The power of Rap

In class a week or two ago, we were discussing the NWA song “fuck the police.” Professor McKinney said that the song had an important message, but because of the “fuck” part of the verse it instead changed the conversation from a problem with police brutality into a conversation of language. I do not agree with this viewpoint because of what rap was constructed to be. I will never claim to be a historian on rap but I am a fan and as such have noticed some of the trends of power that flows from rap causing it to be problematic for white institutions. 

Just like Black Power and the BBLM, rap is constantly being depicted as thugs whose only function is to create fear. With some people claiming that it promotes sex and violence this however, is not the fear that comes out of rap for white institutions. What rap has given the black community a way of creating its own self-sustaining institution. This is problematic because what blacks have done up to this point, is change existing systems. Now they have shown they can create institutions that not only bring money into their communities but also give them influence on the scale of the white elite. 

This is impactful because when an institution dependent on whites failed, rap was there. For example in black schools we depended on whites in power to give blacks the necessity to teach the children. When this was not reached, there were  countless protests and legal battles to alleviate this problem. This was just black poetry; a platform where blacks could speak their mind and relate to one another going through the same struggle. This is why whites tried so hard to discredit them and take their power away. This, however, became even more difficult when a young white crowd started to like and support their music. 

The fact that these black rappers now have money and influence to give back to their communities has created a powerful voice capable of change. When NWA said “fuck the police” they didn’t care about trying to coddle the whites into understanding how the police brutality problem was for blacks, they were making a statement.  That says if the police or anyone is treating you as less than a person “fuck” them. If you mind your own business and yet you can not get a break “fuck” it. This is a powerful message that blacks needed at the time to keep moving forward.