BLAZING A TRAIL FOR WOMEN IN HIP HOP MUSIC FOR 30 YEARS.
HER CAREER IS A LAUNDRY LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
SHE WAS GRAMMY NOMINATED BY THE TENDER AGE OF 23 MAKING HER THE
FIRST FEMALE SO LO RAPPER TO RECEIVE THE HONOR.
SHE WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO HEAD IT UP.
SHE BOTH PERFORMED FOR AND WORKED WITH THE OBAMA WHITE
HOUSE ON ISSUES LIKE EDUCATION. AND IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR, SHE
RECEIVED THE WEB MEDAL FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY FOR HER THREE
DECADE CONTRIBUTION TO AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE.
I CAUGHT UP WITH HER LATE THIS WEEK RIGHT BEFORE HER HEADING
NEXT WEEK TO SPEAK AND BE PART OF NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK'S
ANNUAL CONVENTION IN NEW YORK. >> WELCOME, MC.
>> THANK YOU. THE IT'S AN HONOR.
>> WELL, THE HONOR IS OURS, AND YOU'RE BEING HONORED AT THE
CONVENTION BECAUSE OF YOUR TRAIL BLAZING ACTIVITIES IN OUR
CULTURE AND IN THE COUNTRY. LET ME ASK YOU, WHERE DO YOU
SEE? THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT
MILLENNIALS AND HIP HOP HAVING GONE MAINSTREAM THE LAST DECADE
OR SO, BUT I REMEMBER WHEN YOU HELPED TO TRAIL THAT -- BE A
TRAIL BLAZER FOR THAT AND REALLY SET A COURSE WHERE PEOPLE WERE
SAYING WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF RAP IS GOING TO LAST AND WE DON'T
KNOW WHAT HIP HOP IS. LOOKING BACK NOW, AND YOU'RE
STILL YOUNG, VIBRANT AND OUT THERE, HOW DO YOU LOOK AT WHERE
THE CULTURE HAS BEEN IMPACTED BY HIP HOP, AND WHERE HIP HOP IS
TODAY? >> WELL, I CERTAINLY BELIEVE THE
CULTURE HAS BEEN IMPACTED BY HIP
HOP AND VICE VERSA. I THINK FOR THE MOST PART WHAT
WE RELIED ONTO COME FROM HIP HOP IN MY DAY WAS DIFFERENT FROM
TODAY. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I THINK THE
YOUNG FOLKS THAT LISTEN TO HIP HOP TODAY REALLY DON'T HAVE A
CONCEPT OF HOW WE USED HIP HOP AS A TOOL TO EDUCATE AND HOW WE
USED IT AS A TOOL TO SOMEWHAT BE LIKE THE NEWS.
WE TOLD THE TRUTH, AND WE GAVE THE PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT WAS
HAPPENING OUT ON THE STREETS. SO I CAN'T SAY THAT THEY'RE EVEN
AWARE OF WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE GENRE OF HIP HOP, BUT I STILL
THINK THAT HIP HOP HAS ENOUGH POWER THAT IT COULD STILL BE THE
VERY TOOL TO GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS, AND, IN FACT, IT IS.
WHEN THE IT'S TIME TO VOTE, HIP HOP ARTISTS ARE PUT TO THE TEST,
AND THEY DELIVER THE VOTES. PEOPLE COME OUT AND SUPPORT, AND
THEY TRUST HIP HOP EMCEES AND STORY TELLERS.
>> IT STARTED THAT WAY. I REMEMBER IN THE 80s WHEN WE
WERE MARCHING AROUND HOWARD BEACH AND ON DIFFERENT RACIAL
INCIDENTS IN NEW YORK, IT WAS HIP HOP ARTISTS LIKE PUBLIC
ENEMY AND OTHERS THAT WAS REALLY GIVEN THE NEWS WITH THE BEAT,
AND IT WAS ALL ONE MOVEMENT. I MEAN, WE WERE IN THE STREETS,
AND YOU WERE AND OTHERS WERE IN THE STUDIO AND DEALING WITH
TRACKING THE RECORDS AND SPIKE WAS DOING MOVIES.
AND NO ONE THOUGHT IT WOULD EVER GO TO WHERE IT IS NOW WHERE YOU
HAVE THE ACTUAL MAINSTREAM OF MUSIC REALLY IMITATING WHAT MANY
OF YOU STARTED. >> ABSOLUTELY.
WE JUST LEFT DILLARD UNIVERSITY WHERE I GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO
TALK TO SOME STUDENTS THERE. AND REALLY, IT IS A A COMPLETEL
DIFFERENT PICTURE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN WE CAME OUT, AND
I DO THINK THERE ARE ARTISTS TODAY THAT SPEAK TO THE ISSUES
THAT ARE HAPPENING. HOWEVER, THEY AREN'T NECESSARILY
MAINSTREAM. WE GOT INTO THIS WHOLE TALK
ABOUT WHAT IS HIP HOP VERSUS WHAT IS RAP, AND THEY SEEM TO
THINK IT HAD SWITCHED AROUND, LIKE THEY THOUGHT THAT RAP WAS
WHAT WAS IMPORTANT AND VITAL TO THE CULTURE, AND IN REALITY,
IT'S THE EXACT OPPOSITE. HIP HOP, WHAT THEY OFTEN
REMEMBER TO SAY IS THESE ARE THE FOUR ELEMENTS.
IT'S GRAFFITI, BREAK DANCES, BUT THE FIFTH IS KNOWLEDGE.
THE HIP HOP ARTISTS IN IT TODAY THAT HAVE MAINSTREAM RECORDS
OUT, IT'S UP TO THEM TO DO THE RECORDS THAT WILL TEACH AND
INFORM THE YOUTH ABOUT WHAT'S REALLY HAPPEN AND -- WE HAD
SONGS THAT TAUGHT US HOW TO BE AN ADULT OR HOW TO BECOME AN
ADULT, AND HOW TO RAISEAISE FAMILIES.
I ATTRIBUTE THAT TO PUBLIC ENEMY AND KRS 1 AND SOME OF THE
GREATS. AND TODAY WE HAVE FOLKS THAT
STILL FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT. DAVID BANNER, SCAR FACE, STILL
PUBLIC ENEMY WITH CHUCK D. THESE ARE FOLKS THAT BANNER, SC
PUBLIC ENEMY WITH CHUCK D., JAY COLE.
THESE ARE FOLKS THAT ARE NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK THE TRUTH.
>> NOW, IN THIS ERA NOW OF TRUMP, YOU WORKED WITH THE OBAMA
WHITE HOUSE, YOU DID A LOT THERE, I WAS CLOSE WITH THAT
ADMINISTRATION, BECAUSE I AGREE WITH THEIR POLICIES, BUT WE HAVE
A NEW PRESIDENT NOW, NEW POLICIES.
HOW IMPORTANT WILL IT BE FOR ARTISTS TODAY TO REALLY DEAL
WITH THEIR FAN BASE IN TERMS OF KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT'S GOING ON PRO
AND CON, BECAUSE NOW WE'RE FACING A DIFFERENT KIND OF
POLICY IN POLICING AND IN MASS INCARCERATION AND EVEN
EMPLOYMENT. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR ARTISTS
TO BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH THIS, AND DO YOU THINK THIS WILL FORCE
SOME OF THEM THAT HAVE NOT GONE THE ROUTE OF A CHUCK D. OR EVEN
A KENDRICK LAMAR TO SAY I'VE GOT TO RECALIBRATE WHERE I'M GOING
TO MAKE MY CONTRIBUTION TO MY FANS?
>> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK SOMEONE THAT'S A LIVING
TESTAMENT TO THAT IS T.I. HE HAS DEFINITELY TAKEN A
DIFFERENT APPROACH FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN HIM DO IN THE PAST,
AND THAT IS HE'S BECOMING RESPONSIBLE IN WHAT IT IS HE
GIVES FORTH TO HIS FAN BASE. I ACTUALLY FOLLOW HIM ON SOCIAL
MEDIA, AND HE'S ALWAYS ADDRESSING AN ISSUE THAT
OTHERWISE A LOT OF HIS COUNTERPARTS KIND OF STAY AWAY
FROM. I DO THINK IT IS EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT FOR AS MUCH AS WE KNOW, THAT WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE
THAT KNOWLEDGE TO THE FANS THAT FOLLOW US, AND FRANKLY WOULD
RATHER HAVE THAT INFORMATION FROM US THAN TO HAVE IT COME
FROM ANYONE ELSE. SO I WOULD IMAGINE THAT A LOT OF
HIP HOP ARTISTS ARE FEELING THE PRESSURE, WHETHER OR NOT THEY
CHOOSE TO DO ANYTHING WITH IT IS ANOTHER CIRCUMSTANCE.
>> YEAH. AND I AGREE WITH YOU.
T.I. IS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THEM. CHANCE THE RAPPER, I'M VERY
PROUD OF HIM. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> TALKED WITH HIM. MC LYTE, YOU'VE BEEN HONORED
THIS WEEK, HONORED AT HARVARD. WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
THAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT MC LYTE WHEN ALL IS OVER
AND YOU'RE SITTING ON THE ROCKING CHAIR TELLING YOUR
GRANDCHILDREN ABOUT WHAT YOU AND YOUR CONTRIBUTION HAS MADE.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HIGHLIGHT? >> WELL, FIRST I GOT TO HAVE
SOME CHILDREN. HAVE THE GRANDCHILDREN, BUT I DO
KNOW SOME FOLKS THAT KNOW SOME FOLKS, AND I HAVE GOD CHILDREN
AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
FOR ME IS TO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, I GOT
MUCH OLDER IN LIFE AND REALIZED THAT I DIDN'T KNOW EVERYTHING,
AND THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY HAVE THE PEACE OF KNOWLEDGE THAT
JEWEL THAT THEY'D LIKE TO DROP UPON ME THAT I COULD TAKE AND
HOPEFULLY I CAN BENEFIT FROM THAT KNOWLEDGE.
SO TO -- I WOULD LIKE -- SITTING ON THAT ROCKING CHAIR, AS YOU
SPOKE OF, TO JUST BE RECOGNIZED FOR THE PHILANTHROPIC WORK, FOR
SENDING MANY, MANY KIDS TO SCHOOL OR YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN TO
FURTHER THEIR EDUCATION AND BEING AN INSPIRATION TO OTHERS.
AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW, NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD.
>> ALL RIGHT. MC LYTE, LOOKING FORWARD TO
SEEING YOU THIS WEEK AND BRING YOUR BOOKS WITH YOU.
EVERYONE WANTS TO READ YOUR BOOKS.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, REVEREND.
>> MC LYTE, MANY THANKS. >>> AND A REMINDER, SHE WILL
JOIN US IN NEW YORK FOR OUR FIRST NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK
CONVENTION IN THE ERA OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.
IT'S JUST THREE DAYS AWAY. APRIL 26th THROUGH THE 29th.
WE'RE FEATURING THE BEST CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS, ELECTED
OFFICIALS, BUSINESS EXECUTIVES, ACTIVISTS, GRASSROOTS ACTIVISTS,
CLERGY. WE KICK OFF WEDNESDAY MORNING
WITH FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER AND TOM
For more infomation >> Another Period Season 2 "America's First Worst Family Is Back" (SUB ITA) - Duration: 1:23. 
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét