Durga Kurupath Week #12: STRAIGHT OUTTA (Brooklyn?)
"You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge." --N.W.A.
I was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as much as people like to romanticize the city, I can personally vouch for it being one of the most terrifying places to live in. My parents had me and my sister when they were doing residency at Fort Greene, one of the most dangerous criminal spots in New York. The hood was more than just basic violence and marijuana here and there. People were shooting each other on the streets and dragging bodies, while countless of people were raped and robbed. My mother would even tell us that she would have tea with our next door neighbor who would refuse to tell us what he did to land in prison for over 15 years. Now, if you do a quick Google search, all you see are pristine gated neighborhoods with dog parks, luscious plants, and happy kids running around. To me and my family's surprise, Fort Greene became extremely gentrified to the point where it was hardly recognizable.
But what was lost on the streets of Brooklyn along with all the hardships was the essence of brotherhood and real hip-hop. In the midst of all the chaos, poverty, and crime, emerged those who wanted to express themselves and find solace in speaking the truth of what society has come to. Through street rap, stories of social injustices and racial scapegoating were strewn together as a form of poetry. It was the city's personal way of coping with the lack of government support and the people around who failed them. The power of street rap and hip-hop united many communities and inspired others to speak upon their experiences. In one Genius interview with Dr. Dre, he details how much he hates that people label street rap as simply "gangsta rap": "We never called our music that. It just got labelled as that. The whole world was against us...It was just us reporting what was going on on the streets : the good, the bad, the teaches of the elders..."
Many people associate rap with what it may seem on the surface: drugs, sex, and violence. However, it meant more to the people who created it with the attempt to rise up against adversity and use it as a tool to combat oppression. All the built-up frustration from the environment they were exposed to at a young age, but also the voice of hope for the future and the capacity to change. Even though I myself can't speak on the struggles of certain minorities (because of course an Indian from California definitely is the most credible source to speak on a whole other racial group), I can say that from what I've seen, rap has never been more empowering to those who own it with confidence and speak their mind regardless of others who try to silence them.
Hi Durga! Your blog was such an interesting read, and I loved how you used a very strong voice to discuss an extremely complex topic with both personal anecdotes and historical facts. I was honestly shocked by your descriptions of your family’s life in Brooklyn before gentrification, and I do think it’s true that the city is now very romanticized, so outsiders don’t get a very thorough perspective on what life in Brooklyn is actually like. Your transition from your personal experiences living in the city to the rap that has emerged from it was very smooth, and I thought that you brought a very honest viewpoint on a side of street rap that is not often talked about. The quote from Dr. Dre was a perfect example because it really strengthened your point that street rap was never meant to be sensationalized, and it still is a way of fighting against oppression through art. Your self-awareness towards the end of your blog was also immensely refreshing, and acknowledging that you’re speaking from an outside perspective added a lot of honesty to your argument. Your writing was incredibly passionate and well-structured, and I can’t wait to see what you write next!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I forgot that you were born in Brooklyn, New York. I often romanticize life in New York, and every episode I romanticize the state I forget about how dangerous it can be. I was horrified by the violence that you depicted at the beginning of your blog post, and it really opened my eyes on the reality of the neighborhood you once lived in. I’m glad that the neighborhood you once lived in improved compared to the last time you visited, and it is interesting to see how hip hop stemmed from the chaotic environment of Brooklyn. I also appreciate how rappers and hip-hop artists utilized their experiences living in these neighborhoods as means of expressing themselves and speaking up through music. While rap in itself stemmed from controversial experiences of drugs, sex, and violence, it should not define the artists under that genre of music and how they should express themselves as people who fell victim to these experiences. Thank you for sharing how empowering rap is for those in the face of adversity, Durga!
ReplyDeleteHi Durga!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog and I thought it was incredibly unique and your insertion of personal anecdotes and the general focus on your own experiences, or at least in the first paragraph, made it more entertaining and easy to follow. I also noticed how the idea of your article shifted from the exposition of your history in Brooklyn to the idea of gentrification and the loss of deeply-rooted culture in that area. Also, your wording to describe the mentioned "essence of brotherhood" and "real hip-hop" was interesting and very detailed. I also enjoyed reading your analysis of rap and description of how it is not necessarily what it seems on the surface. Overall, I truly enjoyed reading your blog and look forward to reading what you write next week!