Same Old New School 8: Hip Hop and Protest Part II

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Every Monday at 8:30 p.m. Kevin Coval and Idris Goodwin take over Vocalo’s IG Live to look at how hip-hop intersects with culture, politics, fashion and more. It’s a half-hour of hip-hop, laughs and wisdom from some of the best guys in the game. It’s Same Old New School.

On this follow-up to last week’s episode, the duo uses the history of hip hop to get perspective on this past weekend’s George Floyd protests. It’s a moving and powerful episode that reminds us all the work does not begin or end with this past weekend.

Watch the full episode above, or stream it below at the end of the article.

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Five Percent Nation

Joe Biden spoke in a virtual town hall during the week saying that “10 to 15 percent of Americans” are “not very good people.” Despite the political underlining in the vice president’s remarks, Goodwin and Coval get reminded of the teachings of the Five Percent Nation, a faith-based movement coming out of the civil rights movement. The Five Percenters’ teachings revolve around the importance of black lives in the world through the lens of Islamic teachings, and has proved instrumental to the development of early hip-hop.

Five Percenters had a strong influence in hip-hop. Embedded in the music you would even find Five Percenter terminology… There is no hip-hop as we know it without Five Percenters.

Public Enemy

Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy was released thirty years ago in 1990, but the messages and themes of racism, inequality and white supremacy still resonate with the  struggles and fears persisting in the world today.

It’s called “Fear of a Black Planet.” And that’s what’s happening now. Because what it is, black folk have had undeniable influence in hip hop at this point and we have been muzzled. But hip hop says ‘we’re going to do it on our time, our terms, we’re going to tell you what’s really going on, whether you like it or not.’

KRS-One

For Idris Goodwin and Kevin Coval, none have been as influential in their development of finding their political voice as KRS-One. With hard-hitting and quick-witted rapping on social and political themes, KRS-One gained the nickname of “The Teacher,” fully jumping into this new name with 1990’s Edutainment.

-What is one of the artists that hip hop put out or prepared you to dissect white supremacy or put you on to a different aspect of it?

-Oh KRS-One, definitely

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Tune in on IG Live every Monday at 8:30 p.m. for more episodes

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