 by Anu Cherucheril
While watching a Destiny’s Child video, my 9-year-old cousin put his hands on my knees, searched my eyes and asked, “Anuchachy, how do I be ghetto?” I found the question alarming, to say the least. In the last six months, Mathew has visited Oklahoma, Chicago and India. He lives in a beautiful three-story home where his family is living the American Dream. When Mathew told me his favorite group was G-Unit, I rolled my eyes. “You know 50 was shot like nine times right? And he’s not even dead,” he said, nodding to reinforce his statement. Mathew lives in Prior Lake, and I’m sure he has no idea what a ghetto really is. Because of pop culture, the noun has become an adjective. Ghetto is normally deemed as negative, but in this case, it was something for Mathew to aspire to.
 What
is it about violence and “keeping it gutter” that makes an artist
seem credible? Perhaps the idea of being invincible, with superhero qualities,
is what keeps many listening. Because really, what’s cooler than immortality?
Video game companies have been banking on that question for years! Testimonials
to living the hard-knock life are what make suburban kids buy hip-hop records.
Kids who have it well want to relate to the thug lifestyle because it’s
more interesting than their own. Even Diddy’s investing in Bad Boy South,
a branch with Boyz n da Hood, 8Ball & MJG and other rappers who glorify
drugs, poverty and struggle. When hip-hop America hears a story of strife, it
doesn’t focus on the result of success, but the grimy process of getting
there. Today, if you want any play from the ladies, you better be a “Soldier.“
Destiny’s Child coos, “If his status ain’t hood, I ain’t
checkin’ for him.” Maybe this is why Mathew wants to be ghetto …
When I asked Mathew what makes G-Unit cool, he said, “I dunno. They’ve
got the cool chains, they go out all the time and get all the girls.”
The activist in me reached out and shook him by the shoulders until he socked
me in the chest. How pathetic is it that the first response he gave me was jewelry?
Mathew’s favorite song by G-Unit is “Stunt 101,” a rhyme
about cars, jewels and cash. These are the subjects that dominate Billboard’s
Top Ten. This makes me wonder if America’s obsession with materialism
influenced hip-hop or if hip-hop is to blame. One could argue that Run DMC’s
“My Adidas” is just as materialistic and pointless as “Air
Force Ones,” but it’s hard for me to justify Nelly. Not to mention
I have a weakness for shelltoes.
 How beneficial is it for a 9-year-old
to think “going out all the time” is cool? I suppose dancing is
healthy—the Chickenhead (a dance move made popular by St. Louis) usually
makes me work up a sweat. And screwdrivers do have orange juice in them. Why
“Fight the Power” when you can be “Big Pimpin’”?
After all, pimping’s what got Beyonce riding with Jay Z. Have you seen
who Flava Flav is with?
After my conversation with Mathew, I remembered loving Salt ‘n Pepa and
Heavy D because they made me dance. I’d practice the Roger Rabbit in my
basement, socks over my leggings, T-shirt tied to the side. Rappers earned credit
for being the “nicest” on the mic, not the “hardest.“
If the music made me laugh, think and shake, I found it worth listening to.
I grew up in the suburbs as a brown kid, as Mathew does now. We’ve both
been blessed to have better than “good” living conditions, yet lack
the security of fitting in. Striving to be ghetto would be a front, but wanting
to relate to those who look similar to us is an impulse. Maybe dancing was as
foolish as flossing chains and grills. Hip-hop is a culture that does not solely
live in the ghetto; it has infiltrated the suburbs. As long as the music executives
on top push consumerism and violence to the forefront, suburban kids will continue
to ask, “How do I be ghetto?” ||
Schedule of Events
The 4th Annual Twin Cities Celebration of Hip-Hop
 MAINSTAGE
FRIDAY
4:45 – Upper Midwest MC Battle Preliminaries
5:20 – Akira Johnson – St. Paul, MN
5:40 – Leroy Smokes – Twin Cities, MN
6:10 – Upper Midwest Production Battle
7:05 – Network Crew – Chicago, IL
7:30 – Upper Midwest Emcee Battle Finals
8:05 – Blue Collar Boys – Bowling Green, KY
8:30 – Moochy C – Twin Cities, MN
8:45 – Big Quarters – Twin Cities, MN
9:05 – Guardians of Balance – St. Paul, MN
9:25 – Interlock All Stars – Twin Cities, MN
9:50 – Slum Village – Detroit, MI
OUTDOORS FRIDAY
NO OUTDOOR EVENTS
 MAINSTAGE
SATURDAY
5:25 – Style Network Crew – Kansas City, MO
5:50 – Upper Midwest Beatbox Battle
6:25 – Soulistic – Minneapolis, MN
6:30 – Upper Midwest BBoy Battle Finals
7:40 – 3rd Party – Brooklyn, NY
8:00 – Purest Form – St. Paul, MN
8:20 – Trama Sutra – Queens, NY
8:40 – Fiction – Twin Cities, MN
9:10 – Knowledge MC – Twin Cities, MN
9:35 – Doomtree – Twin Cities, MN
10:05 – I Self Devine – Minneapolis, MN
 OUTDOORS
SATURDAY
4:00 – Free and Open Market Begins
4:10 – Soulistic
4:30 – Upper Midwest Bboy Battle Preliminaries
MAINSTAGE SUNDAY
5:30 – Teens Rock the Mic – Twin Cities, MN
5:40 – Indigo – St. Paul, MN
6:00 – Upper Midwest DJ Battle
 7:00
– Upper Midwest Dance Battle Finals
7:40 – Melody Beats – Twin Cities, MN
7:55 – HEAT – Twin Cities, MN
8:10 – Cleazy – Bowling Green, KY
8:30 – AD – Minneapolis, MN
8:50 – Maria Isa – Puerto Rico/St. Paul
9:15 – Illuminous 3 – Minneapolis, MN
9:35 – The C.O.R.E. – Minneapolis, MN
10:00 – Slick Rick – New York, NY
 OUTDOORS
SUNDAY
4:00 – Free and Open Market Begins
4:30 – Upper Midwest Dance Battle Preliminaries
7:00 – Free and Open Market Ends
BREAKDANCING WORKSHOPS
With Daylight and Asia-One
Call YO! The Movement for more info...612.874.YOYO (9696)
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