No matter how many imaginary Bentley's we drive, which belong to celebs in music vids or no matter how iced out certain people strive their whole lives to be, sometimes something happens which makes us realise or not, that we are just pawns in a game.

The fifth element of hip-hop has unfortunately not been tapped into yet by most. Let me break it down if you are sitting in the bundus with this one. Hip-hop contains five elements - mc'ing, dj'ing, graff-writing, b-boying and the consciousness of self. The 
last and most important element of hip-hop is an amalgamation of the first four and only when you can truly appreciate all four in its totality, is the fifth element born.

When hip-hop makes want to better your circumstances, hold you down by keeping you humble, gives you the self-power to proclaim who you are without a thought of what the next might person might think of you; only then is the fifth element achieved. All those who love hip hop have a deep love for all music, are free of judgment and are open minded enough to help the liberation of another's struggle.

But believe me it takes a lot to reach that point, you have to lose it all, to really appreciate it.

Hip-hop today has reached a point which I am really sad to report blatantly borders on a pathetic attempt to use the struggle of life as a meager attempt to make money. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that one's struggle should not be heard. Hell, I say holla from the top of a building and let all know that you've been to hell and back but that you are still here! But do not use hip-hop blindly because then you are doing more harm than good to a genre of music that has gone through more ups and downs than J.Ho!

But luckily for us the true soldiers of the street outnumber those who time and time again call upon T&A to sell their music. Ships, there I go again - lost my damn train of thought or actually I don't remember if I had one to begin with. Well, the thing is hip-hop should help us progress because like no other genre of music it tells it like it is! It speaks about REAL life, holding nothing back. It speaks about poverty, abuse, violence, death, suffering, joy, dreams, hope, self-power and love. How the hell can we not love this thing called hip-hop when it all it does is open our eyes even further to beauty of life. 

Hip-Hop is not white or black neither does the term 'hip-hop head' really exist and to those who think that it does exist are probably the same ones who think that hip-hop has a certain dress code too. Hip-Hop is not American, Dutch, Australian or South African because it definitely (the last time I checked) does not endorse segregation nor does not support a certain gender or dogma. 

It teaches that a woman is a Queen and not a Whore (LL Cool J). It showed us how to @#%$ the Police (NWA) and stand up for ourselves. It gave us the courage to carry on and said 'Even though you're fed up, Ya gotta to keep your head up' (Tupac). We were schooled about fake friends 'Dog me out then be next to me, Just coz I am what some choose to envy' (TLC) and women were helped to take a stand against abuse, 'You put your hands on me again I'll put your ass in handcuffs' (Queen Latifah). 

Who else but Public Enemy would have given us the simple truth about the media? 'Some writers I know are damn devils, For them I say don't believe the Hype'. Where else would we have heard Africa's words? 'If you can talk you can sing, If you can walk you can dance, That's an old proverb from Zimbabwe' (Talib Kweli). Mos Def stepped up eloquently and took us back to school, '8 Million Stories to tell, Nine planets faithfully keep in orbit with the probable tenth, the universe expands length, The body of my text possess extra strength'. Nas gave us one of the most important life lessons, 'All I need is One Life, One Try, One Breath' and we were stirred by Dead Prez who made us realize that, ' It's time for some mind sex, we ain't gotta take our clothes off'. 

The thing is that hip-hop is life and once you can appreciate the essence of what it stands for and use it to evolve, then only is the fifth element achieved. All you have to do it hold the hip-hop flag in the air - your fist - and listen to the beat of your heart and you'll never be lost! So, wherever you are and no matter what you are doing ' U better lose yourself in the music, the moment you own it, u ain't gotta never let it go' (Eminem).

Written by Miss L

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