Before an audience of about a thousand predominantly young African-Americans Saturday afternoon, hip-hop royalty including Ludacris, Kanye West, Common, and Twista sat down to emphasize the importance of voting.
Russell Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit Action Network descended on the UIC Pavilion Saturday, during which several panelists, artists and organizations spent much of the time discussing issues surrounding the world of hip-hop.
Whom does “hip-hop community” refer to? How can hip-hop give back to the black community from which it came? Should commercial artists be held accountable for the images they portray in their lyrics and videos?
“I think a lot of us in the hip-hop community have noticed that a lot of those images [of gangstaism] have tarnished the credibility and value of hip-hop,” said Loon, a rapper from P. Diddy’s Bad Boy Records. “But at the end of the day, how we conduct ourselves outside [of our lyrics and videos] is what should really be critiqued.”
Hip-hop mogul Simmons agreed: “There are a lot of rappers doing a lot more positive things for their community than there ever have been rock ‘n’ roll stars [doing the same].”
Has hip-hop helped or hindered the civil rights movement? Again, Loon was indignant in his defense of the industry’s contributions: “The rap industry, alone, has created more jobs for black people than this government ever has. And if that’s not a contribution to the civil rights movement, I don’t know what is.”
Offstage, numerous organizations conducted their own question-and-answer sessions. The Urban Art in Action Movement (UAAM), a progressive coalition of break dancers, artists, musicians and graffiti artists, wants to unite Chicago’s independent scene in much the way Simmons has united the commercial scene.
The free Chicago Summit, titled “Taking Back Responsibility: Celebrating Hip-Hop and Empowering Youth,” was HSAN’s 19th stop across the country and the first in the Midwest.
“In Chicago, we’re trying to educate people in that we all need to work together to keep this culture alive,” said Charles Lim, 23, a local break dancer.
The November elections didn’t get a lot of attention during the summit. Democratic Senate candidate Barack Obama was in attendance but did not speak to the audience. And when rap artist Common was asked by an audience member what those in attendance who were not of voting age could do to get involved, the best suggestion he could muster was, “Vote for God.”
Curtis Gans, director of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate, is skeptical about the HSAN’s influence.
“People don’t vote because hip-hoppers tell them to vote,” Gans said in a telephone interview.
But the summit Saturday did appear to energize some of the attendees.
“There are bad sides to the hip-hop industry and those issues need to be addressed,” said Alicia McGhee, 21, one of several students who drove in from Iowa State University wearing T-shirts emblazoned with, “Got Ignorance?” “But only while we’re still recognizing the good [that hip-hop artists have done].”
