The Underground Scene

by Trevor Thompson

This week I have felt embarrassed that I did not know about the other conscious hip hop artists that are largely unknown to mainstream. I now know there is this other underground world where pure hip hop is still being created and purchased. However, I would have probably never known about them if it was not for this class. I have fell victim to listening to the main stream rappers and assumed that the conscious lyrics of KSR 1, Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, and other had just fell off the map. I am not sure if they are just producing or maybe running a nonprofit in their local community, however, their voices are being silenced by the mainstream. I had never heard of Talib Kweli nor Immortal Technique. I have been victim to listening to what corporations have wanted me to listen too. After so much junk has been put out over the years, I reverted to listening to old classics hip hop, Jazz, books on tape, and talk radio for my car listening pleasure.

Now I feel it is my duty and responsibility to share the wealth of knowledge with others, especially, my son, daughter and nephew. I took the opportunity to listen to Immortal Technique and Talib Kweli and I found myself being reborn as if I had listed too hip hop for the first time. Immortal Technique was raw, pure and good. I fell in love with the song Dance with the Devil, which could serve as a theme for our class. Upon my research, I found other conscious hip hop artist that I never had heard of before in my life. Musically, I live in a silo; nevertheless, I am able to grasp what music/artist is the flavor of the month because of mainstream media. I contacted my nephew, who is 25, and my daughter, who is 21, and neither of them had heard of Immortal Technique. Of course it is a pleasure for me to tell them about my class and to educate them about pure hip hop. I feel that the generation millennium is being led to the slaughter by being fed this misogyny and materialistic music and the present day rappers are the pied piper.