Photo Credit: History Channel
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.
Over the course of his 95 years on this planet, he had many
names and titles conferred upon him. Lawyer. Freedom Fighter.
Terrorist. Prisoner. President. Husband. Father. Leader. But
the title that will be his forever, is his Xhosa clan name of
‘Madiba’. As I write this article, Nelson Mandela has gone
home after a long battle with a lung infection. And as all
of the world mourns and celebrates his life, I find myself
sitting here at the keyboard taking measure of just how big
of an impact Nelson Mandela had on my life and on the
culture that is hip-hop.
Let’s set the scene. June 1990. I’m thirteen years old, and I’m
watching the parade for Nelson and Winnie Mandela course
through the streets of New York City. The first Black mayor
of New York City, David Dinkins alongside of them. His
visit that June was an eye-opening experience for me. The
city had been through seriously tense times with Dinkins
as mayor. The Central Park Five were about to go on trial.
There was still some bitterness over the murder of Yusef
Hawkins out in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn the year before by
a 30 person mob filled with hate. Racial division that would
be further strained with the Mandela’s visit. There were
those Jewish fundamentalists who were upset that Madiba
supported a free Palestinian state and Yasser Arafat. Others
were tight about the Empire State Building bearing the colors
of the African National Congress. But on the day of their
visit, none of that mattered. Madiba was welcomed like
one of our own. Harlem turned out in grand display. Even
Yankee Stadium was filled to capacity. Of course, I was in
awe. Whatever I learned about him was thanks in part to
reading, whatever info I got from my mother who worked
in the United Nations then, and hip-hop. Hip-hop played a
major role because this time period was shaped by a real
overwhelming influence of consciousness and Black pride
spanning the diaspora. The struggle against the evil that
was apartheid in South Africa struck a serious nerve here
in the States in the community.
Mayor David Dinkins with Nelson Mandela, 1990.
Hip-hop found itself raising its voice in solidarity with
Nelson Mandela and Black South Africans as early as
1985 with the release of the Artists United Against
Apartheid’s compilation album, Sun City. This may be
akin to being thrown into a Delorean for some of you,
but it was a pretty big deal to have RUN-DMC, Kurtis
Blow, Grandmaster Melle Mel and Afrika Bambattaa
kick the song off. Even bigger that the video opens right
outside of East Harlem’s own La Marqueta. MC’s would
also grace ‘Revolutionary Situation’, a highly underrated
group cut with the Godfather of Rap, Gil Scott Heron
dropping gems and Miles Davis on trumpet. From then
on, other artists spoke out on and off wax. Public Enemy
would shout Mandela out on ‘Prophets of Rage’ from
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. Another
jam came courtesy of Stetsasonic, ‘A.F.R.I.C.A.’ That
track was significant because of two key elements; first,
it was a collaboration between the Brooklyn group and
Reverend Jesse Jackson who provided the sound bite
at the beginning along with famed jazz musician
Babatunde Olatunji and his Drums of Passion ensemble.
The second element was that ‘A.F.R.I.C.A.’ was both
a protest song and a straight up history lesson. Pure
‘edutainment’ that is scarce in contemporary hip-hop
these days. Hip-hop’s influence also became key when
the issue of corporations divesting from South Africa
came up. I remember when Reebok got NO LOVE in
the ‘hood because they refused to divest. And the word
was spread by various MC’s and other personalities
involved with the culture.
That day, I sat and watched the parade, not fully realizing
the true magnitude of Nelson Mandela but somehow
knowing that this marked a great change in history. That
feeling found itself magnified in hip-hop from the
Jungle Brothers and the other Native Tongues. Further
still when Spike Lee brought Malcolm X to the silver
screen and Madiba had a prominent role in the final
montage, leading into Arrested Development’s signature
piece on the soundtrack, ‘Revolution.’ From that day on,
I began to ingest all of his writings, usually with hip-hop
as the backdrop. And tonight, in celebration of his life,
I’m doing the same. Going through all of the music that
he and the ANC inspired in their fight against the evils
of apartheid. And taking hope in the fact that despite
the ills hip-hop faces today, the strident voice that took
its cue from Madiba’s own fight for freedom will rise up
in full again. For the same reasons; the love of the people
and the love of freedom. Nothing else sums that up better
than the rallying cry of the ANC and their allies:
AMANDLA!! AWETHU!!