Documentary About The Link Between The Music Industry, Prison & Economics Part 2
Documentary About The Link Between The Music Industry, Prison & Economics Part 1
Below is an interesting documentary about the link between commercial rap music, the history of Black culture, incarceration, and the economy. They speakers even touch on the relationship of the Telecommunications Act and the end of the golden-era of hip hop.
This video includes wisdom such as:
“Imagine judging Jazz by Kenny G.”
“We haven’t done enough to combat what they are going to do, which is to distort and destroy any potentially positive, progressive element that we produce in any form.”
“The smile in your face and stab you in the back.”
“We are in the second middle passage.”
One Of The First Recorded Rap Records: Rhymin’ and Rappin’
Book Excerpt: The Treachery Of The Music Business Edition
“Let’s not beat around the bush: The music industry as commonly known is, from the innermost innards to the outermost exteriors, a murderous international crime syndicate. There’s no other way to describe it as accurately. An outgrowth of the chattel slavery system, the music business is just one tentacle of capitalism, a monster that’s sole objective is the continuous accumulation of wealth by all evil means im/possible at anyone’s/anything’s expense. Its very nature is ill-will towards wo/men, dog-eat-dog, the cavewo/man’s basic instinct in full-effect for ‘modern’ times…
Though the music business- which insiders always insist is a business first and foremost- has money as the ends to the means, it is the will of white supremacy, the progenitor of capitalism, which has shaped the structure of music in European domains. This volition redefined the meaning, the purpose, the very qualities of music so much so that it became unrecognizable to the cultures of color subjected to colonization. And the ways we conceive of, perform, listen to and hand down music to generations are warped out of shape and sense. It’s more than money, even power. It’s the drive to destroy a people’s inner/outer worldview. It’s the battle of the minds- rather, those with instigated by those without.” -From, “Warrior Song” By: Djehuti Wa Kamau
Scholar Discusses The Slave/Master Relationship In The Music Business
Consider This A Dropped Jewel: The Game Just Rewinds Edition
Here’s some interesting observations and recollections that Quincy Jones made about the music industry in his autobiography:
“But by and large beboppers were artists, proud, sensitive, intelligent people who practiced for hours and didn’t want to shuffle and entertain white folks anymore. They said, ‘We’re artists and want to be treated that way.’ You can imagine how that kind of attitude came off in the 40s & 50s- Black men and women talking that way. Forget it. That’s why so many turned to drugs.
These were the days when managers would sign an artist, record him, take a million dollar life insurance policy, record him, let the artist tour Vegas, record him again, then smoke him and collect the insurance.
At the first sign of Charlie Parker’s jones coming down at a recording session, they’d have him sign away all his composing, publishing, and artist’s royalties before they’d let in the dealer so that Bird could shoot up. Monk, Bird, Miles, Basie, nobody knew the business. Most of us sold our songs and publishing rights for peanuts to people who didn’t give a s*** about anything but money.”
[SIDEBAR: This is not the first time I posted this post. However, I think it's worth reposting. We must learn from our history! Everything moves in cycles.]