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by Leroy Moore/Illin n chillin
In my recent article, "Can You Feel Our Rhythm" (on
Illin-N-Chillin) on the talents of Black disabled musicians in Hip-Hop, Gospel, Soul and
World Jazz, I discussed the discrimination and lack of recognition
of these musicians. Now I’ve realized that especially in Hip-Hop there
is this double talk when it comes to disability. Like Hollywood,
the Hip-Hop industry has this perfect picture image to displayed
to the world. Remember the days of white people in Black faces and
the other racist stereotypes of Black people in Hollywood? Well,
is Hip-Hop doing the same with the images of disability and the
discrimination against disabled artists in Hip-Hop?
Today there are many Hip-Hop one-person-plays that I
like which brings reality of Black youth and young adults living in
our society to the stage some are very harsh and some are funny
but all have an underline theme of race in our society. Many of these
one-person-plays have disabled characters in them from my girl,
Aya de Leon’s, "Thieves in the Temple: The Reclaiming of Hip-Hop"
that has a character who gets the ticks and stutters every time he tries
to be a hard-core gangster Hip-Hop artist. Aya’s character is o.k. if
he continues to rap his pg lyrics. Also you have Danny Hoch, who is
a White Hip-Hop actor/performer/writer. He wrote the book and now
film entitled, "Some People and Jails, Hospitals, and Hip-Hop" that has
many disabled characters from a rapper who stutters to a Puerto-Rican
wheelchair user who gets physically and verbally brutalize by New York police.
These are wonderful plays and brings up many real concerns facing youth of
color but is it time for the real disabled Hip-Hop artist\actor\actress to stand,
limp or wheel up to the mike? I’m ready to take one of my poems or stories
to the stage like "I’m The Black Cripple" or my famous skit, "Superman vs. Handyman!" Somebody show me the spotlight!
Many groups of people have express their views about
the lyrics in Hip-Hop from Eminem to Two-Live- Crew. Women, some Black organizations and leaders, gays and lesbians all had their say about insulting
lyrics that some Hip-Hop artists have spit on the mike and these groups have
also pleasured the industry for more diversity. Today we have seen the increase
of women Hip-Hop artists and we even have seen the beginning of gays and lesbians artists entering the gates of Hip-Hop to set the record straight on their issues.
For example in 2003, Phat Family Records, an organization of LGBT hip-hop artists
and fans, released Phat Family Volume 2: Down 4 the Swerve. We can’t forget, Deep Dickollective and Tim’m both have phat new smoking albums. However I always hear this common statement when I or other disabled Hip-Hop artists try to approach the gates of Hip-Hop, "the industry is not ready for a disabled or wheelchair Hip-Hop artists!" Fezo da Madone of Boston is working on his second Hip-Hop cd entitled, Here I AM Fezo, a Black disabled hot Hip-Hop artist has bumped up against the statement,
"the hip-hop industry is not ready for an artist in a wheelchair" over and over
again. This statement was and still is limiting gays and lesbians artists but as
we have seen gays and lesbians artists are not waiting for the gates of
Hip-Hop to open they are bulldozing through the gate.
The Hip-Hop industry is double talking like a politician on the
campaign road. Although Fezo da Madone, Paraplegic MC,
Rob Da Noize Temple, Michael Manning, Bird and many more disabled
artists including myself can’t get into the gates of Hip-Hop, well known
Hip-Hop artists and groups can use disability lingo in their songs. For
example the latest album by Black eyed Peas has a hit song, "Lets Get Retarded"
and many others have used and verbally abused us on their cds. After the hoopla
around this titled, Black Eyed Peas changed it to ‘Lets Get it Started’. If Hip-Hop
wants to be real why not promote one of the artists who really has a disability and are banging at the gates of Hip-Hop like the artists I mentioned above. In June of 2004 the Hip-Hop Summit was held in Newark, NJ. The New Jersey Minorities with Disabilities Coalition attended the summit and asked one of the organizers from California, where were their disabled brothers and sisters. The organizer felt bad because the summit lacked the voice of people with disabilities. No more double talk! No more excuses!
It is time for action! Look out for the latest works from Fezo da Madone,
Rob Da Noize Temple and Paraplegic MC and myself and our collaboration on
a cd in the near future. Or you can listen to Pushing Limits on KPFA 94.1 FM the first and third Sundays at 6:30 where we will showcase disabled musicians including hip-hop artists with disabilities or read Illin-n-Chillin at www.poormagazine.org or my website
www.leroymoore.com.. Hip-Hop industry you have been warned!
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