The African-American experience in the United States is one the has evolved and passed through several distinct stages. First was slavery, shifting to a hundred year era of lynchings and legal segregation after the American Civil War, to an era of fighting for civil rights and against the cultural stereotypes maintained from the past eras. From the frustrations during this last era arose rap and hip-hop culture, which became a voice for black Americans. The song “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, became the first prominent hip-hop song that provided social commentary on what it is like to live in an inner-city neighborhood in an attempt to challenge the perception of black people in America.
During the second half of the twentieth century, as suburbia grew exponentially, inner-city neighborhoods quickly turned into predominantly African-American communities due to practices such as redlining and white flight. As this separation occurred, inner-city neighborhoods became increasingly neglected, leaving the residents in extreme poverty. The War on Drugs narrative in the 70s and 80s put extreme stress on black communities, who became the unnamed targets of anti-drug and anti-crime policies, along with other minorities. As seen in the
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For example, two of the lines are “It’s like a jungle sometimes / It makes me wonder how I keep from going under.” These lyrics can be interpreted in several ways; the two most ambiguous words in these lines are “jungle” and “sometimes.” Does jungle refer to the neighborhoods of New York City that the members of The Furious Five grew up in? Or does it refer to the life as a black man in America? Similarly, does “sometimes” refer to the “jungle” or how it makes the speaker wonder how he keeps from going under? Does “going under” mean to turn to crime to survive or to