CNN: Why Jay-Z’s Music still Mattered on 9/11

Most people, especially, New Yorkers, remember where and what they were doing on September 11th, 2001. This day will forever be marred in the horrible tragedy that occurred. Jay-Z’s epic album, The Blueprint, hit record stores on that same day and since the ten year anniversary of the tragic events is approaching, CNN has published an article which highlights the impact of this classic album. They speak about the culture of hip hop, as well as how young people deal with tragedy as opposed to older people.

“Young people not directly affected are always more removed from the onset of national tragedy,” said Tricia Rose, a professor at Brown University and author of “The Hip Hop Wars.While the much older fans of Mariah Carey or Bob Dylan would likely be too busy and worried about terrorist attacks to rush out and purchase a CD the week of 9/11, Jay-Z’s teen and early 20s fans, already hyped up about this release long beforehand, remained focused on their idol,” Rose said. “And many probably never left the comfort of their bedrooms to download the release.

“Hip-hop heads (fans) have a different kind of relationship to music than fans of other genre,” said Sachs, an assistant professor of media technologies and culture at St. Mary’s College of California. “Hip-hop is not just music, it’s a culture, and that mentality permeates many aspects of the lives of hip-hop heads.”

Very interesting perspective. And while its true that Hip Hop music ebodys a culture like no other genre, one has to wonder if the role entertainment plays in “escape” had anything to do with fans flocking to record store. You can read the article in its entirety here.