Why Hip Hop Is The Poetry of the 99 Percent

During the 1980's and 1990's a toxic combination of de-industrialization and drug epidemics pushed a large proportion of working class young people out of school and the legal economy and into the street economy and the prison system. As schools were decimated by budget cuts and torn by violence, young people, deprived of classroom outlets and arts programs their parents generation had, found a voice in hip hop which provided not only an opportunity to create a narrative of their lives, but to create poetry of great beauty and power. While the 1 Percent increased their share of the nation’s wealth while working class incomes stagnated and poor people’s incomes plummeted, these young people created art for the ages. That's why I call Hip Hop the Poetry of the 99 Percent