Malcolm X & Hip Hop

Monday May 19th: Lets all take time out and reflect upon what would've
been the 78th birthday of El Hajj Malik El Shabazz aka Malcolm X.
Where would Hip Hop be had the fiery Civil Rights leader was still
around? There is no doubt, that Malcolm would've been involved with
the Hip Hop generation. He most likely would've offered us his
guidance, loaned keen insight and given up a lot of game about the
inner workings of the music biz. He would've been a driving force
that would've encouraged Hip Hop to sustain the early path it took in
the direction of social commentary and social upliftment. Malcolm X
who was a strong believer in us owning our own things would've no
doubt encouraged Hip Hoppers to do whatever it took to own their own
creations. He was not about the business of folks getting pimped.

Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 but his connection to Hip Hop has
been a long and strangely eerie one. The man who once ran the streets
of Harlem, lived the fast life and spent time in prison was a bona
fide 'Hip Hopper' of sorts back in the days of his youth. Malcolm
went to all the latest shows, hung out with all the coolest music
cats. He was up on the latest happenings as they were emerging from
the streets. Back when he was a youth, Malcolm who was always known
for keeping it real was down with the whole scene.. But for those of
us who were around during the early days of Hip Hop, you may recall
one the most happening hot spots was a place called the Audubon
Ballroom. It was the spot right across the street from the
Presbyterian Hospital. This was the place where Malcolm X was
assassinated. By the late 70s it was the spot for some of the most
memorable Hip Hop parties featuring everyone from Grandmaster Flash to
Grand Wizard Theodore. Who didn't go to the Audubon?

Malcolm's spirit was constantly being invoked because back in the days
popular deejays, in particular Afrika Bambaataa would play excerpts
from his speeches over popular break beats Years later people like
myself as well as numerous others would follow suit on air. To this
day I still pull out 'Message To The Grass Roots' or Ballot of the
Bullet' and rock them over funky beats. Playing Malcolm was done on
the regular, it didn't matter whether it was his birthday or not.

Malcolm was a constant companion to the early Hip Hop generation.
Just to give you an idea of how popular Malcolm X was, there were
pressing of some of his famous speeches on Paul Winley records that
sold like hot cakes during Hip Hop's early days. In these reissued
recordings a fictional announcer had been inserted asking Malcolm
pertinent questions on all sorts of pressing issues ranging from his
views on non-violence to the concept of Black Nationalism. The
answers to the announcers questions were of course taken from various
Malcolm X speeches, in particular The Ballot or the Bullet speech. The ironic thing about Malcolm being recorded on Paul Winley records
was the fact that this small label was one of the first to compile
popular break beats and issue them on a series of albums. I still
have my collection and to this day I play cuts like 'Cheeba Cheeba',
'Bra' and 'Scratchin' and the 'Funky Penguin' to name a few. Everyone
who was into Hip Hop back then had at least one Paul Winley record..
His releases proceeded Sugar Hill by more then a few years..

In later years especially around the Afrocentric period of Hip Hop
[1987-93], Malcolm's distinctive voice was heard on more albums then I
can name. Everyone from 3X Dope to Sway & Tech sampled Malcolm X.
His popularity with the Hip Hop generation was due to the fact that he
was seen as someone who would take 'no shorts'. Folks admired his
militant stance on things. The fact that Malcolm grew up in the hood
and 'lived the life' made him even more relatable. The fact that he
was able to turn his life around after going to prison was inspiring.
A lot of younger people understood that if Malcolm could make it
happen, so could they.. One should also note that since his death
Malcolm had profoundly impacted the young generation in each decade
that followed. In the 60s he inspired the Black Panthers who in fact
referred to themselves as 'Children of Malcolm'. In the 70s he
inspired early Hip Hoppers. In the 80s, he inspired Hip Hop's
Afrocentric period. Malcolm's influence began to wane sometime in the
90s. You stopped hearing his voice on records due the music industry
and his estate seriously cracking down on 'illegal samples'. One
wasn't free to simply put Malcolm's voice on record. Using his voice
as was also the case with Martin Luther King, required one to go
through some rigorous clearance procedures. For many, the trouble and
expense it took was not worth it after a while. Adding to that was
you now had a new younger generation of Hip Hoppers who were coming up
at a time when social consciousness was seen as being soft and
ineffective. Being a gangster was the order of the day.

For many, Malcolm X is someone they know about because they may have
had to read his autobiography, but his voice and what he was actually
saying his relatively unknown by most. To illustrate this example, a
couple of years ago at 12 noon deejay Mind Motion of 106 KMEL, opened
up his mix show with a quote from Malcolm where he says 'Lets stop
singing and start swinging'. It was lifted from a Motion Man record
that came out several years ago. When I went around and asked people
if they knew who the voice was, hardly any of the younger folks I came
across recognized Malcolm X's voice. But then again why would they?
When was the last time they heard a Malcolm X speech? When have they
last seen his image on TV? When was the last time folks took time out
to reflect upon his birthday? Better yet who last had a conversation
with them about Malcolm? Check out KPFA 94.1 FM today between 7-10pm
when Malcolm X will be properly honored..