This weekend I intersected with Camden hip-hop twitter. I’ve long been hopeful that I could feature short videos of Camden residents telling their stories. It turns out CMD hip-hop artist Rekk has already been collecting “CMD stories.”
@BIGNOIZEINCCMD @IAMRELLBUC @REKKLESSLIFE Powerful stuff. Would love to share with folks at @RUCamdenArtsSci if that’s alright.
— Stephen Danley (@SteveDanley) September 28, 2014
These are largely the stories of local hip-hop artists, and they’re expressed in a language that pushes the boundaries of a policy blog. But the themes here are critically important, and expressed in a way that I find very powerful.
I’m going to share a couple of these stories over the next few weeks, as well as a variety of other similar content. But, for those of you new to language of hip-hop, please pay special attention to the experiences littered throughout these stories. There is the struggle with loss of a friendship, the struggle to provide for family (and shame/stigma of not being able to), the theme of needing community to push onwards towards success, and the need to maintain a reputation and a niche on the street. And, perhaps the biggest theme, the role of hip-hop providing creative structure, a place to apply oneself, and an opportunity for mentorship.
This role of hip-hop is so different from the caricatured role we often discuss in policy communities. Too often, hip-hop is blamed as a force of destruction of bad values. But in stories like this one from Rell Buc, hip-hop plays a calming, ordered roll where an artist can find mentorship, something to strive for, and even help provide for family. What a powerful counter voice to the dominant narrative.
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