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Q-Tip has reached out to Iggy Azalea via Twitter with a 700 word history of the relationship between black culture and hip hop. Read it in full below.
The lesson from the rapper comes after Azalea was accused of cultural appropriation by Azealia Banks, who told HOT97, "That Macklemore album wasn't better than Drake's record. That Azalea shit is not better than any black girl that's rapping today. All it says to white kids is, 'Oh yeah, you're great, you're amazing' and it says to black kids, 'You don't have shit, you don't own shit, not even the shit you created for yourself'."
Azalea responded by telling Banks, "There are many black artists succeeding in all genres. The reason you haven't is because of your piss-poor attitude. Now rant, make it racial! Make it political! Make it whatever, but I guarantee it won't make you likeable."
Now Q-Tip has stepped in to remind Azalea of the inseparable relationship between race and hip hop, reminding her of the continued existence of white privilege and the prolonged effects of slavery.
Read Q-Tip's full message to Iggy Azalea below.
Hip Hop is an artistic and socio-political movement/culture that sprang from the disparate ghettos of New York in the early 70's. Coming off the heels of the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT and approaching the end of the Vietnam war, it was a crossroads for America. Especially for blacks in the US, our neighborhoods were PROLIFERATED with a rush of HEROINE, our school systems here in NY dungeon traps with light for learning.
Black men, some of whom didn't return from tours of duty and the ones who did came with war baggage (agent orange, addiction, etc..), these men had families but due to these events (and throw into the mix the public emasculation) they proved to be handicapped parents. The surrogate parents? The STREETS. The streets of gangs, crimes, and the hustlers coddled us and swept us up. But! Being a spirited, rhythmic & expressive people, music, art and dance outlined our existence. It proved a way for us to exhault, to scream, to dance, to laugh and find OUR VOICE.
We weren't, at the time, skilled musicians as kids. We had records, turntables, ideas and INGENUITY. Being natural chemists, we took from whatever was availed to us and we created something mighty and special. We cut breakbeats back and forth. We took a hybrid of Jamaican toasting along with radio jock rap (Hank Spann, Gary Byrd, etc.) and we put our rap down.
It was a neighborhood thing really. Black and Latino Kids were carving out their space and it became infectious. Eventually, Keith Cowboy coined the phrase hip hop . Years later, the first rap record was recorded and now we are moving - but during these strides, this country still had the monster of racism and racial insensitivity breathing and ruling.
Believe it or not, young black and Latino lives specifically weren't acknowledged in mainstream American culture, unless, of course, the conversation was about gangs, being criminals or uneducated. And hey! Like I stated earlier, our families were rushed, our schools sucked and we were left to put devices to survive... but HIP HOP showed that we had DEPTH, fire, and BRILLANCE.
The music was undeniable! It moved from New York and became national and even GLOBAL. Hip hop now was FOR EVERYBODY!! All of those who could relate to the roots, the spirit, the history, the energy.. It reached YOU. It touched your spirit and took you up. We magnetized you! That's what BRILLANCE does.
Now, you are fulfilling your dreams ... BUT! You have to take into account the HISTORY as you move underneath the banner of hip hop. As I said before, hip hop is fun, it's vile, it's dance, it's traditional, it's light-hearted - but one thing it can never detach itself from is being a SOCIO-Political movement.
You may ask why ... Well, once you are born black your existence, I believe, is joined with socio-political epitaph and philosophy based on the tangled and treacherous history of SLAVERY alone. This is the case. It never leaves our conversation... Ever. Whether in our universities, our dinner tables, our studios or jail cells, the effects still resononates with us. It hurts... We get emotional and angry and melancholy.
Did you know President Clinton was the ONLY PRESIDENT to apologize for it? Did you know that remnants of slavery exist today through white privilege? When certain 'niceties' are extended your way because of how you look? Isn't that crazy? I say this to say you are a hip hop artist who has the right to express herself however she wishes.
This is not a chastisement, this is not admonishment at ALL - this is just one artist reaching to another hoping to spark insight into the field you are in. I say this in the spirit of a hopeful, healthy dialogue that maybe one day we can continue.
I've been on twitter a long time and this will probably be my last series of tweets pretty much, but I'm Kool with it as long as I got to share this w u. Zzzzzzz's up! Peace!"
