Armani Suits and Timberland Boots
a story of A.W.O.L. Homeboys in the 9 to 5 battle
By Asante
It's late on a Friday night and the dopest emcee in South London is knee deep in pages and pages of ... revision. His street honed warrior instincts has given him the strength to hack through the jungle of complex structures that is applied chemistry. But, to what end? The 'be somebody' teachings of Hip Hop have got him this far. He's dealt with the 'petty people and petty individuals'. But is he going to make it in the rap game with a degree?
It seems the street ethic builds us up to achieve social, political and academic greatness; then treats you like a poor relation when you make that climb. What is 'keeping it real' and why can't a man who pays taxes be down with the program?
Passage of time
As the second generation of Black Britain breeds the third, it's associated culture grows. Then they were b-boys ('B' as in Break). Now they are B-Men ('B' as in Business). They have become role models, via the path of Pure Righteousness; steering clear of the Ruffneck and the Rhyming and Stealing. For them now, Money Really Ain't A Thing, but respect is a two way street and has to be earned ... by being where it's at.
For most, however, the path of affluence has separated them from the nurturing streets paved with linoleum, and created a void for the next generation of 'sound' social engineers and 'lyrical' information technicians. With degree in hand and bills to pay, the common casualty is Hip Hop. "I used to be into all that but I just don't check for it anymore."
Confusion
Back to the proverbial street, the struggle is still to 'keep it real'. Thus, youngbloods 'profile' and 'floss' denouncing any legitimate (or accredited) income to support the ever popular materialism.
For some walking back into Hip Hop, at the end of a working day, means morphing from one temperate extreme to a buck wylin' second. Many lose their trueself somewhere in between.
Confusion is common and is often decided by reaching out for someone with a similar experience. Inevitably, we lose another hardy warrior.
Mind power
Historically, Hip Hop has never had beef with intellectuals. It was empowered by the ideologies of Malcolm X, Nat Turner and Huey P Newton, all men of mind power. It was built on the beats of James Brown, the hardest working businessman in show business. We often forget that Mr. Brown owned aircraft and a radio station.
These men are revered and were often imitated. And today, several emcees are taking the word to a higher level, liberated from previous associations with the 'extremist' movements of the late 80s. Hip Hop is working, investing, sponsoring and still making money.
The business ethic of likes of Andre Harrell, Puff Daddy, Lauryn Hill and Master P (to name a few) are the main veins and arteries of contemporary Hip Hop. If there's a block party, you know someone's getting paid from advertising on the flyer. The corporate world has given credence to Hip Hop's imagery, with The Movement prospering in the slip stream.
What's the script?
Unfortunately, the 9 to 5ers that flipped the script back then, and are familiar with today's board room tactics, are few and far between; leaving the junior artisans of Hip Hop's infrastructure with no mistakes to learn from.
Hip Hop is still struggling, because many of us swapped the Tacchini for the Armani. Taking with us our collection of old school lessons.
Whatever happened to yesterday's dreams to become household names with Chubby Kids Pizza Houses or Asante Aerospace or The Fusion Knowledge-Base CD-ROM?
Maybe we should put a notice outside Hip Hop's headquarters which reads:
Still Wanted:
Accountancy, Lawyers, Engineers, Social Workers,
Doctors and Technicians to represent the Real Hip Hop.
