In stereotypical rap the listener experiences a life of expensive cars, chrome rims, gaudy jewels, drug dealing and gang activity. Alcoholic beverages and money are in endless supply and the party is non-stop.
What most people aren’t aware of is the story of how rap music spawned from the culture of hip-hop.
Hip-hop was born from the streets of New York in the early ’80s. Here you could find break dancers on the street corners along with rappers, graffiti artists and crowds of people cheering them on. Hip-hop never promoted the ideas of gang violence and disrespect to women. It was about the uplifting of society and delivering a positive message.
It wasn’t until the early ’90s when gangster rap was introduced and hip-hop took a back seat to mainstream rap.
But many underground rappers, such as Cash Villin, who has been rhyming locally for seven years, devote their lyrics to more positive messages.
’Through my music, I feel I can help an individual free their mind from the stress of everyday society,’ Villin says.
Still, when someone mentions the word rapper, one often thinks of drug dealing, gang banging, prostitution and vulgar language.
Whether rappers want to be or not, they are role models for kids. Nashville-based rapper C.I. has three kids of his own, which he keeps in mind while creating music.
’I just want the community to know there are some of us of here who deliver a positive message . . . without the use of vulgar language and gang mentality,’ C.I. said.
In Nashville and beyond, many hip-hop shows benefit causes like helping Katrina victims, funding new Boys and Girls Clubs, donating Christmas presents to underprivileged kids, raising awareness of disease and helping fight AIDS in Africa.
Many artists work together to promote each other’s art. Events such as Thursday nights at Liquid Smoke in Murfreesboro and Saturday nights at Caf’ Coco in Nashville offer a great atmosphere for people to come out and enjoy hip-hop without the hassle of drug dealing lyrics and threats of violence.
’I try to help people,’ says 24-7, the originator of both hip-hop nights. ’Most people may just look at these nights as a good time, which is good, but it is a big help to the MCs that had nowhere to go before and now they have an outlet. I wanted to be able to show people that had never seen anything like that before to know all hip-hop or rap isn’t about sex, drugs and violence.’
Artists such as 24-7, Enquiring Minds, Kyhil, Chance, Spoken Nerd, Wick It the Instigator, C.I., Cash Villin, B-syde, Conscious Flowz (a non-profit organization), Fluent Dialects, Latino Saint and others have represented the underground scene in Middle Tennessee for years. These artists choose to remain true to the art form and to themselves when it comes to creating respectable music.
So, next time someone mentions the word rapper, think of how many try to preserve a culture and art form they love. The true hip-hop heads are not part of the MTV generation, they are part of an underground society that stands for the well being of others, as opposed to contributing to the downfall of the culture.
