Hip Hop, Enough, The Minstrel Show, Beyond the Beats

At this time in the course the class has been examining Hip Hop it's beginnings and it's current effect on the Black community here and throughout the world. We are working with a couple of different books as reference: ENOUGH written by Juan Williams and Dr. Raphael Heaggans' book 'The 21st Century Hip Hop Minstrel Show'.
Both books examine Hip Hop's history and influnce within the Black community. The class examines how Rap started out as a true reflection of the community incorporating elements of the civil rights movement with instrumental beats as a background.

According to Dr Heaggans, These five elements were the cornerstone of early Rap:
1) DJ'ing
2) Graffiti
3) B-boying and B-girling
4) MC'ing
5) Knowledge, culture and overstanding

We have to ask ourselves if these five elements the same today? Has Rap changed? We are now coming to the understanding that it certainly has changed. It has changed into Hip Hop. Just as Black culture has been co-opted by large corporations, Black music has been as well. The question is almost 'chicken-egg'. Which was the first to be commercialized? As seen in the video documentary studied in class, 'Hip Hop, Beyond the Beats and Rhymes', it would seem that the music has influenced the community . In this video we come to understand that violence, misogyny, homophobia, and commercialization are defining the new Hip Hop and that Gansta Rap has become the predominant form excluding all other forms of Rap. This creates an ever narrowing definition of the musical form and a degrading and self-defeating environment for young Black males and females.

Is Racism Dead in the age of Obama?

What The ????

Check this out. This is from 2010, not 1942.
For the whole story check out the Link below. . .
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario/ontario-legion-branch-shut-down-after-kkk-halloween-costume-debacle/article1784812/

Michael Eric Dyson's response to 'Attack' on young Black People

Hey,
Check out Michael Eric Dyson's response to Cosby. We have to understand that
everyone has
a point of view. This is a well respected and educated Black professor who is
speaking out
against what Cosby is saying. He makes a great deal of sense. I feel that
somewhere in
between lies the answer.

Both men speak with passion and conviction.

The main thing is that both men are speaking out!

click the link below:
http://www.michaelericdyson.com/cosby/points.html

Cosby's Concept of cool as detailed from his book Come on People

In class we looked at Bill Cosby's 'Concept of Cool' and how it developed from a
defense mechanism for Black men attempting to shield themselves against racism and discrimination
but soon morphed into a desensitized detachment from needed and necessary emotions like
caring, love and paternal compassion. It was channelled into a rage that permeates the Black
male community and retards the emotional growth of our young men.

Is Cosby right?

Life and Debt, Studying the results of IMF financial interventions

As we study reasons why many leave their point of origin to live here in Canada we look at the 'Push and Pull' factors we focused first on the former; What pushes people to move from where they were living?
In our quest for understanding we used Jamaica as a starting point.

We watched the documentary Life and Debt. According to their web site the movie is described as follows:
    Life and Debt is a feature-length documentary which addresses the impact of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and current globalization policies on a developing country such as Jamaica. More on Life and Debt...


This documentary sheds light on the 'Push' factors shared by many developing countries in a similar state as Jamaica. 


It also helps answer the question asked in class: Why are you here?