Imada’s article provided a good alternative perspective to many that deal with the Issues facing Native Hawaiian people today. The members of sudden rush seek to help unite Native people with words of knowledge and their music rather than the more common method of protesting for sovereignty till they're blue in the face. “Sudden Rush does not want to merely preach. They are firm believers of the pleasure principle.” I think they provide a positive method to connect and involve the current and next generation through the medium of hip-hop – by tying in music that youth will listen to for the pure pleasure of good music and spreading knowledge of political and social issues. Some of those issues can be found on this web site http://www.hawaii-nation.org/(apologies to the previous poster for using the same link, it was difficult to find an alternate.)
Sudden Rush found the perfect genre to use in spreading they’re message, which is unique since many local artists perform Jawaiian, Reggae. American hip-hop delivers their words very nicely. “Taking a musical form most often associated with urban Black experiences and dissent, Sudden Rush has indigenized hip hop.” Relating to the oppression experienced by African-Americans they compare themselves to early artists which influenced them such as Public Enemy. A lot of the same issues challenge the youth of Hawaii. When society continually sends them the message that they are nothing (exactly what many African Americans hear) what can a young person do but start to believe it? “Hawaiians suffer from the lowest life expectancy, highest cancer mortality and incarceration rates, and are the least likely to complete four years of college. 50% of incarcerated juveniles are Hawaiian.” With those statistics, Hawaiian youth need a something positive to unite them as a people and the members of Sudden Rush provide that. Here is a link to one of their music videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgmOO5jiiq0&feature=related
Music has always been an important tool to convey an individual's/group's message and ideas. Sudden Rush created music not just for entertainment, but to focus on daily struggles that native Hawaiians are facing. This article was very interesting because I never knew that Sudden Rush sang certain songs that grasp around the idea of seeking self determination for the Hawaiian people and to empower their nation. Even though I am not Hawaiian, I strongly believe in preserving the Hawaiian culture. After taking the Hawaiian studies course, I gain more respect towards the Hawaiian people because of the issues they dealt with in the past and still today, are having struggles. Living in Hawaii has made me appreciate where I come from and learn more about the culture.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kim. Living in Hawaii has definitely taught me more about Hawaiian culture and about the ideals and customs that are held. Music is an important medium to express ideas and beliefs in a way other than written/spoken speech.
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ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Sudden Rush provides a positive method of connecting with the current and next generations through their music. It is clear that if you ever need to get a message out to the general public, music is a highly effective way to do it. Music is one of those things that everyone knows about, understands and most important of all, enjoys. By connecting with people first on a level of enjoyment and fun, the message you are trying to send will be more readily accepted. Sudden Rush knew that through their mix of hip-hop, Jawaiian and Hawaiian music that people would first of all, be able to enjoy their music. Consequently, they would be exposed to their message about important issues in the Hawaiian community. Not only was Sudden Rush able to reach many people and teach them about Hawaiians’ past and present, they were able to initiate a positive change for Hawaiians and Hawai’i in the future.
I agree with the statement that kyle provided stating that Sudden Rush provided a positive method of connecting the past and current generation with music. Music is a good tool or medium to connect the past and the present as well as everyone. I see this here in Hawaii. Especially in Polynesian culture. For example, Hawaiians connect through chanting and the art of hula.
ReplyDeleteSudden Rush provides a easy entry for the young, the undereducated and the uncaring into deeper political issues through a medium used throughout the world since it was created - music. By releasing their music, they were able to gather support for the cause of Native Hawaiians while still entertaining, and that is no easy task to accomplish. Sudden Rush provided a link for people to rally with, a sign to show people what had gone on and what was happening, a way to get involved with something bigger than themselves. If they can't connect to religion, they can certainly connect to their ancestors being kept down.
ReplyDeleteMusic is the art of rhythms and melodies that expresses ideas and emotions. It is another form of the way language is presented. It was amazing how the group, Sudden Rush, created their own style of music to convey the issues and struggles that the native Hawaiian people went through in the past and present. They provide good background information of Hawaiian history intertwined in their music for the younger generations to understand clearly. It makes me sad reading about how the Hawaiian people literally got their culture and way of life taken away from them. Sudden Rush’s music also provides a sense of what the native Hawaiian people went through and how they felt. It was also interesting to see how the Hawaiians related to African American people who both suffered under racial capitalism. I found these readings to be very interesting and want to learn more on Hawaii’s history.
ReplyDeleteAs discussed in the class, when it comes to the power, the language even the music become political. I am impressed by what Sudden Rush has done for the revival of Hawaiian culture, and sovereignty movement. They are so genius that they expressed their ideas through Hip Pop. Personally, when you sing the Hip Pop, you can express your ideas freely, loundly and also get response easily from others. Like most of classmates above said, music is also a language and also bridge to get the point what you want to say. But it is more acceptable than the direct language to convince people to pay attention to the Hawaiian sovereignty. I feel it is a very interesting article. And I admired the members of Sudden Rush for what they have done and what they are doing for Hawaiians.
ReplyDeleteI found the work of Sudden Rush to be interesting. You could tell that they were very passionate about the message they are trying to convey. I feel that music is one of the best mediums to influence youth of todays world. If you walk around campus you could easily lose track of how many students have headphones on. In class we talked about how the Hawaiian language can and is being preserved through different ways. Sudden Rush is a prime example of a more modern way of preservation that make it fun.
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