Hip hop started as a dialogue between Black neighbourhoods and spread to a dialogue between Blacks across the United States. Owing to the nature of the empire, it is now spreading internationally and has been for some time, it has reached Africa.
Repatriation is a must, voluntary repatriation, but it must be desired by both Africa and Afro-Americans if it is to work. Early experiments failed, largely because the descendants of slaves were not welcomed by the Africans when they started repeating the wrongs of colonisation. Even in Ethiopia, this fear remains.
For the most part, nations welcome those immigrants who have something to offer, and reject those who bring problems. So what do the descendants of slaves have to offer.
The empire was formed through crime, and hip hop teaches this. Does Africa want to repeat the history of Europe?
I think Africa wants to be free and prosperous. I do not think it wants colonies, slaves and corruption, but I could be wrong.
With the international dialogue increasing, something has to change in my opinion. Hip hop has to change, to stop reflecting the crimes that "Whites" committed some four hundred years ago, and start educating people in positive things.
I may be making a vast generalization. Hip hop makes money, and Afro-Americans need money. But is that all Africa wants? Money brings corruption and crime without the arts and sciences.
The question remains, what sort of education can Afro-Americans bring that Africa wants?
Africans value education, they value Western education, they perhaps undervalue their own education too much, but what education do Afro-Americans value?
I really am against hip hop in its current form, it is largely playing to the fetishization of Whites in order to make money. But then as a non-Black, I don't really know how Black people in the West relate to it. Perhaps they see it as both a warning and an example of someone trying to get on.
White people use it to fantasize about being bad, and of course Black people are bad, so it is a way of fantasizing about being Black.
Examples of bad Black people sells. Thus I don't blame Afro-Americans for making hip hop in a racist world, I just think that we need to move this conversation on.
Thank you.
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