Published: Monday - July 23, 2007
Words by Tika Milan
I attended a global hip-hop photo exhibit, by a 60-year-old white man name David Harvey, funded by National Geographic and Russell Simmons. The exhibit was at Powerhouse Arena in Dumbo. Dumbo is an expensive artist enclave below the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges in BK. There are numerous gallery and installations spaces, cobblestone streets and gourmet grocery stores.
Column by Tika Milan (photo'ed above)
It's a gorgeous neighborhood. The photos span the better part of 20 years. Candid photos of b-boys and hood stars from the early 80s and recent glossy snapshots of Kanye and Ice Cube. There were some photos of cats freestyling, caught in mid-rhyme with their faces grimaced. Some were just shots of folks in any hood: New Eras and doo-rags, eyes glossy and mean muggin'. There were definitely over 200 people in attendance, and it was an eclectic mix of folks. Photogs and artists were gleaming and marveling at the photos like we were at the friggin' MOMA. A few 80s babies rocking gazelles and dunks and medium sized sweat shirts; the dejected hip-hop heads that don't fit the mold of what it means to be hip-hop, according to the top 10 videos or the heavily rotated, payola artists. There were an overwhelming number of hipsters as well, break dancing and freestyling. This eclectic mix of kids was definitely on the fringe. The obscure sector of hip-hop that is nostalgic for its golden era, but are still the present trend setters and fashionistas. It was all very interesting.
In this space, hip-hop is still an art form worthy of being documented and exhibited. There was no astronomical cover charge or bottle service or any of that silliness, just the culture being documented for the sake of its merit. Photos from Katrina torn New Orleans to Brooklyn to Kenya. Hip-hop is a global phenomenon that is commendable, and worth the awe and spectacle that this exhibit created. While I was there, I met plenty of artists and do-gooders that are a part of grassroots, underground hip-hop movements and are earnestly dedicated to the art and live for the culture even if they don't live in it.
However, the whole time I was still looking for what I thought authentic hip-hop looked like: Black. Weren't a whole lot of us there. Hood. Nah, white girls in sundresses. There was no hood signifiers or rap authenticators. But then KRS-One's "Step Into the Realm" dropped. A circle formed and from the distance I saw the b-boys in the middle. A-ha! My rap authenticators. I get to the front of the circle and it's these two hipster kids with pink Gazelles, gold ropes and super tights pants. They were breaking and doing the robot and making silly faces. It was almost a mockery, but they were serious and so was the crowd, taking pictures and cheering. I didn't know whether to be offended or entertained. So I chalked it up to one's own artistic interpretations and left it alone. I tried not to get too militant and just took it all in. Also, being that hip-hop is such a phenomenon those limited signifiers or expectations should be broadened a bit. But I never thought I'd see snooty artist types diggin' on hip-hop. On the other hand, the artistic reliability of hip-hop being compromised is something that I've never grown to expect either. But, it's happening.
With album sales on the decline, considerably in hip-hop, the strategy is to find alternative artist marketing instead of marketing that supplements the music. "The move by Warner [Bros. Records] to take a more active interest in artists' marketing potential is a sign of a shift in attitude by music companies to find other ways to make money as CD sales continue to decline and digital music sales fail to make up for the shortfall." (Hip-hop Hawkers, New York Daily News. 6/14/07 ). The move the article is referring to is the formation of Brand Asset Group, headed by Chris Lighty, which will boost the artist's brand through advertising and endorsments rather than, say, video and radio. When I think of brand, I think Kellogg, Mr. Clean, or Colgate. Not very artistic to say the least, but as the old adage says, "Don't nothing move, but the money." And why should the labels have a huge amount of money allocated to video production and radio spins when mixtapes are way better than your local radio station and Youtube is much more entertaining than big budget BET top 10's anyway. Just get your man from around the way with a video camera to record the artist and his cronies, posturing and talking shit and freestylin'. Throw some music in the background and it becomes a crude music video sure for Smack DVD's and public access TV. Street cred is in the bag. Then slap that video on your MySpace page and YouTube, get high exposure for cheap, a la Cam'ron and Curtis. Then after a buzz is built, grassroots style, throw some money behind it for a little extra push. Yeah I get it. It's just very disheartening to know that the music itself can't keep the business afloat and music-based products are being peddled instead.
I said all that to say this: Hip-hop is a unique force in the world. I don't think there has been a single solitary movement that has had such an impact on popular culture since the British Invasion of the 60's. The British Invasion, with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, coupled with the political landscape at the time, gave birth to the Hippies, and that didn't have the staying power or create a global shift like hip-hop. Hip-hop reinvents itself and changes with the seasons, but now that it's an industry that influences the planet and creates billionaires, I wonder how the business molds the music and the culture. There is a monumental bend in the hip-hop way of life. There's the money making effortless gimmicks and corporately sponsored aspects. At the same time, and alive with just as much intensity, are the pockets of the population that still value the music as art and respect the culture. It's a like night and day. It's a dichotomy of extremities that needs a solid middle ground. I'm just trying to find it.
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