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Our chapter, “Ya Basta Con Latino!: The Re-Indigenization and Re-Africanization of Hip-Hop,” with Luis ‘Pancho’ McFarland, appears in La Verdad: A Reader of Hip Hop Latinidad, (The Ohio State University Press, 2016), Eds., Melissa Castillo-Garsow and Jason Nichols
Coming October 2016
Question for Dr. Ball:
Have you spoken about the whole Afrika Bambaataa molestation thing yet? I find the silence surrounding this extremely suspicious and disheartening amongst so-called “hip hop scholars/activists”. Plus, the fact of the likes of Talib Kweli and KRS-One coming to the ‘rescue’ does not help my suspicions either. Are they doing this in response to reflexive loyalty…or because they know more than they should and may be hiding their own culpability? The Zulu Nation kicked out their founder and yet some still rush to his defense, which speaks wonders to me.
Anyway, I was just wondering how you, the Killer Bs, and the rest of the hip-hoppers were feeling on the subject. I love Afrika Bambaataa, but not enough to let this slide. Hopefully it is not true, but knowing this media industry culture, it does make me think.
Lord Jamar: Rumors Afrika Bambaataa Gay for 20 Years, Lying About Victim – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n44y3XDycmk
So it is that time in the decade when African cultural work needs to be shared amongst our brown “friends” in order to create that coveted Black-brown alliance? What does “re-Indigenization” mean and why is it put before “re-Africanization” (and what does that mean? Has hip hop been successfully “de-Africanized?)? I shiver in anticipation for this upcoming “dialogue”.
Beware of [insert vague ‘racial’ group here] bearing gifts…
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