What about Cool Herc?

by Melody Andrews

DJ Kool Herc is noted for being the Father of Hip Hop.  That means all the hip hop moguls like Diddy, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne [full list click here] have DJ Kool Herc to thank, right??  So in business terms he should be racking in royalties from every grossing hip hop artist, right?He should be ballin', rolling in dough, making it rain, whatever you want to call it.  Shouldn't he?
In my past research (including a black history month project I did on hip hop in the 7th grade) I always focused on the rapping end of hip hop and not so much on the rest of it. So I was already familiar with Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and the Sugarhill Gang in terms of music and lyrics.  Needless, to say Herc's contribution was fairly new to me (I loved how his chapter in Can't Stop Won't Stop tied back to the  chapter on the Jamaican origins of hip hop).  Upon learning that he is still living, I decided to find out what he's up to now.
Suprised, isn't the right word.  Saddened is more accurate. The Father of Hip Hop doesn't lounge by a pool on a daily basis or own a private jet.  He isn't surrounded by people to satisfy his every whim. He doesn't own a mansion or an NBA team.  No fashion line or record label. No parties in the Hamptons.  No trips to exotic world destinations. No reality show.  Luxurious probably isn't a word that describes his life. He's  certainly not rich by society's standards.  He doesn't even have health insurance.
The subject of urban folklore and legend is just like millions of Americans in this economic climate living without health insurance.  In the midst of an illness Herc was living a financial nightmare.  Clearly, the legendary Herc is human after all but it saddened me to see this happening to someone that  so many owed their thanks for thier careers.  Luckily, money was raised to get Herc the surgery he needed to stop internal bleeding caused by a series of kidney stones.
 The moral of this story is that despite my stun over Herc's health crisis the reality is that hip hop will always go hand and hand with politics.  Even when what is popular in hip hop opposes the politics of the genre (the way much of mainstream hip hop has today) it is a magnetic attraction that will forever connect the two.  Considering that their is an upcoming presidential election and much of President Obama's term has been focused on how to fix the healthcare dilemma, it's ironic how hip hop has once again connected to politics in an extremely relevant (though sad) way.
The love of hip hop brought people together to help one of the community's own and even more so the founding father.  So the story ends happily after all.  Or does it?  Makes me wonder while moguls are making their millions and blowing it in clubs and malls, did they show their gratitude and contribute to Herc's meager (in their minds) medical fund?  It all goes back to social awareness and selflessness, both traits that are scarce in the hearts and minds of many Americans, but especially in the heart of hip hop.