they were in the 70s, these neighbourhoods[br]have become homogeneous sites of high-rise 0:18:45.029,0:18:48.859 condos, hipster indie venues and Starbucks[br]franchises. 0:18:48.859,0:18:52.720 Which is not to say that this process is a[br]done deal... and even less so that the social 0:18:52.720,0:18:55.399 contradictions that birthed hip hop have disappeared. 0:18:55.399,0:18:59.690 The South Bronx is still a largely working-class[br]area plagued by racist police violence, and 0:18:59.690,0:19:03.720 there is tons of vibrant hip hop coming out[br]of America’s traditional urban centers, 0:19:03.720,0:19:05.500 from Baltimore to Oakland. 0:19:05.600,0:19:06.100 Bam! 0:19:06.100,0:19:11.920 The target of poverty by the white devil[br]Because I wasn't testing at my reading level 0:19:11.920,0:19:15.739 I was testing any of these busters[br]Yo, where you from? Pare?! 0:19:15.739,0:19:18.600 Lola’s like, “Bakit ka nag tatambay dun[br]sa calle parate?!” 0:19:18.600,0:19:23.710 But as urban demographics have shifted, so[br]too has hip hop’s centre of gravity. 0:19:23.710,0:19:27.700 In the United States, this shift has been[br]most notable with the rise of Southern Rap, 0:19:27.700,0:19:32.220 beginning in the early 2000’s, and the emergence[br]of Atlanta as a new hip hop epicentre. 0:19:32.220,0:19:36.779 Similarly, as it has spread to countries all[br]around the world, hip hop has been transformed 0:19:36.779,0:19:41.729 and enriched by countless local culture and[br]traditions, each of which has added their 0:19:41.729,0:19:46.929 own mark, while generally honouring the spirit[br]of youthful defiance and resistance to authority 0:19:46.929,0:19:50.300 that’s been so key to hip hop’s global[br]appeal. 0:20:06.369,0:20:11.990 Hip hop culture is an expression of oppressed[br]people's reality. 0:20:11.990,0:20:16.570 Hip hop is so global now that literally every[br]neighbourhood, every community is representing. 0:20:16.570,0:20:20.700 I see people doing hip hop in Palestine. 0:20:26.300,0:20:31.980 Native artists are just really standing up[br]globally and representing and telling a story 0:20:31.980,0:20:36.119 that really needs to be heard and it reminds[br]me of the early days of hip hop. 0:20:36.119,0:20:39.010 It's not like packaged and pretty and fake. 0:20:39.010,0:20:44.669 Just raw truth and raw facts so big ups to[br]all my native comrades out there holdin' it 0:20:44.669,0:20:45.779 down with hip hop. 0:20:45.779,0:20:50.330 We never even knew what it was like to be[br]poor until money was shown to us in the first 0:20:50.330,0:20:53.809 place, we didn't know what poverty was and[br]so we're always trying to catch up to something 0:20:53.809,0:20:59.110 that really we don't belong to, that in fact,[br]our culture is at odds with, our traditions 0:20:59.110,0:21:00.639 are at odds with. 0:21:00.639,0:21:08.349 Let's remember that a lot of art is elitist[br]That it sometimes comes and it's valued in 0:21:08.349,0:21:14.269 certain places[br]But hip-hop allows that from from the streets 0:21:14.269,0:21:18.070 from the ghettoes, from marginality[br]These voices can be created 0:21:18.070,0:21:26.970 I feel like music is, specially important[br]in sharing political ideals with youth, taking 0:21:26.970,0:21:31.080 care of our people, to maintaining our identities. 0:21:31.080,0:21:33.260 So it's absolutely like, foundational. 0:21:34.700,0:21:36.360 What is black? 0:21:36.560,0:21:42.040 Black is a response to white supremacist categorization[br]of human beings. 0:21:42.049,0:21:47.559 Something that doesn't even begin to encompass[br]the vastness of history and cultural reality. 0:21:47.559,0:21:53.869 When I'm in Zimbabwe as an 'ambassador' if[br]you will for hip hop, I encounter people that 0:21:53.869,0:21:58.720 are Shona, people that are into balée, people[br]that are of these different cultural realities 0:21:58.720,0:21:59.960 doing hip hop. 0:21:59.960,0:22:03.180 South Africa is big right now with the resistance[br]music. 0:22:03.360,0:22:07.780 Y'all we've been colonized, it's not a lie,[br]working class let's start to organize. 0:22:07.780,0:22:12.539 I believe the masses will arrive, revolution[br]will rise and decolonize. 0:22:12.539,0:22:15.789 It is time to mobilize... 0:22:15.789,0:22:21.440 For people all over the continent to have[br]taken hip hop, not in an exploitative, oppressive 0:22:21.440,0:22:23.570 way, but in an empowering way. 0:22:23.570,0:22:29.809 Taken Black culture born in the united states,[br]created as a result of the separation from 0:22:29.809,0:22:35.019 the continent of Africa, taking that back,[br]reinterpreting it and it being a bridge for 0:22:35.020,0:22:39.140 Black people all over the fucking planet Earth,[br]that's a powerful thing man! 0:22:41.920,0:22:45.340 Anti-establishment feelings that I have, it[br]could have been harnessed by a million things 0:22:45.340,0:22:49.989 but it was harnessed by good, radical, politics,[br]through music. 0:22:49.989,0:22:55.409 Music has an opportunity to word things that[br]are hard to say, music has a way of cutting 0:22:55.409,0:23:02.979 through to the heart of something it has the[br]power to give voice to a situation or to paint 0:23:02.979,0:23:07.289 a picture about a situation in a way that[br]writing doesn't. 0:23:07.289,0:23:11.700 Every time that you're doing a show you have[br]to carry that message regardless if it's two 0:23:11.700,0:23:15.600 people, or two hundred people or a thousand[br]people in the crowd. 0:23:15.720,0:23:20.299 I think smaller shows become more intimate[br]so you have the ability to be able to interact 0:23:20.299,0:23:25.359 with people there and also to be able to not[br]just do the show and not just be the entertainment 0:23:25.359,0:23:29.769 but also to have the conversation with people[br]and talk more about resistance afterwards. 0:23:29.769,0:23:33.920 I want to connect with people that are doing[br]real work and doing radical work and doing 0:23:33.920,0:23:38.100 revolutionary work and I want to bolster their[br]movements and I want to use music 0:23:38.100,0:23:39.080 to be involved in that. 0:23:39.080,0:23:44.639 That's what I love most you know, when I get[br]to play at an actual site of resistance. 0:23:44.639,0:23:49.499 It's like taking it back to the roots of what[br]the music was created for. 0:23:49.499,0:23:54.529 The free shows we do for the youth, the ghetto[br]youth, are always the most powerful shows 0:23:54.529,0:23:58.789 because they don't have the constraints that[br]the commercial shows do. 0:23:58.789,0:24:04.680 The truth rests upon the lies, our people[br]been traumatized, so donald trump ain't no 0:24:04.860,0:24:07.380 different than barrack obama in our eyes. 0:24:07.380,0:24:13.160 They are part of the system that wishes we[br]was gone and history talks with forked tongues 0:24:13.169,0:24:17.409 so the misery goes on in this illegally occupied[br]territory of death. 0:24:17.409,0:24:24.220 A number of shows that I ended up doing outdoors[br]at standing rock had the same kind of energy. 0:24:24.220,0:24:31.529 It was powerful in what that was coming together[br]and the spirit of resistance and then we've 0:24:31.529,0:24:36.710 had a number of shows with just a bunch of[br]kids on the res, the same kind of energy. 0:24:36.710,0:24:43.300 We the survivors, we the up-risers, yea we[br]them savages banging on the colonizers, yea 0:24:43.300,0:24:49.500 we them savages banging on the colonizers[br]we are finally facing the end of the cycle 0:24:49.500,0:24:51.720 an end of the terror fueled by the bible... 0:24:53.020,0:24:55.500 join the struggle, or live in denial. 0:25:08.440,0:25:13.400 There's a bunch of indigenous communities[br]that are rapping in their language 0:25:13.400,0:25:16.000 There's mural art that's intersecting with[br]graffiti 0:25:16.000,0:25:24.480 and the old scriptures[br]Now we see a meeting between past cultures 0:25:24.480,0:25:28.460 And newer cultures[br]But what hip-hop allows 0:25:28.460,0:25:30.929 It's that you can incorporate into the current[br]reality 0:25:30.929,0:25:32.690 Something that was being lost 0:25:32.690,0:25:38.950 There's a difference when I'm on a reservation[br]or when I'm at like an inner-city program, 0:25:38.950,0:25:45.769 doing a show for kids who might also be undocumented[br]you know, doing a show for young women that 0:25:45.769,0:25:50.830 have never been on stage but would like to[br]be or have poems that they wanna write or 0:25:50.830,0:25:51.830 whatever. 0:25:51.830,0:25:57.320 It's so much more of a reciprocal occasion[br]when it's folks who share identities. 0:25:57.320,0:26:00.880 It's like one of the last things that we have[br]is our ability to speak out. 0:26:00.880,0:26:05.190 Even if we feel powerlessness, hip hop makes[br]us feel powerful. 0:26:05.190,0:26:11.019 Island woman rise, walang, makakatigil[br]Brown, brown woman, rise, alamin ang yung 0:26:11.019,0:26:13.520 ugat[br]They got nothin’ on us 0:26:13.640,0:26:17.020 Nothin’ on us[br]Nothin’ on us 0:26:17.020,0:26:18.800 Nothin’ on us 0:26:24.300,0:26:28.960 Within revolutionary circles, often times[br]we can get bogged down in abstract theoretical 0:26:28.960,0:26:32.820 debates, and lost in what can seem like an[br]endless cycle of protests, 0:26:32.820,0:26:34.619 actions and organizing campaigns. 0:26:34.620,0:26:38.920 And while these engagements are essential[br]and should not be dismissed, it’s also important 0:26:39.000,0:26:43.420 to keep in mind the vital role that culture[br]plays in building effective movements of resistance. 0:26:43.420,0:26:48.940 At the end of the day, capitalism and the[br]state are not just material forces, but ideological 0:26:48.950,0:26:49.950 systems as well. 0:26:49.950,0:26:54.299 This is something our enemies are well aware[br]of, which is why they devote so much time, 0:26:54.299,0:26:58.609 energy and resources towards creating propaganda[br]– much of it masquerading as entertainment. 0:26:58.609,0:27:03.029 From the countless high budget TV shows and[br]Hollywood movies glorifying police and the 0:27:03.029,0:27:08.349 military, to music promoting frivolous consumerism,[br]a look at the dominant forms of cultural production 0:27:08.349,0:27:12.300 can tell you a lot about the values being[br]promoted by the powers-that-be. 0:27:12.300,0:27:16.980 But thankfully, we have the ability to fight[br]back, by producing and promoting subversive 0:27:16.990,0:27:21.769 countercultures that promote our own values[br]of solidarity, mutual aid, direct action, 0:27:21.769,0:27:25.239 and antagonism to capitalism and the forces[br]of the state. 0:27:25.240,0:27:28.240 Let’s not squander the opportunity. 0:27:28.240,0:27:32.859 Here we go yo, here we go yo, so what's the,[br]what's the, what's the scenario? 0:27:33.180,0:27:38.660 Here we go yo, here we go yo, so what's the,[br]what's the, what's the scenario? 0:27:38.669,0:27:43.919 Just don't sell the fuck out man, it's simple,[br]just stay true to what the fuck you represent 0:27:43.919,0:27:45.129 and don't change up 0:27:45.129,0:27:49.509 Haters are always going to exist[br]But the need to do it 0:27:49.509,0:27:53.520 It's what's going to motivate us 0:27:53.520,0:28:01.040 Be ready to do it against all odds, be ready[br]to do it by yourself, but also be very intentional 0:28:01.040,0:28:03.840 about building community with others. 0:28:04.520,0:28:09.379 Don't be afraid to link a network with people[br]that aren't in your neighbourhood, you gotta 0:28:09.379,0:28:14.249 connect and you can't just preach to yourself,[br]you can't just talk to yourself you have to 0:28:14.249,0:28:15.249 connect with people. 0:28:15.249,0:28:19.700 If you want to make it, yeah you can[br]upload something to soundcloud, but to get 0:28:19.700,0:28:23.779 the full experience of the art and for people[br]to hear you, to get exposure, you're gonna 0:28:23.779,0:28:26.330 have to go out there and perform, and you're[br]gonna have to go out there and link up with 0:28:26.330,0:28:27.330 other people. 0:28:27.330,0:28:32.540 Backpack smacker, testament dropper, Amaru[br]respecter, been to the hotter, kin to Assata, 0:28:32.540,0:28:35.880 studied it all, past to the present, resurrected 0:28:35.880,0:28:40.220 You have a duty if you're making radical music,[br]you need to help build the foundation in your 0:28:40.229,0:28:41.820 community for radical music to come in. 0:28:41.820,0:28:46.179 So you have to help book the shows, you have[br]to help find the spaces, you have to get the 0:28:46.179,0:28:47.739 sound systems, you have to help facilitate[br]that. 0:28:47.740,0:28:52.320 You're not just making music and radical music,[br]you need to help with fostering 0:28:52.320,0:28:54.720 radical music community. 0:28:54.730,0:29:00.109 The term is 'many hands make light work',[br]we can get more done together than we can 0:29:00.109,0:29:01.960 by ourselves in certain formats. 0:29:01.960,0:29:07.149 And then sometimes, less is more, sometimes[br]you have to cut dead weight and you have to 0:29:07.149,0:29:12.450 step away from people who don't have the same[br]priorities as you and you have to be okay 0:29:12.450,0:29:13.600 with doing that. 0:29:13.600,0:29:16.039 You also have to be very observant of your[br]reality 0:29:16.039,0:29:20.960 Stop and look at what's going on[br]Listen and open your ears to hear 0:29:20.960,0:29:24.739 what's going on around you[br]Becuase using words comes with responsibility 0:29:24.739,0:29:29.019 And if you are going to use them you have[br]to be honest 0:29:29.019,0:29:32.869 as to who you are and where you are coming[br]from 0:29:32.869,0:29:37.640 And it adds value to your community 0:29:38.580,0:29:42.899 nobody's gonna do this for you you know, look[br]at the D.I.Y ethic of punk music, it needs 0:29:42.899,0:29:48.389 to be applied to hip hop more, and we need[br]to do for ourselves, and we need to build 0:29:48.389,0:29:53.549 up our own spaces, our own community, our[br]own networks and we need to share that amongst 0:29:53.549,0:29:58.240 each other and everybody can rise together. 0:29:58.640,0:30:03.780 The goal of my making music isn't to explain[br]myself to someone who 0:30:03.780,0:30:05.780 doesn't understand my background. 0:30:05.789,0:30:11.759 The goal is to connect with the folks who[br]share that same path and who find strength 0:30:11.760,0:30:19.470 and healing in hearing their story being told,[br]who may otherwise feel very much alone. 0:30:20.940,0:30:25.680 It's cold because I can probably only speak[br]to indigenous MCs based on an indigenous message 0:30:25.690,0:30:30.639 because for me I understand that talking about[br]resistance, talking about decolonization, 0:30:30.639,0:30:37.419 talking about revolution, whatever it may[br]be, the average person does not like to hear 0:30:37.419,0:30:42.730 the indigenous perspective, the true indigenous[br]perspective of resistance because it challenges 0:30:42.730,0:30:44.300 even their existence. 0:30:45.560,0:30:49.620 Don't be afraid, don't cut yourself off, and[br]don't listen to people who say 0:30:49.620,0:30:53.389 “this hasn't been done so you can't do it” or [br]“it's weird and it's different”. 0:30:53.389,0:30:57.880 Some of our best artists were doing something[br]that nobody else was doing before and it's 0:30:57.880,0:31:02.570 okay, it's alright to not rap in the same[br]cadence that everyone else is rhyming in, 0:31:02.570,0:31:08.159 it's okay to mix your music with other genres,[br]it's okay to be different and to not sound 0:31:08.159,0:31:09.479 like everyone else. 0:31:09.479,0:31:13.320 Sometimes people aren't going to want to fuck[br]with you you know, but stick with it because 0:31:13.320,0:31:18.669 eventually what happens is, after years and[br]years, you get better about what you're doing, 0:31:18.669,0:31:25.489 you get clearer about what you're doing, you[br]learn from your mistakes, and when that is 0:31:25.489,0:31:34.740 combined with a sustained sense of joy in[br]relation to why and how you work, you're unstoppable. 0:31:35.289,0:31:41.600 If you're going to try and build a radical[br]current towards indigenous resistance, you 0:31:41.609,0:31:46.549 can't waiver, you can't switch up based on[br]the fact that you're not getting support. 0:31:46.549,0:31:48.830 You're not going to get support. 0:31:48.830,0:31:54.909 There's going to be so much stacked up against[br]you, you have to be uncompromising because 0:31:54.909,0:32:00.059 everything that you represent is problematic[br]to the average person, even those people that 0:32:00.060,0:32:04.089 suggest they support indigenous resistance. 0:32:04.780,0:32:07.300 Stop inviting women to just the [br]'all-women events'. 0:32:07.309,0:32:11.759 Don't be embarrased when we grab the microphone[br]and rock it in your circle full of guys. 0:32:11.759,0:32:15.289 When people start to look at diversity in[br]that way of inviting people to the table so 0:32:15.289,0:32:20.400 that we all can break bread and do this thing[br]that we call our culture, it'll change. 0:32:20.400,0:32:25.440 And if they don't open the door, break the[br]fucking door down, kick it open, fuck asking. 0:32:26.080,0:32:29.400 These record labels slang our tapes like dope[br]You can be next in line and signed and still 0:32:29.400,0:32:32.320 be writing rhymes and broke[br]You would rather have a Lexus or justice, 0:32:32.400,0:32:34.220 a dream or some substance? 0:32:34.220,0:32:36.160 A Beamer, a necklace, or freedom? 0:32:36.280,0:32:37.740 Still a nigga like me don't playa-hate, 0:32:37.740,0:32:41.080 I just stay awake,[br]this real hip-hop and it don't stop 0:32:41.080,0:32:43.740 'Til we get the po-po off the block, they[br]call it 0:32:43.740,0:32:54.299 hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip[br]It's bigger than hip hop, hip hop, hip hop 0:32:54.299,0:32:59.070 As we continue to resist the resurgence of[br]far-right reaction, further entrenched inequality, 0:32:59.070,0:33:03.499 gentrification and an increasingly repressive[br]state apparatus, it is very important that 0:33:03.499,0:33:08.549 anarchists build and strengthen connections[br]with those outside our immediate circles. 0:33:08.549,0:33:12.169 Part of this requires that we actively spread[br]our politics through popular subcultures like 0:33:12.169,0:33:15.960 hip hop, that resonate with millions of people[br]who share our hatred of police and capitalist 0:33:15.960,0:33:19.980 society, but won’t necessarily be inclined[br]to come out to all our meetings, rallies or 0:33:19.980,0:33:21.330 reading circles. 0:33:21.330,0:33:25.259 And the other part involves listening and[br]learning from established histories of resistance 0:33:25.259,0:33:29.759 and struggle, in order to better understand[br]and identify points of affinity and possible 0:33:29.759,0:33:30.759 collaboration. 0:33:30.760,0:33:34.580 Thankfully, there are lots of amazing individuals[br]already doing this important work... 0:33:34.580,0:33:36.200 but we need more of them. 0:33:36.200,0:33:39.499 So at this point, we’d like to remind you[br]that Trouble is intended to be watched in 0:33:39.500,0:33:43.440 groups, and to be used as a resource to promote[br]discussion and collective organizing. 0:33:43.440,0:33:47.700 Are you a hip hop head interested in helping[br]to contribute to your local radical scene? 0:33:47.700,0:33:51.119 or looking to build one in a town where it[br]doesn’t exist? 0:33:51.119,0:33:55.019 Consider getting together with some comrades,[br]organizing a screening of this film, and discussing 0:33:55.019,0:33:57.080 where to get started. 0:33:57.080,0:34:00.249 Interested in running regular screenings of[br]Trouble at your campus, infoshop, community 0:34:00.249,0:34:01.759 center, or even just at home with friends? 0:34:01.760,0:34:03.780 Become a Trouble-Maker! 0:34:03.780,0:34:08.099 For 10 bucks a month, we’ll hook you up[br]with an advanced copy of the show, and a screening 0:34:08.100,0:34:11.199 kit featuring additional resources and some[br]questions you can use to 0:34:11.199,0:34:12.940 get a discussion going. 0:34:12.940,0:34:14.960 If you can’t afford to support us financially,[br]no worries! 0:34:14.960,0:34:18.739 You can stream and/or download all our content[br]for free off our website: 0:34:18.739,0:34:21.100 sub.media/trouble 0:34:21.100,0:34:25.320 If you’ve got any suggestions for show topics,[br]or just want to get in touch, drop us a line 0:34:25.329,0:34:27.710 at trouble@sub.media. 0:34:27.710,0:34:30.619 If you want to hear some tracks from the artists[br]featured on this episode, check out the latest 0:34:30.619,0:34:36.059 Burning Cop Car, our radical hip hop podcast,[br]at sub.Media/bcc. 0:34:36.059,0:34:38.089 Just a heads up that since subMedia is a fully 0:34:38.089,0:34:41.630 crowd-funded project, we’ll be starting[br]our annual fundraiser drive soon, to make 0:34:41.630,0:34:44.339 sure we can keep cranking out videos year[br]round. 0:34:44.339,0:34:49.159 This episode would not have been possible[br]without the generous support of Todd, Marius 0:34:49.159,0:34:50.159 and AvispaMidia. 0:34:50.159,0:34:53.029 Stay tuned next month for Trouble # 16, as[br]we take a closer look at the trial of the 0:34:53.029,0:34:57.920 so-called J20 defendants, who were mass arrested[br]in the streets of DC, at the historic protests 0:34:57.920,0:35:02.720 against the presidential inauguration of US[br]War Criminal in Chief, Donald J Trump. 0:35:02.720,0:35:07.660 No one wanted to just show up and just show[br]out, like there was a definite message about 0:35:07.660,0:35:10.180 disrupting the inauguration. 0:35:10.180,0:35:13.400 Now get out there…. and make some trouble!