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This commentary is by Joe Resteghini, principal of Champlain Elementary School in Burlington.
In August of 1988, I went to soccer camp with my school team. One of the camp kids brought a radio and played the public his Enemy song “Don’t Believe the Hype” at practice on the first morning.
I was fascinated. The beat was difficult. The lyrics were difficult. I was overwhelmed by Flavor Flav’s vocals.
I grew up outside New York City and listened to DJ Red Alert radio show on Friday nights. Frederick Crute (DJ Red) piqued my curiosity about hip-hop music.
I was already cranking Run DMC in my room, reading comics, studying lyrics, and wanting to get an Adidas shell toe. Thanks to my parents’ appreciation of New York radio, I was listening to all kinds of music, but hip-hop was new and not a genre my parents could understand. The lyrics were controversial. Again, Marvin Gaye didn’t avoid controversy, did he?
When I got home on that hot August day and dialed in the lyrics, I was hooked. My interpretation, a black man made a statement and spoke to me about dealing with racism. My team and school friends were diverse in race and culture. The music was an intellectual discussion of beats that took me on a journey.
Playing baseball in college, all I listened to on my trip to Virginia was Nas’ legendary Illmatic. Again, a statement about racism, a lifelong struggle my friend endured in that moment and continues to endure today.
The music and culture of hip-hop – the art of hip-hop – is an integral aspect, an intertwined culture, and even essential in deconstructing the racist system that has existed and continues to exist. affect food. The great thing about hip hop is that it continues to evolve with lyrics, beats and artists that inspire my son to listen to his Spotify playlists and help honor the roots of the music my son listens to.
I used to listen to my father’s music, especially the Temptations, but my son appreciates De La Soul. At the same time, he forms his own tastes and listens to messages. Check out “Pray for Haiti” by Mach Hommy. As a statement of disruption, as art, and as a way of showing my respect, I offer my gratitude and admiration to music and culture.
As February comes to an end, we continue to celebrate black history, and as we approach the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, I want to thank and celebrate the music that has shaped my life. Hip-hop is a way of anti-racism, a way of identifying struggles that white people don’t fully understand.
As music continues to evolve, we must continue to evolve and grow, recognizing that there is hope if we are determined to change.
I am white with all the advantages of being white and of my gender. I’m also a student of hip-hop music and lyrics, an avid anti-racist educator, and a vocal ally of the marginalized.
Go ahead and crank Kendrick Lamar proudly. Listen carefully to the lyrics (parental guidance recommended). Check out our Black Thought tribute here. Black history is our history.