Of course, not all modern rap is mindless and consumer-driven. In 2012, an English rapper called Plan B released the album 'Ill manors'. This album follows the lives of a group of people, living in a rough area of East London, similar to where Plan B himself grew up. One particularly sad song, 'playing with fire', tells the story of a thirteen year old boy who joins a gang and ends up shooting a teenage girl. He is then shot and killed by the girl's brother, a member of a rival gang.
Plan B- Playing with fire
The title track 'ill manors' was inspired by the London riots of 2011. These broke out after a young black man, named Mark Duggan, was shot by the police. This is reminiscent of the Broadwater farm riot of the 1980's, which also started in Tottenham, an impoverished area of London. Plan B believes the riots were the result of the deprivation and poverty many people have been experiencing for decades. He feels the issue of poverty in England was never fully addressed until when the riots occurred. During the riots, many people engaged in 'looting', stealing items from shops. The most popular stolen items were designer sports shoes and blackberry mobile phones, because these are the items society views as symbols of status.
Plan B- Ill manors
Plan B wants to abolish the word 'chav'( a derogatory term directed at lower-class people) and doesn't like the way it is used openly in the media. He compares it to other offensive words related to race, gender or sexuality, and believes it reinforces the place of poor people in society, by saying they somehow deserve to be there because they are inferior. This label also alienates people from unfortunate backgrounds and makes them feel as if they are unwanted by society, which causes people to commit crimes because they feel like that is their only option to succeed.
Plan B chose the medium of rap for this album because he wanted to connect with young people from troubled backgrounds. These people often have little respect for authority figures, due to feeling alienated by society, but they do respect rap artists. In 'ill manors' Plan B aims to attract disadvantaged young people with rap music, but also promote positive values to them. He mentions that a lot of rap music glamorizes gang culture and teenagers need to learn the truth. 'If you get shot, you're gonna die. 50 cent's lucky to be alive (rapper 50 cent was shot nine times, leaving him with a hole in his tongue). In reality, if you get shot once you're gonna die' Plan B, 2012).
In a world of flashy bling and scantily clad dancers, Plan B and other artists like him are a shining beacon of hope. The album captures the same spirit of protest and social activism as the songs of the early rap days, proving that rap music isn't a dying art. Like any other genre, there is intelligent, insightful rap music being made, but it probably won't be found on MTV.
No comments:
Post a Comment