Hip Hop Heads Re-Discover Hue Hef "Southern Man"Track and Video
Due to the constant demand for this single, Never So Deep Records will re-release the Hue Hef digital 12inch, "Southern Man." Previously released during the holiday season of 2007 "Southern Man" is now becoming one of the most requested digital 12 inches of this quarter.
The "Southern Man" single may have gotten lost in the hectic holiday releases but the video received major attention. The video depicted the struggle of black people in the south from a historical perspective. "I rapped about real events that my fore-fathers went through; struggle, fear, intimidation, poverty, and slavery," states Hue Hef. Surprisingly the video was criticized by a hip hop blogger from South Carolina. The blogger was concerned that people outside of South Carolina would get the wrong impression from the video. The blogger stated "not all black people in South Carolina live in shacks". Whether the blogger is aware, there are still black families living in extreme poverty in the state and because of their economic circumstances they have no other choice but to reside in housing that many would consider un- suitable. The song was a compendium of Hue Hef's thoughts and feelings towards injustice, not South Carolinas housing crisis. Maybe it was the lyrical word play that confused the blogger? I'm sure he could have come up with a better commentary than that.
Most of the social economic problems you see in South Carolina today can be traced back to the impoverished conditions that black people were forced to live under. The crime rate has risen (North Charleston rated 7th in the US). The school dropout rate has steadily increased with more than 32,100 students dropping out from the class of 2007 (worst in the nation). The state ranks 10th in the country in HIV/Aids cases. Prisons are overcrowded and the conditions under which the prisoners are incarcerated are appalling. A recent article in the Post & Courier written by reporters Smith, Waldo, & Kropf describe the conditions in the North Charleston prison this way, "A group of men lie in a tangle on the soiled floor of a cramped holding cell. Their bodies bend at odd angles as they fight to claim space. Sweat soaks their clothes and leaves an oily film on the tile. More than 40 men fill three cells designed for 10. They have little room to move. Some sit beside toilets brimming with filth. The air-conditioning isn't working, and the fetid air smells of urine, unwashed feet and briny bodies". Most of these men are awaiting trial and have not been convicted of a crime." These prisoners (majority black) spend 19 hours a day locked in a cell under these conditions.
"The Southern Man sample is even laced in controversy, "I picked that sample with that in mind," states Bless. Here is an excerpt sited from Wikipedia about the original author Neil Young. "Southern Man" is a song by Neil Young from his album After the Gold Rush. The album was released in 1970.The lyrics of "Southern Man" are vivid, describing the racism towards blacks in the American South as perceived from the viewpoint of a Canadian. In the song, Young tells the story of a Southern man (symbolically the entire South) and how he mistreated his slaves (symbolically African Americans). Young pleadingly asks when will the South "pay them back" for years of abuse and racism. Where the initial inspiration for the song came from is very much debated, but is commonly believed to have stemmed from an incident in a roadhouse in Alabama which Young visited in 1969. As he was having a drink, two local men came up to him, took him outside, and beat him up because he had long hair. Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote their song "Sweet Home Alabama" in response to "Southern Man."
Even in 2008, South Carolina is still considered the "star of the confederacy". The confederate flag of terror is still flying high in front of the South Carolina State Building in Columbia. Protests, boycotts and constant legislation have been ineffective in bringing it down. Maybe "Southern Man" could be the song that forces South Carolina to re-focus its priorities.
PREVIEW - SONG
DOWNLOAD - SONG
PREVIEW - VIDEO
DOWNLOAD - VIDEO
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