Methodology
In case you are not accustomed with the group Public Enemy, the subtitles names is a play of their album "It'll Take a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back." Being not only a white hip hop fan, but a white kid trying to become a rapper, I have obviously been faced with the problem of society's non-acceptance of my type. I interviewed a friend of mine who I rap with quite often about his feelings on the subject of the white hip hop fan, and have long pondered it on my own. I read books and web sites recommended by friends and continue to search out more information on the subject. In this paper I look at the state of the white hip hop fan and of the white rapper, focusing mainly on the social and cultural impact, the way the white fan feels and is looked at by society.

Description
ON HIP HOP IN GENERAL:
The term hip hop relates to four areas of urban culture: mcing, djing, break dancing, and graffiti art. Hip hop basically started in New York city. Who knows which of the four areas really came first, but the important thing is that they evolved together. Many of the graffiti artists were rappers who would tag their name or crew to get publicity. However, if one had to pick who really came first, I would say it was the DJs. The most important early DJs were Grandmaster Flash and Africa Bambaataa, who were hip hop kings of their respective parts of New York City. MCs began to show up in this context as people began to talk over the DJs scratching and they mostly talked about the DJ's skills and pumped up the crowd. Finally, break dancing was obviously started when people began dancing to the music. All four areas have grown up together and taken their own outside influences as well. Now that hip hop has been around for a few decades (it started back in the early 80s), it has gone through many phases, and is constantly evolving. Some of the earliest hip hoppers say that hip hop died in the 90s, but there are those purists in every musical genres who dislike its evolution for whatever reason, and they are not the majority. Today, hip hop comes in a wide variety from gangsta rap, to underground rap, to jazzrap fusion, to what I like to call pophop, and much more. Gansta rap and pophop are often referred to as commercial hip hop. This is the stuff that you will hear on the radio, or MTV. Gansta rap consists of the rappers who talk primarily about their immense collections guns, bitches, and cash. There is very little political influence and the lyrics are generally not important to the listener. Pophop is even more commercial. Where gansta rap has it's roots in people getting out of the ghetto, the discovery of wealth and popularity, pophop is catch-phrase based, repetitive, and has even less meaning than the gansta rap. Jazz-rap fusion is a significant style but is not growing very quickly as jazz's mellow feel doesn't make for the most "banging" beats, which is what sells in hip hop. Underground hip hop however is making large strides I believe; it tries to remain true to its hip hop roots yet still evolve and bend the rules. Underground hip hop is a lot about intellectualism. MCs show verbal skill plus amazing vocabularies and deeper understanding of life. Many underground hip hop artists come from middle class families and have higher education and as this is reflected in their work, they appeal to the same type of listener.

ON BEING A WHITE HIP HOP FAN
William Wimsatt is a white ex-graffiti artist who really know what's it's like to be white in the hip hop world. His book, "Bomb the Suburbs," is filled with interviews with all kinds of people who relate to hip hop in one way or another, and one sees that he has done extensive research and looked at these issues from many standpoints. Wimsatt sees that
the white rap audience is as diverse as the music itself& Most discovered rap within the last four years. They like the bass. They like the attitude. They hate Vanilla Ice. They think it's unfair that they are called Vanilla Ice. They want to experience blackness, dramatic and direct (more so than fans of jazz of reggae) - but not too direct, thank you very much. Associating themselves with rap sends the desired message, whether it's "I want some black dick," "I'm not racist,"" or simply "I'm cooler than the rest of you white motherfuckers! (p. 19)
Wimsatt criticizes the white rap fan who is in it only because it makes him feel popular, or who don't really have an idea of what the rappers are talking about. He wants white kids to stop trying to separate themselves from the white supremacy images that hip hop creates in its lyrics and come to terms with their whiteness and what that means.

There are some very extreme views on the social problems of whiteness too. At racetraitor.com, one reads that "The key to solving the social problems of our age is to abolish the white race, which means no more and no less than abolishing the privileges of the white skin." Their principle: "Treason to whiteness is loyalty to humanity." This strong comment is not necessarily about the white in hip hop, but about the unfair social situations from which hip hop was created. Wimsatt writes that one crucial reason that rap was invented was the "White America's economic and psychological terrorism against black people - reduced in the white mind to 'prejudice' and 'stereotyping.'" (p. 20)

David Balaban, an 18 year old, white Jewish hip hop fan and rapper has been into the music since he was about 8. David wears baggy jeans and a backwards Wu Tang hat. He raps without care while walking down the street, arms flying. He does not feel like he is trying to imitate black however, for him, hip hop is a mode of expression. It is his favorite type of music and it just makes sense to him that he should be rapping also. When asked about the anti-white lyrics that so often appear in rap music, David says, "I don't think they're complaining about me. When Dead Prez is complaining about the government, they're complaining about the exact same government that I'm complaining about. I these rappers got to know me than they wouldn't have a problem with me either."

David supports his liking hip hop with the following argument: "I was raised on purely African American music. All I ever heard in the house was Motown and jazz. It's not like I'm a white kid who only listened to country or a Jewish kid listening to Oh say shalom. But I think there really is no difference between me being into Curtis Mayfield and jazz, which I am, as there is to me being into hip hop."

Analysis
Jazz and hip hop are without a doubt my favorite two musical genres. I am not so surprised on a day to day basis by the different treatment I get for these likes, but when I sit down and think about it, it really bothers me. When I tell people that I like jazz, the say "ok", end of story. When I tell them that I am studying jazz, they say "good luck.". When I tell people I like hip hop, I get a variety of responses from laughter or snickering, to comments like "but you're white", and "you do know that you're white, don't you?" all the way to "cool, me too." I think this "but you're white" attitude is a very unfair and ignorant perspective for people to have. Both jazz and hip hop are originally black music, and their respective stars are both predominantly black also. I cannot see how people justify this unfair criticism. It is just an unfair stereotype due to ignorance, and especially lack of personal critical thinking on the subject.

Many times I have wondered whether or not I should feel like the criticisms of white men on hip hop albums are directed at me. I would like to think that they are generalizing, using the term white people, but just thinking of the white politicians, the money grubbers who they feel are directly keeping the black man down. However, I suppose sometimes they are talking about me when they are generalizing about all white kids who have it so much easier than they do, who have been born with money, safety, education, etc.

Reflection
I think that it is time for the world to come to terms with the white hip hop fan and for the white hip hop fan to come to terms with himself. He should like the music for the sound and the message behind it. He should have no qualms about playing rap music in public and rapping himself (maybe not in public at first however). Why allow a racial barrier to exist in the hip hop world? If jazz, Motown, and the blues can accept white fans and musicians, so can hip hop. I believe that one important thing for the whites in hip hop is not to try and simply copy what the black have been doing all along as far as content and style go, but bring in their own stuff from their own personal histories and struggles.

Inteview
With David Balaban. Dec 3, 2001.
(answers have been shortened from tape. See tape for complete text.)

How long have you liked hip hop? Since I was 8.

How long have you been rapping? About a year.

Who are some of your biggest idols and why? Gift of gab for his lyrics and flow. Talib Kweli and Mos Def from Black Star first prompted me to start writing. It's more conscious and intellectual and made me feel like I could do my own thing.

Would you say you try and dress or talk black? If so, is it a way to be down with black kids, or what? Most definitely not. I don't try and dress black or talk black or anything like that at all. I can be a part of hip hop just the same. Lots of artists that I like didn't grow up in the ghetto either. Most of what I rap about is the things I know. I don't talk about selling crack or the ghetto or anything like that cause I don't know about it.

Do you feel people take you as serious as they would another kid who rapped just as well as you but happened to be black? No. I think whenever I tell people that I'm into hip hop or that I rap sometimes they're even holding back chuckles. But I don't take offense to that cause there just aren't many rappers of my skin color. In hip hop, it really doesn't matter if you're black or white or whatever. Black artists I listen to aren't talking about the ghetto and neither do I. When I rap I don't talk about anything I don't know about.
Do you feel like rappers who rap about the white man are complaining about you, or if not, how do you distance yourself from them? I don't really take offense to it. I figure they're using very volatile issues to get attention. And I think that people like KRS-One have very viable arguments to make and if they happen to be about white people than that's fine. If he's rapping about it and expressing it rather than just saying I hate white people cause they're white then I'm fine with it. I don't think they're complaining about me. When Dead Prez is complaining about the government, they're complaining about the exact same government that I'm complaining about. I these rappers got to know me than they wouldn't have a problem with me either.

Do you feel your Jewish history lets you relate to the black struggle? I don't know. I've thought about that a lot. I think that maybe the fact that throughout Jewish history there's been a struggle. But I don't feel like personally I'm struggling, I mean I'm not struggling. I mean I have issues with police and principles of our government, but I don't feel like I'm oppressed like black people are. I'm not pulled over cause I'm Jewish. Being black is an everyday struggle. Historically Jews have had an incredible struggle, but not so much today so there's an ambivalence there. I can relate to the audacious attitude of the rapper and can relate to that. Also, I can totally relate to sentiments that relate to questioning the government, police brutality, girls, etc.

How do you think being a white hip hop fan compares to being a white jazz fan for example? I was raised on purely African American music. All I ever heard in the house was Motown and jazz. It's not like I'm a white kid who only listened to country or a Jewish kid listening to Oh say shalom. I think that actually society perceives that as more acceptable because jazz is a very intellectual music and when they see white people being a part of that well there's no problem with that. But I think that mainstream media has geared public perception to think that African Americans have this thuggish image and the images that are heavily promoted are generally negative ones. But I think there really is no difference between me being into Curtis Mayfield and jazz, which I am, as there is to me being into hip hop.

Why do you think people assume that white kids can't (wouldn't be able to rap), but never question their jazz studies? It's because they don't see rap as an intellectual media. You aren't hearing the conscious minded hip hop when you listen to the radio. You aren't hearing rappers who use words bigger than F. you. The black kids that I know have no problem with the fact that I rap. They're also middle class kids too, they're no thugs either.

Do you think that hip hop (artists and/or crowd) will become as white as jazz and how would you feel if it did? Actually today, you go to hip hop concerts and it's pretty much white kids there. I'd say the fan base already is. Which leads me to think that the artists themselves are going to become so diverse too. It's just the natural progression for people who like a music to try and perform it too. They're not gonna care about the color of their skin. It's all about the quality of the lyrics and the themes that are being expressed.
What else do you feel like telling me about? Nothing, punk.

Bibliography
Becker, Howard S. Art Worlds. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 1982.

Wimsatt, William U. Bomb the Suburbs. Chicago, IL. The Subway and Elevated Press Co, 1994.

Art Forms out of the Past & Into the Future
http://www.harlemlive.org/arts-culture/artists/graffiti2000/

Bombing L.A.: Graffiti Culture and the Contest for Visual Space
http://www.aad.berkeley.edu/97journal/Bolivar.html

Hip-Hop.com
http://www.hip-hop.com/