Biography Of Malcolm X

Influential Black Nationalist spokesmen Malcolm X, and others alike, preached racial solidarity, economic self-sufficiency, and black self-help during the tumultuous times of the 1960’s in America. Organizations like the SNCC, CORE, Black Panther Party, and Black Muslims attracted hundreds of thousands of followers for the sole purpose of bringing the black community, during these tremendously hard times, together. Musicians like Otis Redding, Ray Charles, and Sam Cooke touched on the struggles of the black man during this time period. It wasn’t until 10 years later that self-conscious poetry spoke of Black Nationalism over a beat, but from that point on the genre coined “hip-hop” has transformed.

Of the several organizations that brought African Americans together during the 60’s were the Black Muslims. During this time, the Black Muslims preached hatred towards the “white devils” saying that the white man was doomed to failure. They also preached liberation from the white man and freedom from conformity of racial stereotypes. Along with fighting to stray away from these typecasts, the Black Muslims addressed self-help and promoted black business. Although the cry for a separate territory was never heard, one predominant voice stood out.

Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska to a Baptist minister who had been an organizer for Marcus Garvey’s United Negro Improvement Association (2012:20). After getting out of prison, Malcolm X began spreading his message. Seen as radical at times, he quickly gained notoriety in the Black community by campaigning violence, “If you’re interested in freedom you need some judo, you need some karate, you need all the things that will help you fight for freedom” (Malcolm X). It is within these spe...

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...story telling of the reality they see every day. Nonetheless, many of these narratives of their own life are either completely false or highly exaggerated.

It goes without saying that hip-hop has changed. It began as a social practice of African-centered liberation to transform the black community or bring the youth together in unity, but towards the 90’s and onto the hip-hop scene in todays day and age, it is anything but that. The youth of today will know Tupac Shakur and beautify or streamline his self-destructive “thug life” but remain in the dark of figures like Mutulu and Afeni Shakur. Although this is a sad reality to live in, it is not hip-hops responsibility to change this. It is the responsibility of artists alike representing an oppressed populace to speak meaningfully in their art, in someway or another, for the liberation of their people.