A National Plan To Take Down The Man? Hip Hop Heads Gather In Chicago To Plot Political Takeover

The Man must be getting nervous. Just when he thought his Hip Hop destruction project, Operation Kill-A-Nation, was on cruise control through mega-media conglomerates like Viacom and Clear Channel, crews of Hip Hop heads from all parts of the US roll deep to Chicago, Illinois to work on a plan to discombobulate his racist, classist and sexist power structure at the recent 2006 National Hip Hop Political Convention (NHHPC).

Money, Power, Respect.

Themed “Money, Power, Respect”, the four day convention held July 20-23, 2006 at various Chicago locales centered around educating Hip Hop generationers on how to successfully earn, demand and work for all three.

The first of the bi-annual NHHPCs took place in Newark, New Jersey in July, 2004, and much like in 2004, the 2006 convention was packed with sessions ranging from “Power Mapping” to the “Evolution of Graffiti”, aimed at attracting heads of all political engagement levels.

In one room, Hip Hop archivist Davey D calls out names of those responsible for programming at major “urban” radio networks; down the hall political organizer Malia Lazu gives advice to those wishing to run for office; in the auditorium, Dr. James White aka “The Ghetto Priest” tells a hushed crowd, “Hip Hop has a role to play in addressing the paradigm of the New World Order.”

The various Soul, poetry and Hip Hop Performances from local legends like Kuumba Lynx and D.A. Smart further enlivened the space between the discussions, with the finale of the convention for most attendees being the free outdoor concert featuring Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, L.E.G.A.C.Y., the Anomalies, and more in Mandrake Park, located in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville district.

Everyone seemed to learn a lot and to have a really good time, but in an era when “Hip Hop”, “youth” and “voting” can combine to form odd monstrosities like Diddy’s "Vote or Die!" campaign or Russell Simmons’ "Hip-Hop Summit Action Network", skeptics wonder whether the NHHPC is proof that the motley crew of thugs, buppies and b-boys (and their female counterparts) known as the Hip Hop generation is really ready to take their share of political cake?

“I tell you what,” says convention spokeswoman La’keisha Gray-Sewell, “that ragtag group of folks that are coming from all walks of life all hold some very basic principles. We all want to be economically empowered. We all want to have a say so in the quality of life in our communities, and to feel like when we talk about something, that someone hears us…so if everybody mobilizes behind those issues it’s a beautiful thing.”

Despite the common assumption that Hip Hoppers are “apathetic” or “lazy” ebonic speaking pound cake stealers, many of the attendees have already been mobilizing behind these issues and more in their hometowns. In Pittsburgh, 30-year-old Khari Mosley leads voter mobilization efforts among the highly influential block of constituents known as “swing voters”. In Cincinnati, 27-year-old Kofi Jones, education director of the National Hip-Hop Political Convention uses art and activism to engage young people to vote and find their civic voice. In Milwaukee, Source Magazine Political Correspondent Robert “Biko” Baker uses Hip Hop and politics to encourage youth to “Stop the Violence” in a city which saw a double digit homicide spike in 2005. Continued on page 2 »