A Starbucks Here, A Starbucks There
(Illustration by Aniekan)
Amir “Oddisee” Mohamed is one of the region’s standout hip-hop talents. A foundation of the Low Budget Crew, Oddisee’s resume reads like a who’s-who of modern hip hop: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Talib Kweli, J-Live, Asheru, Little Brother and many others.
His newest track, “Gentrification,” (produced by Kev Brown) speaks to a familiar issue—the (un)intended consequences of development and a bursting housing bubble. Hailing from Largo, Oddisee brings his perspective to gentrification and the radical change that the real estate market has manufactured from U Street to Aspen Hill.
Oddisee is breaking it down, and he’s right:
It’s something to see when the
authenticity of a city is
replaced by college kids and high sadiddyness
urban decay, making way for Ikeas,
luxury lofts
replacing what I see is a history lost
He ties together the gentrification here in the DMV to similar situations in Harlem, Chicago, Atlanta, and New Orleans. He really shows his strength as an MC on this track, with dope rhymes on a topic that needs them over a solid beat.
MP3: Oddisee, “Gentrification” (Linked with artist’s permission.)
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Linked From: July 2nd, 2008Washington City Paper: Black Plastic Bag - Beat Grinder!
9:56 am[...] three-round event will be hosted by Grap Luva and will feature performances by locals Kokayi and Oddisee. Damu and Underdog will be holding down the turntables all night long—so expect to hear the [...]
3:40 pm
I sympathize with people who are getting forced out by gentrification, but c’mon, seriously, when it comes to the problems of the city, for a lot of people the city IS the problem. Complain about “urban decay” all you want, but the problem isn’t that “college students” are guilty of tossing out “history”, it’s that the people who have been there have been forgotten by society for too long. I think anyone would much rather live in a neighborhood where the only drug being sold on the street was the caffeine in a cup of Starbucks, even if it isn’t exactly an emblem of deep cultural evolution.
There’s nothing wrong with people seeing an opportunity to turn a blighted area into a profitable neighborhood by investing in the property. There’s nothing wrong with people opening up new businesses in neighborhoods where the only thing open before was the corner liquor store. And there’s nothing wrong with people who want to work and live in this city looking for a place to live that doesn’t cost $2500/month.
The beef here shouldn’t be with the people who are just trying to make the best of things themselves, but rather the city that’s allowed those who suffer from gentrification to be made so vulnerable in the first place.
I live in a “gentrified” neighborhood. My roommate and our friends have been assaulted by local kids telling us to “get out of the ghetto”, throwing rocks at us and our cars and apartments. Engendering anger and distrust towards people who are only trying to save a little money on rent each month is going to get us nowhere.