He’s Not you’re average Teacher; meet Professor Mark Naison aka Notorious PhD

Why Progressives Should Take Hip Hop Seriously, Even Though They Hate The Way It Sounds!

             By Mark Naison aka Notorious PhD.


    Today, while some voices of resistance are expressed within the folk tradition, and there are still singer songwriters who shape the worldview of young and not so young rebels ( e.g. Ani DiFranco , Tori Amos, James Mc Murtry, Tracy Chapman etc) the hip hop tradition is the major vehicle of expression for young, marginalized people around the world because it so easily incorportates indigenous cultural traditions and fuses different languages while expressing anger, alienation and  feelings of marginality  with matchless power

   Hip hop is built on pounding percussion,  with the lyrics literally SHOUTED  over the pounding rhythm. Hip Hop is music that is designed to make you dance, move your body, or feel overhwleming emotion, sometimes all at the same time. The lyrics can be crude, funny, boastful, or prophetic, but they are always STRONG!  The persona of the hip hop artist, whether male or female, has to convey strength and confidence because the hip hop MC ( lyricist) rises to prominence through BATTLES with other MC's which involve competing in front of crowds who choose between the two by how loud they cheer. Every hip hop MC, even progressive or political MC's, has to tell the world how great they are!   Toughness, and an identification with the
street, ( which can be in Rio, London, Paris, Berlin, Dakar, Johannesberg, Palermo, Baltimore, or Oakland) are also part of the persona which gives the artist credibility

     What Hip Hop does is give the victims of global capitalism- at least the young ones- a voice that can be heard around the world. It can be done in terms that reinforce the values of global capitalism (which is what much commercial hip hop does) or in terms which challenge it. But it is always music that expresses the world view of marginalized people, and the feelings it evokes can be communicated even when someone doesn't understand the language its lyrics are being expressed in
( There is some great German Turkish  and Bengali hip hop I love where I don't know a word they are saying and my favorite US hip hop songs go effortless back and forth from English to Spanish)

   Here is a description of one of my favorite political hip hop groups, Rebel Diaz drawn from the program of an International Hip Hop Festival at Trinity College
I will also include, at the end of this email, an amazing video they have produced
turning "Which Side Are You On" into an immigrant rights anthem

Rebel Diaz (USA)http://www.openthoughtmusic.com/Rebel Diaz came together at a critical moment in U.S. history. In early 2006, as Latinos throughout America found themselves under attack with anti-immigration laws, Rebel Diaz was in the streets of The Bronx, New York, organizing the community to fight against proposed racist legislation. As a result of strong activist work throughout the United States, Rebel Diaz was invited to perform their revolutionary music at the historic immigrant rights march in New York City in front of 500,000 people, who cheered loudly as they demanded power to the people and an end to immigrant scapegoating for America's economic ills. In the months that followed, Rebel Diaz performed in front of hundreds of thousands of people in massive protests from Chicago to Washington D.C. The opportunity to speak to the masses is a direct extension of their political work in the South Bronx as well as their experiences growing up in Chicago as the sons and daughters of revolutionaries.The Afro-Boricua sister Lah Tere, with her powerful voice and sharp lyrical prowess, grew up in Chicago's historic Puerto Rican community of Humboldt Park. The daughter of revolutionary educators and survivors of Chicago's notorious ghettos, Lah Tere's soulful sound recalls memories of Iris Chacon, Jill Scott, and La Lupe. Years of fronting a successful Salsa band while still in high school, along with her street credibility as a lyrical force to be reckoned with, have prepared Lah Tere for the even bigger stages still to come.Lah Tere's co-conspirators, Chilean brothers RodStarz and G1, round out the trio that is Rebel Diaz. Raised on the north side of Chicago by Chilean political exiles, a young RodStarz stayed off the streets by focusing his energy on breakdancing with the legendary Champions crew. It was only natural for him to proceed to begin rocking mics, beginning as a successful battle MC, and developing into a powerful songwriter of razor sharp lyrics filled with incisive social commentary. RodStarz' love of Hip-Hop culture was passed down to his younger brother G1, who began producing while living in the slums of his parents' native Santiago, Chile during his teenage years. Combining elements from the Dirty South to South America, G1's hard-hitting soundscapes and catchy songwriting is the perfect backdrop for RodStarz and Lah Tere's important message.Using the power of hope and the struggles of the past as inspiration, these sons and daughters of revolutionaries express their wishes and demands for a just and compassionate world. In the streets of every ghetto across the world, one can hear the sound of people fed up with poverty and second-class citizenship. Rebel Diaz arises from these conditions to fan the flames of change through songs that inspire, educate, and celebrate life.Back To Top



video to the New Rebel Diaz song: which side are you on?


Watch video - 4 min 3 sec -

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dr05tXktSo

Dr. Mark Naison

Professor, PhD, Columbia
Director of Urban Studies
African-American history; 20th century social and labor history

Mark Naison is a Professor of African-American Studies and History at Fordham University and Director of Fordham's Urban Studies Program. He is the author of three books and over 100 articles on African-American History, urban history, and the history of sports. His most recent book "White Boy: A Memoir," published in the Spring of 2002, was reviewed in the New York Times, the Nation and the Chronicle of Higher Education and was the subject of feature stories on Black Entertainment Television, New York One News and the Tavis Smiley show on National Public Radio. One of his most popular courses at Fordham, "From Rock and Roll to Hip Hop: Urban Youth Cultures in Post War America" has also received media attention, becoming the subject of stories on National Public Radio, Bronx Net, and WFUV. His most recent course, "Feeling the Funk: Research Seminar on Music of the African Diaspora" focuses on Latin and Caribbean traditions on American Popular Music.

The Bronx African-American History Project, Dr Naison's most recent venture, was launched collaboratively with the Bronx Historical Society in the Fall of 2002 ( see Project website http://www.fordham.edu/history/faculty&staff/faculty_bios/www.fordham.edu/baahp). Since that time, Dr Naison has conducted over one hundred and fifty interviews with African-American professionals, community activists, business leaders and musicians who grew up in Bronx between the 1930's and the 1980's. The first product of this research " It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Growing Up in the Patterson Houses in the 1950's- An Interview With Victoria Archibald Good" was published in the Spring 2003 issue of the Bronx County Historical Journal and a second article "From Doo Wop to Hip Hop: The Bittersweet Odyssey of African Americans in the South Bronx" was published in the Spring 2004 issue of that journal. Naison has also begun working on two books related to the BAAHP, a collection of oral histories entitled "Before the Fires: An Oral History of African American Life From the 1930's to the 1960's, " and a memoir written by Allen Jones entitled "The Rat That Got Away."

When not doing historical research, Naison likes to play tennis, golf and basketball, and make periodic forays into the media. He has appeared on the O'Reilly Factor, the Discovery Channel's Greatest American Competition (as Dr King's advocate), and on the Dave Chappell Show, where his "performance" has been preserved on that show's Second Year DVD.

History Department

DJ Disco Wiz