I'm listening to a couple of tracks from Outkast's new double cd. Hey Ya and The Way You Move. Some of the heads are screaming that this isn't hip-hop, the same way that some made noise about how Lauryn Hill's Miseducation didn't quite fit that bill.
Once any artform begins to congeal it becomes easier and easier to pigeonhole and exclude.
But damn these tracks are hot. If the heads aren't claiming this, then there's a problem.
I consider myself a democrat. I believe in expanding structures of opportunity such that everyone gets a chance to fulfill his/her destiny. I believe that the public sphere should be truly public, with every citizen given a chance to participate and express him/herself. But I also believe that democracy isn't moved forward by "the masses" but by cell groups, who are dedicated and driven by the pursuit of a new vision.
I think what we have here with the work of Outkast is an attempt (probably not a conscious one but an attempt nonetheless) to expand hiphop past the tyranny of the bling dynasty.
Comments