Chuck D and KRS-One have responded to Bow Wow’s comments about Hip Hop needing a “board,” extending an invite for him to join a discussion about the topic.
Shad Moss sparked a debate among rap fans earlier this month when he fired off a tweet calling for Hip Hop to unionize in order to govern the culture and take care of its aging stars.
“Hip hop needs a board!” he wrote. “No different than the NBA w/ the players association. A committee. That can set rules and keep things in control and protect this thing we call hip hop! And have a retirement plan for the og rappers. I hate seeing my heros liquor’d out no money just washed.”
Chuck D, KRS-One, Kurtis Blow and Doug E. Fresh teamed up to establish the Hip Hop Alliance in July 2022 to address and represent the needs of the culture. Now, they’ve released a joint statement addressing Bow Wow’s comments.
“Like every other aspect of society’s workforce, the artists and creators of Hip Hop need protection, support and advocacy,” read the statement, per Rock The Bells. “From label disputes to intellectual property retrieval and the need for an overall governing body, the Hip Hop Alliance was established.
“Recent comments this weekend created a unique opportunity to bring forth a conversation that many in Hip Hop & R&B have been addressing for a long time. The need of a governing body of Hip Hop. The goal of HHA is to empower artists to make informed decisions about their career and ensure that their rights are respected and protected.”
The Hip Hop Alliance also extended an invitation to Bow Wow to join a conversation on Clubhouse on Friday (January 20) at 7 p.m. EST so he can become better acquainted with the organization’s efforts and goals. The former child star also received an invitation to HHA’s Black History Month online conference on February 25.
“As our culture comes together to honor and celebrate the 50th year of the creation of Hip Hop, now is the time for all of us to come together,” the statement continued. “In that spirit, we invite our brother Bow Wow to join us this coming Friday (January 20) at 7 p.m. EST on the Clubhouse app and/or our Black History Month online conference on Tuesday (February 25) at 4 p.m. EST on the HHA YouTube page.
“In fact, all of the Hip Hop community is invited to these two informative conversations about the HHA, as we continue to build this organization to advocate, inform and service our brothers and sisters’ needs and concerns throughout the Hip Hop ecosystem. We welcome all of the Hip Hop culture to roll up their sleeves and join us, as we work to uplift, honor, and protect Hip Hop, for its past, present, and future.”
According to its website, the Hip Hop Alliance is a “strategic partnership that represents the needs and concerns of the Hip Hop and R&B workforce through advocacy, information, and service.”
Bow Wow is far from the first artist to have called for structural reform in the rap game. Last year, Big K.R.I.T spoke about the need for a union in Hip Hop during an interview with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden.
“We were talking about a union before we got on this show,” the Mississippi native said. “And I was like, ‘Musicians have a union, most people have a union, why artists don’t have a union?’ I see mad artists they go through the process. They either have a hit record or they don’t. They get signed, they get dropped.”
He added: “They break down, they get on drugs, they go to the streets. But there’s no collective to call and be like, ‘Hey, man. I need to go to rehab. Hey, man. I need help with these bills. I acquired too much. What’s a good lawyer I can go to? What is the deal I signed?’”
What hip hop needs is people who teach rappers to get their bag and move on and invest in a business. Hip hop is the only genre that young fans shit on the legends. With that being said, the OGs dont owe these kids shit. If whatever 19 year old rapper of the month blows all his money on bullshit and next year he aint poppin, thats his problem. Should have took that money and put it to work to make more money.
Amen
I been said this way back when Serato killed the DJ market. Promoters started paying DJs crumbs while they pocket the door and the bar. Hip Needs set wages and more and medical.
No, hiphop needs a good kick in da ass! Fuck you talkin bout?! These are grown ass men that don’t know how to conduct business or read a God damned contract so they need help when they piss all their wage and bonuses on juugs and hookers? GROW UP! Fuck help, help yourself! Only black Americans do this shit! Only black Americans bro!
Most can not read or even spell. Or know basic functions in life
Unfortunately hip hop is no longer an art form, it’s a sport, and not a real sport, more like wrestling, mostly fake. Like it or not 90% of hip hop is pop and aimed at early teens, people who believe everything they hear.
Doing it on Clubhouse like some teenagers. Set the bar higher.
Doing a conference on Clubhouse. Thatll show em.
It doesn’t need a board it needs integrity. All the phony studio thugs. All the phony bad ass bitches. It’s full of actors and actresses portraying a shallow culture. Unfortunately some people fall for this crap. They actually think it’s real.
Wow, a bunch of ignorant ass comments in here that has absolutely nothing to do with the issue being addressed. It has nothing to do with the quality of music currently being released, or rather the artists are “real” or not, or the fact that the artists are black. That one’s next level stupid. The fact is the music industry has a long history of screwing over artists to due to ignorance and opportunity. Most artists are signed at a young age when they have very little understanding of its inner workings, and unsurprisingly don’t think about the long term ramifications of the contracts they sign. This is not done by accident. We’ve seen many talented, intelligent artists recently fighting to get their just due for the music they created. If they can come together and create a group that can mitigate this imbalance, how is that a bad thing?
Wow, a bunch of ignorant ass comments in here that has absolutely nothing to do with the issue being addressed. It has nothing to do with the quality of music currently being released, or rather the artists are “real” or not, or the fact that the artists are black. That one’s next level stupid. The fact is the music industry has a long history of screwing over artists to due to ignorance and opportunity. Most artists are signed at a young age when they have very little understanding of its inner workings, and unsurprisingly don’t think about the long term ramifications of the contracts they sign. This is not done by accident. We’ve seen many talented, intelligent artists recently fighting to get their just due for the music they created. If they can come together and create a group that can mitigate this imbalance, how is that a bad thing?
Amen I agree with you 100%
Greetings all..I think a Giverning Board for HIP HOP is XCLLNT..becuz WE need that in order to fix what’s broken, weed out what’s NOT HIP HOP, and have a official collective fund from all artists & producers/dj’s to regulate what WE CREATED, and provide a pension for the founding 1st generation mbrs of contributors of hip hop. This fund must be a mbrs only fund, and must be SCREENED as not everybody who is in hip hop now belongs there & the committee must set rules for hip hop, and prioritize setting up collective marketing, distribution, & independent label mgmnt & structure & support, along with collective ownership rights for all participating mbrs. This fund will also be used to improve and build independent k-12 schools in the black & brown communities nationwide! Pay teachers w/respectable salaries, and build & promote the independent MELINATED OWNED housing, banking, and community infrastructures needed in order to be self reliant collectively. I’m from thar 1st/2nd generation in the BX. Grew up in Endenwald & Gun Hill projects, promoted Cold Crush Bros, Grandmaster Flash & Theordore, Spoonie G, Fab 5, Ramelzee, Busy B, Sha Rock, Rakim Allah, KRS1 & Scott LA Rock, ..did burners on the 2s & 5s 241st & Dyre Ave, so I’ve been living hip hop ever since becuz IM a B-BOY! I want to ve apart of this setting brcuz hip hop needs it BAD! Hit me
empirestateenterprises@gmail.com
This shit is on its last leg. Rap, fortunately, will be dead sooner than later.
This shit is on its last leg. Rap, fortunately, will be dead sooner than later.
I want to be a part of this discussion on the union