Mark Rogers: Native hip-hop artist Supaman shares the positive

All of this made me take a look at the state of Native hip hop to see if the culture has seeped in. I have to say truthfully that the majority of what I see and hear is a lot like the mainstream market. That is, it's a single MC talking about himself and how much better his life is than yours and you should pay for the privilege to hear this. I don't blame any artist for going this way because, that is what sells. My question is why absorb the negatives of the culture rather than the positives?

I did find one artist that gets it. Supaman. His "Prayer Loop Song" is as pure as hip hop gets. See the video if you haven't. When I see an artist like this who is able to contribute from his heart and his culture, it gives me some hope for Native hip hoppers. Like any other culture, hip hop has its traditions and history that must be understood to really participate. Supaman has really done that.

I hope that others will follow his lead and understand that hip hop was a culture founded as an alternative to the violence and exclusion found in the American experience for the common man and woman. What it's become today is an insatiable beast that loves a handful of artists and hates it's fans. I understand the punk ascetic of goading the crowd to breakdown preconceived notions but, what today's "artists" seem to do is hate the crowd for not being them when most of them are playing a role in the first place. Nas may have declared hip hop dead but, people like Supaman tell me that there's a spark of life left.