"Motherfuck Reagan." - Brother Ali

"But invisibility was its own kind of reward; it meant you had to answer to no one except the others who shared your condition. It meant you became obsessed with showing and proving, distinguishing yourself and your originality above the crowd. It put you on a relentless quest to prove to them that you were bigger, wilder, and bolder than circumstances dictated you should ever be, to try to generate something from nothing, something no one else had, until everyone around you had to admit that you had something that might even make other people-big, important people-stand up and take notice themselves, offer you money, give you power, or try to crush your very soul." (Chang, 111)

(forums.soompi.com)

"I blame Reagan for making me into a monster." - Jay Z

Ronald Reagan displayed the effrontery to encourage "white flight" and drive the 'hood off of a cliff into disparity and hopelessness. 

In the beginning of our reading in Chang has focused on white flight and the devastating effects abandonment had on the African American, Puerto Rican, and Jewish families in New York. These substantial changes to the economy and social structure were heightened during the Regan era. In his campaign add there is an image of a white family moving into a house behind white picket fence and he claims that per day 2,000 Americans are buying houses, in a way saying that we are successful because as a country we are moving out of cities and into houses. The add is supporting the growing power of the suburbs and the flight away from cities. And the entire add is only white folks which displays which audience he is targeting.

Ronald Reagan TV Ad: "It's Morning in America"

The Graffiti is a way of calling Regan out. Though he may have been charming and seem like a nice grandpa he was sneaky and didn’t care about the poor in the cities the cat whiskers represent his sneakiness...

Throughout hip hop's history, there has been a sort of binary response to the culture; open arms and immediate alarm, embraced, yet criminalized. None of the artistic elements of the genre were taken seriously by society initially, such as the poetical elements of rap or the level of athleticism in B-boying. The same goes for graffiti, a dangerous craft that, just like any form of art, can be fantastically executed and message-oriented. Unfortunately, even though graffiti was accepted by it's immediate community of oppressed, Bronx-born rebels, it was a long time before it grew out of it's offensive perception.

John Szwed claims that America has been "post-modern from the git-go, with everything out on the table, history unfolding, putting it all up for grabs." Graffiti is a prime example of this notion and it is no surprise that it was birthed in America since despite some oppression, America has been the country of expression and freedom of speech. Even before the emergence of hip hop, graffiti quietly had it's place in society. When Charlie Bird died in 1955, the tag, "Bird Lives" could be found all over New York City. (birdlives.co.uk) It was a perfect platform for political phrases, such as "Free Huey," referring one of the founders of the Black Panthers or "Dick Nixon Before He Dicks You," which "showcased the lack of sympathy inner city youth felt towards an inherently flawed social, legal, economic, and political system." (http://66wrtg1150.wikidot.com/) 

In 1972, in an effort to win votes for the election, New York City Mayor John Lindsay "launched the first "War on Graffiti" with the exasperated cry: 'For heaven's sake, New Yorkers, come to the aid of your great city--defend it, support, and protect it!'" (Chang, 134) From that point on, the choice was imminent for New Yorkers about the way they perceived graffiti. One either agreed with the rest and felt that it was a violation of their right to look at colorless trains or recognized and appreciated the bold statements that could no longer be ignored.

In the "Beat This!: A Hip Hop History" video, there was a scene with two white men proclaiming graffiti as vandalism, destruction of property. They tried to make a deal with the writers, but as it's been learned throughout history, one can't pay youth to stop expressing themselves. In a moment of clarity, the men actually recognized some of the tags as good art, but blinded by society's general opinion, they concluded by condemning graffiti as a whole. This division of opinion drove stronger tides of racial profiling as the city spent millions in their attempt to win the war.

"Bernhard Hugo Goetz shot four Black teenagers on a train at close range, paralyzing one, and became a national hero overnight. It was a climax that SKEME, a frustrated Black teenager with talent to burn, had foreseen a few years earlier, telling subway riders in a window-down burner: "All you see is...":

(Chang, 136)

Graffiti writers showed nothing but persistence and by 1983, the art spread to Paris and London through the New York City Rap Tour and in '84, Hollywood sought out graffiti artists for the film "Beat Street." Luckily, there seems to have been a shift in graffiti culture in America since the '70s. Now, in films like "Exit Through the Gift Shop," graffiti writers continue to be scrutinized by fine art critics unable to accept "the other" while beloved by the general public, who seem to now give the time of day to understand the purpose of the craft.

Common "I Have a Dream"

"Dear Self, I wrote a letter just to better my soul,If I don't express it then forever I'll hold, insideI'm from a side where we out of control,Rap music in the 'hood played a fatherly role,My story's like yours, yo it gotta be told,Tryna make it from a gangsta to a godlier role,Read scrolls and stow slaves,And Jewish people in cold cage,Hate has no color or age, flip the page,Now my rage became freedom,Writin' dreams in the dark, they far but I can see 'em,I believe in Heaven more than Hell,Blessings more than jail,In the ghetto let love prevail"
 MetroLyrics.com 

Masta Killa "Street Corner"

"I was raised by the stray dogs, blazed off, layed off
Breaking laws, graveyard shifting every day war
Focus now, notice how, things change, soldier
I remain the same, I'm older now, I embrace the pain
I blame the struggle, nearly drove me insane
Thought I lost my head, til my brethren told me the same
No tears for the reaper, I've buried bout a thousand
In graffiti, "rest in peace" sprayed off throughout the housing
I tried to stay civilized, the hood's a prison inside
The only difference is the doors don't slide
Still we trapped in the animal cage, cuz we got animal ways
So we react, with the animal rage
And my sex is real, weapons peel, cheddar's the deal
Seen the depths of hell, now I stare, death in the grill
From the slave ships, to today's bricks, same shit
I'm awake, to the wickedness, and one, with the pavement"

http://www.lyricstime.com/

Ghostface Killah "All That I Got Is You"

 "But I remember this, mom's would lick her finger tips

To wipe the cold out my eye before school wit her spit

Case worker had her runnin back to face to face

I caught a case, housin tried to throw us out of our place

Sometimes I look up at the stars and analyze the sky

And ask myself was I meant to be here... why?"

http://www.azlyrics.com/

Public Enemy "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos"

"And everyman's got served
Along with the time they served
Decency was deserved
To understand my demands
I gave a warnin' - I wanted the governor, y'all
And plus the warden to know
That I was innocent -
Because I'm militant
Posing a threat, you bet it's fuckin' up the government"

http://www.lyricsdepot.com/

Boyz n the Hood - "It's Called Gentrification

by Hanna, Cameron, Vic, George, and Nnyno