What A Mighty Good Man

(21 votes, average: 4.86 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Jay-Z, a now household name, is a lyrical genius, a business guru, and lest we forget, the king of the hip-hop industry. It is for all of the above reasons and more he is often on my playlist. The other day “The Streets” came on and broke my focus for a split second when I heard: “December 4th, a child is born. Before I knew it, had my pops trousers on. That’s how we do it when the man of the house is gone. You either, stand or fall, I chose to stand. The hawk outside, so I blow my hand. It’s a cold cold world but I overstand. Tryin to stay focused but I feel hopeless damn. Can’t cope with bein broke, I’m a man – c’mon” [lyrics can be found here] And in those last eight words I heard a mentality of the masses. An ill-defined moral code and gross absence of male role models inculcated in the male half of the population the idea that ANYTHING was better than being broke.

Jay-Z highlights two major issues – the absence of father and father figures leading to a morally questionable lifestyle.  Obviously, the basic need for food and shelter can overwhelm anyone’s moral code.  However hustling your way through life cannot be a solution for the entire society.  But Jay-Z and a slew of other rappers across the nation remain the ideal that youth look up to daily.  The privileged young minds growing up in areas and communities that will send them off to college and support them are not necessarily suffering for idolizing the likes of hustlers turned hip-hop artists.  However, when it comes to the young men and women who aren’t as lucky, a large void remains to be filled.  Cornel West discusses this problem, particularly for African American youth, in his book Race Matters.  He attributes the lack of role models to the fact that successful Black males (in particular) outside of the music industry often say they are successful despite their difficult upbringing.  This disconnect from their past causes a major rift between these adults and the young minds aspiring to be like them.  However hip-hop artists have perfected an ability to describe in delicate detail the atrocities they witnessed growing up – allowing similar minds still lost in those neighborhoods to connect instantaneously.  Thus paradigms for careers, gender roles, and much more are created.

[image found here]

The rap star becomes the ideal man, and the amount of money in his bank account, the number of guns he has in his closet, the number of women chasing after him each day all contribute to his masculinity.  As Ice Cube says “Today was a good day.  Today I didn’t have to use my AK.” in a subtle reference to his assault rifle.  And skewed priorities again represented in the ever so tasteful song “Money, Cash, Hoes” by Jay-Z and DMX highlighting all the important things in a man’s life.

But as I envisioned this prototypical man Jay-Z was creating for hip-hop fans everywhere, the Quest performance for the ABDC Britney challenge ran through my head.  Following an intro of raw hip-hop moves, these boys threw some gender-bending cards on the table and not only did they NOT lose credibility as a crew, they gained even MORE popularity amongst the audience.

[video credits to MrSephirot6; footage property of MTV]

This performance in particular exemplifies their dedication to their art and an impressive comfort with gender roles.  The ability to pull off very masculine b-boy moves and within thirty seconds booty shake with the best of the best requires an ingrained masculinity that cannot be threatened by outside forces.  Of course, Quest’s confidence in this area is primarily because they did not share the same childhood experiences as Jay-Z.  However, Asian-American boys (and girls) have obstacles of their own.  In overcoming racial stereotypes, successfully blending Asian and American identities, academic pressure from immigrant generations pushing for careers with financial security, and growing up in a culture with completely different morals as their ancestors knew, Asian-Americans struggle in a very different way daily.

So what does this hallmark Quest performance and Jay-Z’s lyrics have in common?  Hip-hop.  A culture that started as the voice of those desperately seeking refuge from their disparaged neighborhoods has transcended racial, socioeconomic and even gender barriers.  So maybe hip-hop can serve us much more than we originally thought.  Through this platform, social factions can help each other overcome individual obstacles.  Quest may not have the same issue of absent father figures, but they, like so many Asian Americans have to work to balance their identity.  And African Americans may have a very distinct Blackamerican identity, but they struggle with the lowered expectations others and they themselves impose upon themselves daily.  So, my hope is the African-American generations who have worked tirelessly to maintain that Blackamerican identity, as exemplified when Kanye explains “instead of flowers, we the roses” can inspire strength in the minorities that need it.  Similarly, I hope that seeing Quest catwalk up the stage they see performers that are true to the music, who are confident men, and who work legitimately hard for everything they achieve inspires young minds to achieve any dream they have and that confidence is never increased by possessions.  And I hope when everyone hears Beyonce belt “A diva is the female version of a hustler.” they think twice about the implications.

I have to say that this month’s topic was particularly difficult for me.  I truly believe that I have only touched the tip of the iceberg regarding the struggles of minorities, but I wanted to say something.  As Thanksgiving is upon us, I hope that we take a moment to be grateful for the many blessings in our lives and for the strength to overcome the many obstacles placed in front of us.  I pray that I have not offended anyone.  I concede wholeheartedly that I am only an observer making assertions, and have not experienced much of this first-hand.  I would accept, gladly, any counterarguments or disagreements with what I have stated.  Essentially, from my experience with patients in the hospitals of Detroit and in my life as a religious and racial minority in America I have noticed these patterns over time and saw in the contrast of Quest and hip hop artists everywhere a chance for us to learn from each other.  Because, as Quest has said so many times, success is only success if shared.

~Lubna Grewal~