Earlier this morning I read an interesting article on the Daily Kos website called "
America's Soft Power Secret: Hip Hop" about how Hip Hop is a worldwide phenomenon, and how the United States could improve its image around the world by using Hip Hop as a diplomatic tool. I wholeheartedly agree with the general concept of music being a unifying and eye opening tool, and in response I wanted to look around to find some examples of how Hip Hop is being utilized around the world to change societal perceptions. After all, from its very genesis Hip Hop has been as much about politics - on either the micro or the macro level - as about entertainment. What I found was an example of Hip Hop being used for more than just a "soft power" tool. I found a prime example of Hip Hop being used as a positive force for change.
I have recently begun to follow German-Turkish Hip Hop artist Chefket. His work is often soulful and his rhymes are intricate and engaging both lyrically and rhythmically. On
Der Blinde Gärtner, his contribution to the "Deutschlands vergessene Kinder" compilation album, Chefket digs deeply into Hip Hop as the music of story telling to tell harrowing stories of child neglect and child abuse, in other words - as the title of the album indicates - Germany's forgotten children. This, to me, is the essence of what Hip Hop can accomplish anywhere in the world: it is the music of the powerless telling the world about personal experiences that have universal meaning. At its worst, Hip Hop is often about braggadocio, violence, and misogyny. But at its best, it can be a window into deeper truths, and can hopefully be an inspiration to positive action.
