music / Hip-Hop

Read Q-Tip’s Hip-Hop History Lesson, As Told To Iggy Azalea

“This is just one artist reaching to another hoping to spark insight into the field you are in.”

By Aimee Cliff
December 21, 2014

After speaking up in support of Azealia Banks yesterday as part of her ongoing feud with Iggy Azalea, Q-Tip last night took it on himself to deliver a lesson in the history of hip-hop to Azalea via Twitter. In a long series of tweets which he mentioned might be his "last," the rapper told the story of the genre's roots, explained why it is intrinsically political, touched on the definition of white privilege and asked that Azalea read this not as a "chastisement" but as the beginning of a "healthy dialogue."

Read the full transcription of the tweets as they were written to Azalea below, and find them all captured here.

"Hiphop is a creative artistic and socio-political movement/culture that sprang from the disparate ghettos of NY in the early 1970s. Coming off the heels of the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT and approaching the end of the Vietnam war it was a crossroads 4 America. Specially for blacks in the US our neighborhoods were PROLIFERATED w/a rush of HEROIN. Our school systems here in NY dungeon traps with light for learning. Blk men some of whom didn't return from tours of duty n the ones who did came w/war baggage (Agent Orange, addiction etc...) These men had families but due to these events and throw into the mix the public emasculation...they proved to be handicapped parents. The surrogate parents? THE STREETS.

"The streets of gangs, crimes, and the hustlers coddled us and swept us up. But! Being a spirited, rhythmic and expressive people, music art dance outlined our existence. It proved a way for us to exalt to scream to dance to laugh and find OUR VOICE. We weren't at the time skilled musicians as kids. We had records, turntables, ideas and INGENUITY. Being natural chemists we took from whatever was availed to us and we created something mighty and special. We cut breakbeats back n forth, we took a hybrid of Jamaican toasting along w/ radio jock rap (Hank Spann, Gary Byrd etc) and we put our rap down...It was a neighborhood thing really. Black and Latino kids were carving out their space and it became infectious. Eventually Keith Cowboy coined the phrase hiphop. Yrs later the first rap record was recorded and now we r moving.

"But during these strides this country still had the monster of racism and racial insensitivity breathing and ruling. Believe it or not young black n Latino lives specifically weren't acknowledged in mainstream American culture unless of course the convo was abt gangs, being criminal or uneducated. And hey! Like I stated early our families were rushed our schools sucked and we were left to put devices to survive. But HIPHOP showed that we had DEPTH, fire, and BRILLIANCE. The music was undeniable! It moved from NY n became national and even GLOBAL. Hiphop now was FOR EVERYBODY!! All of those who cld relate to the roots, the spirit, the history, the energy...it reached YOU.

"It touched your spirit n took u up. We magnetized you! That's what BRILLIANCE does! Now u are fulfilling your dreams...BUT! You have to take into account the HISTORY as you move underneath the banner of hiphop. As I said before, hiphop is fun it's vile it's dance it's traditional it's light hearted but 1 thing it can never detach itself from is being a SOCIO-Political movement. U may ask why...well, once you are born black your existence I believe is joined with socio-political epitaph and philos based on the tangled and treacherous history SLAVERY alone. This is the case. It never leaves our conversation...ever. Whether in our universities our dinner tables our studios or jail cells, the effect still resonates with us. It hurts...we get emotional and angry and melancholy. Did you know President Clinton was the ONLY PRESIDENT to apologize for it? Did u know that remnants of slavery exist today thru white privilege? When certain 'niceties' r extended your way because of how u look? Isn't that crazy? I say this 2 say u are a hiphop artist who has the right 2 express herself however she wishes. This is not a chastisement this is not admonishment at ALL this is just one artist reaching to another hoping to spark insight into the field you r in. I say this in the spirit of a hopeful healthy dialogue that maybe one day we can continue. I've been on Twitter a long time and this will probably be my last series of tweets pretty much but I'm kool with it as long as I got to share this w u. Zzzzzzz's up! Peace!"

Photo credit: Cindy Ord/Getty

UPDATE 12/21 11:18 pm: T.I., whose Grand Hustle label Azalea is signed to, has responded to Q-Tip's tweets on Twitter. Read his response below:

UPDATE 12/23 9:33 am: Iggy Azalea took to Twitter last night to respond to the criticism she's faced over the last few days—her tweets are below:

Posted: December 21, 2014
Q-Tip Iggy Azalea
Hip-Hop, Iggy Azalea, Q-Tip

Recommended

music / News
Read Q-Tip’s Hip-Hop History Lesson, As Told To Iggy Azalea