Hip-Hop, Mass Media and 21st Century Colonization

By Jared A. Ball, Ph.D, Communications Fellow
I understand most of the author's arguments in this article. The author is trying to say how hip-hop is tied to the mass media and uses colonizations of the 21st century to keep the cycle going. For example, politics play a big role in all of this. For instance at the end of the article Jared states that " In future columns I will detail the historical shift in hip-hop, the corporate/industrial mechanism, detailing how the final product is shaped to these political needs and offer detailed strategies and current movements/ artists whos work is in assertive resistance to this neocolonial condition." I understand Jared's approach in trying to eventaully prove how hip hop is geared simply towards using mass media and depicting the certain way a culture should appear to be and in turn making a profit. In doing so we are subconcioulsy growing bias on certain colonies and how we think they should act. Also, it gives the people a false impression of how "Black Americans" make it big in this world. I get the underlying sense and I feeling from this article that says in my mind "just release a hip-hop album and you will be at the top, this is how you can succeed in this political, corporate industrical society. The government is making money off of taxes and the hip hop artists who may not have had a chance at anything out of the "ordinary" got a chance at their white picket fence, despite the passion they may or may not have for hip hop. For example he states "It is not the PEOPLE that these conditions are natural but, instead, to the CONDITION, of being colonized. Popular media and, therefore, hip-hop cannot be changedprior to a societal shift (revolution)in who holds power and how that power is being wielded." The hip-hop industry is not realistically made based on society and culture but instead upon marketing and the corporate worlds. Otherwise known as "MASS MEDIA."

This article was very straightforward and as I finished it I began to put the pieces together to give myself a complete understanding. As I began to read it the very first line confused me. However, as soon as I began to read the rest of the article it all made sense. I then went back to reading it and I actually really liked how he decided to begin with the quote "given the societal need and function of mass media and popular culture, all that is popular is fraudulent" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fraudulent.He couldn't have said it any better.

Look at how hip-hop is defined on this particualr websit and tell me how you feel about the way they define it.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:hip+hop&ei=DtmKS5agGorYtgPb9OyEAw&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAYQkAE