R.I.P Donda West

As you may have heard in the news, Kanye's West's mother, Donda West, passed away over the weekend at the age of 58. The cause of her death is not yet known, as it will take several weeks for an official report to be released. However, many people speculate that it was due to surgery complications. This is truly a sad turn of events, and I would like to give my condolences to Kanye West and his family. Kanye's fans already have shown an immense amount of support for him during this tragedy. If you check out Kanye's Blog, for example, many people have posted comments regarding the situation, and given their condolences to the West family. At times there seems to be a wall between celebrity and fan, but it's always touching to see this kind of emotional support from fans when incidents like this occur.

Listen to songs like "Hey Mama," and "Touch the Sky." There are references to Donda. She even his full-time manager and released a book about Kanye titled, Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip Hop Star. Kanye was undoubtedly inspired by her. Although this sad event has occured, the mother-son relationship between Kanye and his mother reminds me of something positive and even touching: that family, and particularly the appreciation of mothers has very often been a recurrent theme in Hip-Hop music.

On Kanye's own "Hey Mama," he claims, "As we knelt on the kitchen floor/I said mommy imma love you till you don't hurt no more/And when I'm older you ain't gotta work no more/And imma get you that mansion that we couldn't afford." The sincerity of this is moving, in its own way. Other Hip-Hop songs have paid tribute to mothers. 2pac's 1995 single, "Dear Mama" has become a sort of anthem for showing gratitude towards mothers.

However, the intertwining of family into Hip-Hop is not also seen between mothers and MCs. Nas and his father, Olu Dara, for example, show a very strong relationship in their musical collaboration. His father, a jazz musician, sings and plays the trumpet on two tracks of his seventh studio album, Street's Disciple. He even appears in the music video for the song, "Bridging the Gap," in which Nas proudly claims, "Pops gave me the right tools to think with."

The culture of Hip-Hop itself, being very community-driven, is impacted by what may be a smaller community: the family unit. Whether paying homage to mothers, or fathers, many MCs have definitely shown their respect for those that raised them right. So take an example from some of these people, and show some love/respect for the parental units. For most of us, they do a lot.

A Different Kind of Credibility

This may go without saying, but I love indie Hip-Hop, partly because of its departure from some of the most mediocre norms of mainstream rap. However, that doesn’t prevent me from being both fascinated and perplexed by its appeal. From repetitive beats, misogynistic lyrics, vulgar sexual references, and questionable dances, mainstream rap baffles me. I often question how it can retain such a wide audience. But in midst of all these common features of mainstream rap, there has been one constant trait that has considerably advanced its mass-market appeal: Street credibility.

At some point in your life, you may have thrown that term around. “Street Cred.” But really, what is it? One person on Urban Dictionary describes street cred as your "coolness" factor.” Another definition on the website deems it as “respect from urban communities” The American Heritage Dictionary via Dictionary.com defines it as “Acceptability or popularity, especially among young people in urban areas.” Within the Wikipedia page for “Credibility," street cred is defined in more academic terms as “a contemporary neologism referring to credibility or acceptability among young or fashionable inner-city residents, particularly those who support the hip-hop industry." Each of these definitions have one thing in common: the idea of acceptability and respect in urban communities. Unfortunately, this respect is often (but not always) achieved by means of crime, and other acts deemed subversive to society. At times, street cred seems to be one of the central tenets of Hip-Hop culture (moreso in the mainstream sphere of things). But should it be? Should we continue glorifying acts of crime and debauchery?

The simple answer to this question is “No.” Well, at least in my opinion it is. You’re probably thinking I’m a hypocrite, being the DJ of a Hip-Hop oriented show, but the music I like does not usually describe gratuitous scenes of violence or debauchery. An artist can maintain his or her street cred without taking that route. However, some choose to take this route anyhow.

In the 2004 hit, “Soldier,” R&B power group Destiny’s Child claims, “If that status ain’t hood/I ain’t checkin’ for him/Better be street if he lookin’ at me.” Not that I’m dissin’ the song; at one point during my earlier teenage years, I myself had a slight aversion to suburban guys. But whether these lyrics are to be taken seriously or not, they inadvertently reflect the notion of street cred as a key attribute of Hip-Hop culture.

Sure, there are some incredible “rags-to-riches” stories of MCs who rightfully paved their own road to fame by means of hard work, perseverance, and pure talent. I respect these artists and am amazed and inspired by their abilities to combat life’s struggles. It is the kind of credibility that results from successfully overcoming life’s obstacles, and ultimately, achieving one’s dreams. In this respect, street cred is not something to be ignored, but rather, something to be esteemed. In this sense, it is true credibility, and more importantly, something that cannot be pre-packaged and sold.

But there are also those who tend to commodify the idea of street cred, twisting it into a generic attribute common in mainstream music and culture. Many forms of media contribute to this: music, TV, you name it. The concept of street cred has even been translated into fashion by many designers.

However, there is also that bundle of artists who grew up in more auspicious environments, who are equally as talented, and are just as worthy of recognition. Take the whole Kanye West/50 Cent record selling rivalry, for example. Are we supposed to like one record more than the other based on the street cred they’ve gained, and the reputations they’ve earned in inner cities? Should the preppier artist deserve less merit than the artist growing up in tough urban environments? Most likely, not. The numbers say so too. An article on Mtv.com states, “Nationally, the city slicker 50 Cent even had to take a bow to the preppy West in the 'hoods.” In addition to this, it goes on to describe that, “[…]in the 'burbs, West took care of business as a whopping 578,000 fans scooped copies of his album. Fif, a favorite among the suburbanites, was the recipient of a strong presence there, but his 471,000 units in the land of soccer moms didn't quite match up with West's numbers.” As stated in the article, Kanye, the Louis Vuitton don himself, was able to sway both the suburbs and the hood with his preppy swagger.

So if your “status ain’t hood,” don’t fret; you’re not alone in this world. In music, ultimately, it all comes down to talent...or at least I hope it does.