The Moral Dilemma of Writing 'The Miseducation of Hip-Hop'
Normally, I would end with a fiery conclusion about history and Hip-Hop to conclude 'The Miseducation of Hip-Hop' series. However, at this time, I will not do that. I can't do that.
History is an ever progressing concept. It doesn't have a definitive end. What is going on in the present will eventually find itself in our history. Our goal as historians is to grasp the stories of the past and to bring light to them, remember them and to bring them to the forefront of the public consciousness. In the context of Hip-Hop, it means that we need to sometimes rectify our perspectives on the past.
Hence, it is why 'The Miseducation of Hip-Hop' timeline was created.
It is, however, during that same time period that I and the rest of the team came to a moral dilemma. History isn't pretty, not neat. It is a complex and sometimes convoluted thing. It is filled with people and characters that we can both admire and despise. The field that I love and cherish so much is no different.
During the last few articles, we talked about characters that the history of Hip-Hop have often called "fathers of Hip-Hop". Those two being Afrika Bambataa and Russell Simmons. The moral issue at hand is what do we do with them. Both of them have been accused of sexual misconduct and deviances. Bambataa has been accused of child sexual abuse and molestation; this has been an occurrence since the 1970's. Russell Simmons has been accused of multiple counts of serious sexual assault.
Neither have been brought to justice, as the statute of limitations has run out on Afrika Bambataa and Russell Simmons sold his assets and moved to Bali, a country without extradition to the United States.
We opted not to show their faces.
At Boss Moves Network and in the specific branch of the Rap Clash, we refuse to encourage or participate in actions, people or in associations that would allow for abusers to continue to violate people or let them get away.
So what do we do with history? How do we move on when we know that something is wrong and nothing can or has been done about it?
Historians and the Hip-Hop community continue to debate on that topic. We can't erase either history, but we can safeguard our future and our loved ones by exposing the past. It's triggering, but it's one of the few things that we can do to protect the ones that we love from those who violate the dignity and rights of others.