Sumner Redstone

Jared Ball's articles were interesting and engaging. What I understood from the articles was basically that Hip-hop is a corporate enterprise used by CEO's and other rich and powerful people to maintain the status quo, that is to keep as Ball calls it "Black America" in their place. And while there are socially and politically conscious Hip-hop artists out there, they aren't allowed to gain popularity as those in power promote their "music" and utilize psychology to hold the listeners attention with sex and violence. I think it was particularly enlightening to read that Michael Eric Dyson said that politically artists need "better beats". What he probably didn't realize when he said "better" what he really meant was, more familiar, more simplistic, less progressive, less creative beats that will hook the subconscious of the uneducated listener, resulting in the continuation of the dumbing down of music for manipulative ends. But I'm sure it was much easier to say "better beats".

After reading this I got curious. I've always heard that CEO's rule the world and rich white guys decide our fate and all that fun stuff, but i never really got into the thick of it. So I started to do some simple google searches on "owner of BET" at first glance it seemed that people of color owned and operated BET, but after a closer look I found that BET is owned by Viacom which is owned by Sumner Redstone and his family... By the way, he also controls MTV and VH1. So, an almost 90 year old white billionaire is dictating how we see young people of color. More specifically, an almost 90 year old white billionaire is dictating how teenagers see young people of color. But, he's almost 90, so his rein of terror will soon be over, right? Wrong. Its a family business, and the apples don't fall far from the tree. And many Redstone family members are already in the family business.

But there's hope in Hope City. Independent artists are gaining more and more traction through the internet via youtube, I-tunes, forums, blogs, and websites. As technology becomes more available and people become more connected, artists have to become more accountable for their work. You can no longer release an album with one or two good songs and 9 songs of filler and expect to sell the whole album, as consumers can just simply hop on I-tunes and only buy the songs they like. The band I am a part of called Prayers For Atheists is a part of a record company owned and operated out of Providence, RI by Sage Francis called Strange Famous Records. They boast conscious rappers such as B. Dolan and have allies in other Independent Hip-hop labels such as P.O.S. and Atmosphere. Listen to any one of these artists and tell me they need "better beats" or that their rapping abilities are sub-par. I think the first step any of us can do to fight against this constructed view of Hip-hop is to listen to, and support conscious Hip-hop. It's out there, in our own Providence community as well as communities around the US and the World.

Enjoy :)

"The rich get richer till the poor get educated"