Check The Title: I love Hip Hop

I own a javascript:nicTemp(); I am an African American personal injury lawyer. 

I am a child of hip hop, a product of rap. I am the Culture. I am fluent in its vernacular. I am wise to its ways. I regret that I have not always been proud of it. I am ashamed that I have allowed others to appropriate it, only to turn a quick buck for themselves and then abandon the art form. I am embarrassed for those who do not understand her, who talk slick about her, without knowing her. Hip hop has been the love of my life. My North star. A connection to others who look like me. A warning of things to come.

My love for hip hop is manifested in my love for the culture, for us. That is why I name each of my pieces after a song. In my mind, I am giving a reader a melody or a cadence to read my words too. I was not moved by the poetic words of Brooks, Plath, Joyce, Frost, or any of the other amazing poets. It was the brothers and sisters from Harlem, Queens, the Bay, The ATL, Houston, Compton, Chicago, and everywhere else where people were rhyming over a beat.

My words are inspired by the sonic landscape that fills my mind. I write about policing in all its forms. I discuss the concepts of whiteness and blackness. I am fascinated by how we shifted our perception of who participated in lynching black people from the most well-respected and most upstanding pillars of white communities to drunk, poor, racist white men.

I came of age when we first started to stir from the Dream. Justice Thomas’s confirmation was a touchstone event that I remember, then the Rodney King beating, then the LA Uprising, then the OJ Trial. Hip hop was shaped by these events, and consequently, I was that byproduct.

“Okay, if knowledge is the key then just show me the lock.” — Check The Rhime by A Tribe Called Quest.

I write about politics. After all, we have been conditioned not to talk about it, because we are told it is dirty or unseemly. Yet, what we consider politics are values, and we must talk about, express, and live our values daily. Should everyone who wants to work be able to have a job, it is not politics. It is valued. Should healthcare (mental health, physical health, eye health, and dental health) be free and provided by the Government instead of employers? It is a value statement, not a political statement. Should consenting adults be able to marry whomever they love or should marriage be reserved to people of the same race and gender, is a value statement not a political statement.

Politics is the means for us to accomplish our values, do we use a regressive or progressive tax plan. Do we tax capital gains separately, or do we make it part of ordinary income? Do we ban employers from asking how much money a person made at a previous job.

I will write about religion, specifically Christianity in America and how it has been co-opted by white supremacy and is now devoid of the teachings of Jesus.

Perhaps a white person would write about their culture using lyrics from country songs to anchor their essays. I write this for those who wish to understand more about our world. I am an attorney. I was an elected member of Democratic leadership in 2020, which flipped the state of Arizona for President Biden. I have been trained by the best in politics.

Yet, despite all of that I am grounded in my blackness. I am an American descendant of Slaves. I am a husband, father, son, and brother. I invite you to follow me as I take you on a journey.

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Created on Feb 25th 2024 07:30. Viewed 53 times.

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