When my day job at the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Youth Services and music intersect, the results are often magical. Earlier this summer, the Seattle Youth Opportunity! movement hosted the first Seattle YO! Summit, and rapper Shyan Selah kept it real at South Seattle Community College's Brockey Center.

Seattle is one of 36 communities nationwide funded by a 1999 grant from the US Department of Labor. YO! grantees work to help youth, particularly those most in need, to acquire the necessary skills and work experience to grow into successful adults and explore careers, further education and training. This summit honored the achievements of Seattle's first year of a five- year grant and attracted nearly 200 young people, in addition to teachers, counselors and administrators from a variety of local youth programs.

Selah began with a brief history lesson in hip-hop.

"The art of hip-hop speaks to generations directly before us," said Shyan. "Hip-hop has taken over the fields of business, the styles and images of athletics and entertainment. Just look at some of the more popular fashions out there: it's 100% hip-hop across the board."

I glanced at the young people in the auditorium - many wore the urban uniform of the new millennium, stylin' with Fubu straight from the www.y2g.com website, large necklaces or sagging a la Dr. Dre. I knew I was square when young ladies were talking about ice and I thought about the stuff you put in a glass and not the jewelry they wore around their necks.

"A lot of young people love Jay-Z and Nas," Selah continued. "It's important to know about the guys that started this music. It stemmed from a lack of knowledge and a lot of young people started to ask questions. Questions like: 'why do we have to live like this?,' 'why don't I know my dad?' and 'is this the way I want to be treated?'"

"Hip-hop helped me come face-to-face with reality," he said to rousing applause. "Some of you may be bearded, some of you may be braided, but I don't care. You've got something to say and your voice is important."

Selah focused on the teachers and challenged them to think of hip-hop in terms that they would understand.

"Many teachers out there don't realize the educational potential of hip-hop," shouted Shyan. "There are many things that set hip-hop apart. First of all, the format of hip-hop is accessible. Communication is the key here: it's the link between the gaps of generations."

"In the sixties and seventies," continued Professor Selah. "Bob Dylan, The Eagles and country and western were all talking the same trash. Same stuff, different era. That's the same stuff that hip-hop talks about. But, with hip-hop, you have another dimension. Athletes entered and it became powerful. You had Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon and Magic Johnson, the first dream team from basketball. Just think about sampling, one way that people exchange beats or music. Speaking of sampling, sampling is one way to make money - you do not have to reinvent the wheel. One mark of success is to mimic what successful people do. Find out what made Michael Jordan get up at 5:00 AM to shoot baskets every day. This type of work ethic, these types of habits, can be extremely powerful."

As Selah continued, I recalled Chuck D's message. Not the one on record or on tour with one rap's first supergroups, Public Enemy, but the one that he uses when he speaks at colleges and universities. I had the pleasure of covering Mistachuck last year when he spoke at Shoreline Community College [click here for article]. Since then, I've learned a lot about the importance of hip-hop. Not only as a musical force, but an economic engine that's fueled entire lines of clothing, feature films, and work from artists like Chuck D and others who want to harness the power of hip-hop to reach young people with positive messages.

"Put your goals on paper," continued Selah. "Get them from your mind on down. Roll with good people, people that will help you. You can't blame it on life, it's all about the man in the mirror."

"Hip-hop is the true melting pot of rock and roll, blues and jazz," he said. "The world has never seen an art form like hip-hop. Never. Rock and Roll can't claim it, it's an evolving art form. Rock and Roll never had such a systematic and accessible format. Think for a moment the types of rappers we have: on one end, there's Snoop Dogg, and on the other end there's Common. Two different brothers from the same music, and that diversity is what makes hip-hop special."

Snoop Doggy Dogg is one of the best know gangsta rappers, with his Doggystyle and Doggfather CDs, and videos reinforcing his bay-boy image, "Murder Was the Case." Like many gangsta rappers of the 90's, his offstage life was no manufactured image - Snoop was linked with a drive-by shooting but cleared of all charges by the court. Common, however, sings a different rap altogether. Some musical pundits think he's heir to the De La Soul throne and that's quite a compliment to the Long Island trio that helped change the course of hip-hop with their Three Ft. High and Rising CD.

Selah continued with advice to the adults in the audience.

"A lot of young people today believe in the 'whatever theory.' That is, anything can happen. But nothing can happen unless someone wants it to. You have a generation on your hands that has seen miracles happen, like Alex Rodriguez get $252 million for playing baseball. You have a generation that thinks hip-hop is #1, particularly if you are under 30."

"Teachers, you see the test scores," he said. "Hip-hop is a matter of life and death. Young people feel that hip-hop is part of their life."

Selah wrapped up his time at the podium with a lengthy question and answer period with the audience. More than a few young people asked about his record label, Brave New World, and his work with multi-platinum artist Master P. On Selah's Red Ink Diary CD, Selah enlisted a "who's who" production team with a solid track record in hip-hop and popular music, including Fabian Cook (Michael Jackson, New Kids on the Block, Marky Mark, Lion King), Eric Willis (Tracey Lee, Shai, Miramax), Jon Silva (E40, Too Short, Mac Mall, the Click, CBO), GODie (Wu Tang, RZA, Nas, DMX) and Roc Duca (Blasse' Blu).

He talked about his work on two recent film soundtracks, the 1999 comedy Harlem Aria, and All or Nothing. Harlem Aria stars Damon Wayans and Malik Yoba, and it features a surprise blend of rap and opera. More importantly, it works as a vehicle for Wayans and as a soundtrack. When Selah contributes to a soundtrack, it's usually a winner. All or Nothing won the Grand Jury Award at the Black Hollywood Film Festival, and the soundtrack features Selah's anthem, "Party On," as well as supporting players like Atlanta's Ben Hated, whose "Escalades and Navigators" landed at no. 28 on the Billboard rap singles charts. After listening to him talk about his list of current projects and musical partners, I'd say that Selah's rolling with the right people.

As he turned the mic back to MC Mazvita Maraire of Seattle Parks and Recreation, Selah encouraged each and every young person in the audience to stay in school. Seattle's Jonathon C. Jones took the mic confidently and rapped an original rap called "Ambitious Intentions" that rang true with many adults and youth as the First Seattle YO! Summit drew to a close. I've included it here to give Cosmik Debris readers a glimpse of the talent that's coming up behind Selah.

Ambitious Intentions - Jonathon C. Jones

"Who are you to tell me I'm wrong for sagging?
Are you right for judging a man by the way his pants fit on him?
I grab this microphone with every intention of being the best M.C. I can be,
Regardless of what people think about me.

Sometimes they look and laugh, sometimes I walk away mad,
Regardless I'm going to be the best man I am,
The best man I ever was,
Now and forever.

I'm a young black master of ceremonies
Slash
D.O.C. convict
Slash
Seattle Housing Authority graduate
Slash
YWCA employee affiliated with youth advocates strongly.

You might just call me a witness to this game of life through this pin and mike,
And I'm only one,
My life and your life are one and the same,
Blessed with this opportunity to reach people,
I'm going to take advantage.

I leave this microphone with the fullest intentions of being the best M.C. I can be,
Me, myself, and the audience before me."

Understandably, MC Jonathon sat down to applause that shook the rafters.

As I left the Seattle YO! Summit at Brockey Center, I wondered how artists like Shyan Selah can help more people benefit from hip-hop. One thing's for sure, if word gets out that there's a new type of positive, inspirational rap out there, more people will sit up and take notice.

Who knows where it could lead? If more people like Vern Funk and Jonathon get involved, Hip- hop 101 might be required teaching for all teachers and listening for all students, not just those who follow what Too Short, 2Pac and Dr. Dre started.


Disclaimer: When not moonlighting for Cosmik Debris, Eric Steiner works for the Office of Youth Services of the U.S. Department of Labor. He is the Project Officer for the Seattle YO! grant, and this review represents only the opinions of the author and not the U.S. Department of Labor.

Special thanks to Jonathon C. Jones and Vern Funk.

(C) 2001 - Eric Steiner