July 4th: Day of Celebration

by Frank

If you haven't noticed yet, it’s the 4th of July today, and while most of the country is celebrating, having barbecues and waving as many flags as possible, the underground hip hop community tends to have a different mind state on days like these. For the revolutionary backpacker, rocking a Che Guevara shirt and bumping Ras Kass’ 'Nature of the Threat' is an easy way to get the flag-waving population up in arms.

Today, the entire nation celebrates its independence. But what was that whole war for independence really about? Land. Instead we call it independence. And genocide? Manifest destiny. It sounds more magical that way, making it easier to justify one’s current way of living and persecute any aspiring revolutionary.

Hip Hop is a very unique genre of music. Fast-paced lyrics result in more being said. This, among many other reasons, has made hip hop an ideal art form in the fight to bring knowledge and change to the world. As fans and artists, we take pride in declaring our allegiances. We know that the underground culture only continues to grow. We congregate at shows such as those of Guerilla Union, and have nothing but the utmost respect for one another, knowing that if anarchy broke out tomorrow, you guys would be in the trenches together.

So on this day, and every other 4th of July, let’s rock those Che shirts and bump that Ras Kass with pride. Let’s celebrate our awareness and our ability to see through the fake. And let’s celebrate the music. Drop some comments, what do ya’ll bump on days like these, and who on this front is makin mad noise on the Cali scene?