by Sylvester Brown, Jr.
Originally posted May 2, 2019 / medium.com
“Gentrify your own hood before these people do it…Claim eminent domain and have your people move in…That’s a small glimpse into what Nipsey was doing…”-Jay-Z
During his performance at Webster Hall in New York City last week, multimillionaire entertainer and business mogul JAY-Z paid tribute to the late rapper Nipsey Hussle with an impromptu freestyle rift…
“For anybody still confused as to what he was doing…Take back the hood that keep us trapped…the redlining where property declining if you live by blacks…”
Watching the video via Instagram validated what I have written in my new book. In Chapter Eight, “When They Know Money,” I speak to the untapped power of hip-hop music and its potential to foster an empowering new lexicon among its legions of young fans. The chapter opens with a homage to Jay-Z:
“With his 2017 album, ‘4:44,’, Jay-Z parlays his experience as a former drug dealer and all-time savvy hustler into a template for urban success. Building “generational wealth” is the key for economic salvation, he preached. Laced within the album’s tracks are lessons in strategic investing, financial-planning, owning real estate and fine art, rather than depreciating items like fancy cars or shiny jewelry.”
In his Hussle tribute, Jay-Z used the old “crabs in a barrel” analogy to remind the audience that blacks can reclaim long-ignored neighborhoods if we only unite:
“We stand on each other’s back…whoever gets on top, as long as they stay attached, they can pull everybody out…I was doing just that…
Indeed. The entrepreneur who, according to Forbes, is worth more than $800 million has used his music to encourage young blacks to lift one other up financially by supporting black-owned businesses and buying property in their own neighborhoods. This, of course, is part of Nipsey Hussle’s legacy in South Central LA.
Hip-Hop isn’t just music, it is also a spiritual movement of the blacks! You can’t just call Hip-Hop a trend!”- Lauryn Hill
As I mention in my book, if we are serious about nurturing a generation of youth who will reclaim and remake communities of chaos, we should amplify and utilize the musical messages they receive from hip-hop artists like Jay-Z and Nipsey Hussle.
I am of the firm belief that African Americans will never reverse the deadly and generational trends of poverty, crime and unemployment until WE reclaim our communities and define our own economic and social destinies. And what better place to start than with millennials in the ‘hood? Imagine a “buy-the-block” movement that’s marketed like music, alcohol and clothes. Imagine the hottest rap and hip-hop artists on billboards in the ‘hood promoting the idea of self-determination and community wealth. My mind salivates over the possibility of hundreds of rappers collectively using their wealth, music and influence to inspire millions of young people across the country.
And the really, really cool thing about this vision, is that it’s already begun.
Before Jay-Z dropped 4:44 and before Hussle’s death highlighted his business ventures, hip-hop artists had adopted the narrative of community-generated wealth.
In last month’s commentary, “Nipsey Hussle and a Letter to Our Young,” I mentioned how superstars like T. I. and Queen Latifah are building affordable homes in their old neighborhoods. I described how Jay-Z, Chamillionaire and Diddy are investing in entrepreneurship. I highlighted Akon’s high-tech, climate-friendly entrepreneurial endeavors aimed at bringing economic freedom to Africa.
These are but a few examples. There are many more. What if we lifted the narrative from an honorable mention in the press to a nationwide movement in troubled and disenfranchised neighborhoods throughout the nation?
I operate a nonprofit in St. Louis where young people plant produce on vacant lots. I give them a summer job where they learn horticulture, marketing, branding and how to turn produce into marketable products. One of my greatest desires is to gift these kids their own lots to grow food.
What if this initiative was part of the hip-hop inspired “Buy-the-Block” movement? What if banks, corporations and government entities matched or exceeded the rappers financial and land-ownership investments? What if Nelly, Chingy, Tef Po and other St. Louis entertainers lent their faces, money and fame to the cause in my city. How about T.I., Gucci Mane, Andre’ 3000 and other Atlanteans representing their home turf. Of course, Cardi B, 50 Cent, Fat Joe, Melle Mel and others can do their thing in the New York area. And on and on it goes…city after city. ‘hood after ‘hood with one robust, revolutionary self-empowering message.
In no time, the do-for-self mantra of self-sufficiency and community wealth-building would be all the rage. And not just in hip-hop arenas. It could ignite the passions and support of black celebrities in sports, movies, comedy and all the other high-profile domains they dominate.
Before integration laws were passed in the late 1960s, our collective call for progress included equity, jobs, education and voting rights. It’s time for an national update. The issue of reparations for pass sins of slavery and racial oppression is a hot topic among presidential candidates today. A hip-hop inspired economic empowerment initiative could be part of the template for rebuilding broken lives and revitalizing long-ignored black communities.
“The thing about hip-hop today is it’s smart, it’s insightful. The way they can communicate a complex message in a very short space is remarkable.”-President Barack Obama
Criticize this “remarkable” music for some of its lewd, materialistic and violent content if you must. But let us older folk at least attempt to recognize that young entertainers have “the stuff” embedded in their DNA. They can inherently become the next creators of another Black Wall Street. They can honor and continue the proud legacy of black folk who had no choice but to do-for-self and build their own political, educational and economic institutions.
In my book, I urge adults to not only listen to young people but act on what they say and do. Here’s our opportunity. Many of us are loathed to admit it, but young people have created a genre of music that’s just as popular, just as lucrative and influential as classical, jazz, R&B and country music.
Some of today’s young artists are rapping about financial literacy, land and business-ownership, buying blocks and creating businesses and urban-centric educational and nonprofit organizations. What if we recognized their potential and acted on their initiatives? What if preachers, bankers, politicians and investors followed the hip-hop lead and turned powerful lyrics into powerful real-time examples of independence and community wealth-building?
Let us recognize the power and potential in the words of rapper, songwriter and entrepreneur, Nas:
“Ithink hip-hop could help rebuild America, once hip-hoppers own hip-hop…we are our own politicians, our own government, we have something to say. We’re warriors. Soldiers.”-Nas
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Sylvester Brown, Jr. is a former columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the founder of the Sweet Potato Project, an entrepreneurial program for urban youth and the author of the newly released book “When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth.”
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