He pointed his finger and with disgust with the words rolling from his lips as he said, “The problem with you is that you are an idealist, a freakin’ idealist!”
A respected music journalist, he hurled the accusation at me. For some reason it landed as an insult as one of the other men on the panel agreed with him. They laughed and high fived. I remember sitting there on a panel at a Hip Hop conference in Denver not knowing whether or not I was supposed to feel small. Was he questioning my intelligence? Was I wrong for being the way that I am?
Of course, I am witty and have eight years of competitive speaking under my belt so I later came back with the appropriate intellectual jab. I caught him with his own words, but the sting stayed with me for years.
For two decades my idealism has been soaked, stewed and dipped in Hip Hop. At times it has made for an appetizing, soul feeding experience. Then there were other times where it left me feeling starved. Even I questioned my ideas and choices. Why did I love this thing that way too often didn’t seem to love me back?
Toni Spittin’ & Speaking in Kang, Botswana
There are still many who hear the words Hip Hop and the only thing that comes to mind is the latest “it” rapper or pop rap song but for those of us steeped in the culture it means so much more. This poem I wrote after hearing Kalamu ya Salaam’s poem, “The Blues is Not” inspired the piece below which best explains my perspective.
tagging your heart not walls
hip hop is not music
it is not dance
it is not djing or writing
it is not rhyming
no voice is needed
hip hop is not beats
it is not the
boom bap, the boom-boom bap
but the way the
boom bap
feels when it vibrates through
ooh
hip hop is not song
nor is it singing
or even speaking
it is not windmills
it is not 12-inch vinyls
or 16-ounce cans of krylon paint
it is tagging
your heart
not walls
it is feeling
it is not hard core
or soft
it is not old school
or new
it is not east, west
or even worldwide
it is within
My idealism keeps bringing me back to the center of who I am and as the years go by I get to know myself even better. The one thing that I’ve done regardless of circumstances is host and lead ciphers and cipher workshops via Freestyle Union Cipher Workshop and Rhyme like a Girl, both projects I created because I believe in the power of the spoken word, storytelling and rap as an oral tradition. I am just as passionate about the potential of using freestyle (improvisational) rap to promote social responsibility, critical thinking skills, creativity and confidence as I was when I first began in the 90s.
Some outgrow their ideals and some get stuck in them, while others attach to new ones. I am refining mine as I expand and update my vision. I no longer feel insulted by the term and I’ve discovered that I have enough “realist” running through my veins to keep me grounded. It feels good to be grown. I now love myself as much as I love Hip Hop and have no shame in in being me.
Signed,
Toni Blackman
An Unapologetic Idealist
Click here to support Toni’s work: http://www.gofundme.com/6mwrcg
Travels of a Lyrical Ambassador 