The Overwhelming Stolen Feeling

June 19, 2019

Last month, my family had the privilege to see the Hamilton musical.  My God!  What a great musical!  I had been waiting to see this musical for about 3 years.  With the combination of United States history and Hip-Hop coming together, I knew my family would be attached to this musical.  What I did not know was how much my attachment would feel stolen in the future.

Once we got our copy of the musical’s soundtrack, we were hooked.   The musical became something the whole family liked.  Eventually, it became a curriculum for my kids.  My wife created vocabulary lists for our children.  We broke down the historical context of each song.  The children worked on their public speaking by doing repeated Karaoke versions of the musical.  For nearly 3 years, if you visited my house, there would be a good chance my family would break into a song (in unison) to the musical.  So, when the chance came for us to see it, we were overwhelmed by the generosity of such a gift.

Upon arriving to the theatre, something seemed off.  As we parked, my wife and I noticed most of the People of Color (non-Europeans) were the staff members of the building.  Patrons of the musical were mostly white; most People of Color watching the musical were at the top of the balcony with us.  Unless you had binoculars (like we did), you could not see the cast members very well.  But my family did not care because we knew the songs inside and out; this was OUR musical.  It felt like a flashback.  I began to imagine what it would be like to be Black in the 1920s and trying to see Duke Ellington but feeling out of place as a patron versus being part of the night club’s paid help.  I was there to see something that was culturally part of me, but I felt very much like an outsider.

As the musical began, I wondered about the following:  How could the first number of the musical not move you?! It was an all-Black cast poetically telling a story of the birth of a United States that for all intents and purposes never sought to include Black people (or any People of Color). How artistically ironic and amazing! I was hoping to see lots of people standing or reciting with excitement. I did see them; they were the Black and Brown youth in the audience (in the balcony of the music hall).  As the musical went on, there were songs that should make you feel like you were at a concert; should make you want to dance.  The majority of the audience did applaud, but they did not dance.  They did not appear to experience the musical.

The longer the show went on, I got very introspective. I remember Sidney Poitier’s character in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) saying, "We are the Watusi." This line in the movie suggested that Black people have a different connection to their music than their white counterparts.  The musical was more than a musical; it was more than the history of the United States. The musical featured my culture:  Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop was being used to tell a story that was familiar. The audience was applauding Hip-Hop telling the good, the bad, and the ugly of the birth of the United States of America. Yet, part of me felt conflicted. I felt a stolen type of feeling because Hip-Hop was being praised, but only because in many ways it was maintaining the status quo about the history of the United States.

Hip-Hop was birthed as the voice of the voiceless in the ghettos of the USA.  Hip-Hop has been used to tell the good, the bad, and the ugly of predominantly Black and Brown people.  It is ironic that over the last 40 years, many of the Hip-Hop artists that have been bashed by mainstream white (affluent) USA sit at the center of the Hamilton musical.  Evidenced by the success of this musical, it is OK for Eminem, Melle-Mel, Snoop Dogg, DMX, Jay-Z, Mobb Deep, Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, Kurtis Blow, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, The Fugees, Cypress Hill, and Ja Rule to be used to tell a common story of US History. These same artists are shunned for telling their version of US History.  This is problematic for me.

People of Color get to tell the dominant culture’s story through our voice; we do not get to tell our story through our voice; we only get to tell it through the voice of dominant culture. The voice of the dominant culture that is lacking.  This needs to change!!!  This is the shift that I hope to get others to embrace:

●     Dominant culture’s voice does not give People of Color value.  People of Color have value that must be found within themselves; value should not be defined by others.

●     Dominant culture’s voice does not acknowledge past and current sins inflicted upon People of Color.  Slavery in the USA formally ended in 1865 (for the confederate states of the United States).  Slavery continued informally via segregation.  And the economic and social inequity ramifications of slavery have been proven statistically to still be a problem.  Having a Black president does not mean equity or equality has become the norm in the USA.

●     Dominant culture’s voice does not credit People of Color.  Individuals who prescribe to dominant culture must be willing to acknowledge white privilege perpetuates systemic racism in laws, education, and economics.  This includes the continuous systematic stealing of cultural aspects from People of Color for profit, but not allowing People of Color the same economic opportunity for promoting their own culture. For a self-starting conversation on privilege please see The Invisible Knapsack.

The story of shame and accountability of sins of the past that still affect the United States are still silenced.  Without a real opportunity to offer a more inclusive narrative, those who have had their voices stolen will only tell a biased story of the victor.  Viewing history or current events through the victor’s voice does not mean the perspective will tell the whole story.  It is time for EVERY voice within the United States of America to be heard.  Hip-Hop is a voice that needs to be included.  Unfortunately, there are opponents to Hip-Hop that suggest only certain Hip-Hop voices are heard.  But why? Is it because of the ugliness of a narrative of injustice that continues to go unnoticed?!  Is it because of the guilt one feels for the privilege rooted in race and xenophobia?!  It is not enough to hear about the happy narratives of Hip-Hop; there needs to be room for the bad and ugly narratives to be heard and given credibility.  It is time for EVERYONE to be given the opportunity to take a shot!  So, here’s the question:  Will you help or block the opportunity of others whose voices need to be heard?

- Elgrie J.