Aiyyo, God, so there be lots of muhfuckers writin' 'bout dis hip hop shit. And I guess, and I guess I'm gonna be one of these mutha fuckers, too. But, you know what I mean, it's just like, a lot of these peeps just ain't get this shit, and I'm about to give it to you, on the real.
Or something like that. Actually, I've no qualms with anyone that I know of at the moment that is truly passionate about hip hop, especially those passionate or inclined enough to write about the medium. That being said--and it also must be expressed that it is one of my all-time favorite media--it seems examination of the medium is severely limited.
This isn't surpising--most folks in any academic circle will dismiss any product of the twentieth or twenty-first century, in some fashion or another, as being unworthy of academic attention. Of course, like most of these same products, the medium is often championed by "cutting-edge," "trendy" intellectuals, and by those who see the medium as subservient to another medium. By consequence, the medium is often seen as important as a cultural icon, and is examined from a sociological or political perspective.
And of course, it should be. At the same time, it would seem that, in order for any emerging medium to gain respect as its own distinctive medium, it must secure a holding in the realm of theory, in itself, unadulterated with fields which conventionally exist to connect with the physical world--in order for any emerging medium to gain respect, it must be respected in and of itself.
And I suppose that is the central purpose of this blog. Or something. Ha ha,
in reality, this blog will probably fairly often resort to the same cultural and political discussions that dominate discussions and debates about hip hop. But the central force, I hope, behind this blog will be theory.
So there it is. Hip hop hittin' the stage on this ol' academic shit.
Not that it ain't been done before or anything. Just I ain't been there yet,
(and I've wanted to take this trip for years).
Peace.
