美国国家公共电台 NPR Q-Tip Says His New Kennedy Center Role Helps 'Institutionalize Hip-Hop'

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Finally today, a conversation with one of the most influential¹ figures in hip-hop on the occasion of his new appointment at one of this country's most prestigious² cultural institutions. Q-Tip is one of the founding members of A Tribe Called Quest. Along with Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White, the group formed in the early '90s became one of hip-hop's trendsetters, introducing smooth beats and sharp social commentary inspired by the group's friendship and the issues of the day.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CHECK THE RHIME")

Q-TIP: (Rapping) Back in the days on the boulevard of Linden, we used to kick routines and the presence was fitting. It was I, The Abstract.

PHIFE DAWG: (Rapping) And me, the 5-footer. I kicks the mad style, so step off the frankfurter.

MARTIN: Last year, the group released what would turn out to be its final album, "We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service," after the death of Phife Dawg. But now, Q-Tip, the group's unofficial leader, has a new, and maybe for some, eyebrow³ raising role. He's been named the first artistic⁴ director of hip-hop culture at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts here in Washington, D.C., a venue⁵ better known for more traditional offerings such as opera and ballet. Q-Tip launched the center's inaugural⁶ season Friday night in a musical collaboration⁷ with his friend, pianist Jason Moran, who is the artistic director for jazz at the Kennedy Center.

Q-Tip was kind enough to sit down with us as he prepared for his performance even though he was fighting off a bad cold, as you will hear. And I started our conversation by asking him how he was coping with the loss of his close friend and longtime collaborator⁸, Phife Dawg.

Q-TIP: It's been difficult. But it's good because we're here and it's been a lot of growth into adversity. Once you realize you can get past it, it shapes and builds your character. And that's something more than a silver lining⁹. It's a blessing¹⁰. So although we have emotional bouts¹¹ with it as humans, whatever, it's been a value or good value.

MARTIN: So that kind of leads nicely to this new platform, your role at the Kennedy Center. What are your thoughts initially¹² about what you hope to do with this? And first of all, I have to ask if you are surprised that the Kennedy Center was interested in offering this kind of a platform to hip-hop?

Q-TIP: No, not surprised. It's inevitable¹³. You know, the culture and the music has gotten so big. I think it's a great opportunity for this country in a lot of different ways that a historic institution for arts such as the Kennedy Center, that they want to, in so many words, institutionalize hip-hop because for so long, the creators and the practitioners¹⁴ of the form were looked at as degenerates¹⁶, uneducated hoodlums, you know, saying - provocateurs, cop killers¹⁷, rapers, you know, misogynists¹⁸ - like all these different labels.

So through all the black and blues¹⁹, to be able to have the K Center wrap up hip-hop and claim it like jazz before it and blues before it and so forth²⁰ is a part of like a true American art form to kind of investigate not only the rich foundation of hip-hop and his beginnings or whatever, but it helps people who may not be from this world to understand truly the complexity²¹ - what black complexity is.

MARTIN: I was going to ask you about that. Do you see this platform as a - in a way - outreach to people who may have had those views of hip-hop? Or do you see it as people who were already there kind of helping²² them deepen their understanding...

Q-TIP: For both, both.

MARTIN: Both?

Q-TIP: And it's there on display, an expose for all to see, to learn. It would be great to see the Mormon family from Utah running into a family from Harlem - a African-American family - and they both are looking at something or sharing something about hip-hop, whether it be like a Tupac display or Grandmaster Flash, DJ mixing, and they see that they have something in common. I think that's a church of the arts. It's a great idea.

MARTIN: I can imagine where it does do both things in the sense that it brings people to the Kennedy Center who might not see it as their place. But you can also see where there are probably still some people who see hip-hop in the way that you described it as kind of outlier, degenerate¹⁵, this and this and misogynistic²³, anti-police and so forth. And I wonder, do you really think in the current environment that we have now, which is very polarized, are people willing to cross that bridge?

Q-TIP: You know, that's a great question. And the reason why it's great is because there's really no answer. Because one could really say, given the climate, that the lines have been clearly drawn²⁴. And there's sides now, like clear sides. People are saying, I'm - well, I'm here. I'm rocking with the white supremacist, wall-building, [expletive] grabbing, name-calling - that's my squad²⁵. Who's your squad? That's a clear line drawn. So some people may be just beyond it.

I mean, look. We're talking about precedent²⁶. We can't act like this. That's our elephant in the room. He's so polarizing. He and his wife had to kind of decline the invitation to the center, which is something that since its inception²⁷, I believe, since - what? - '73, '74, that every sitting president happily went to because the arts is - it's our biggest export in this country. It's not oil. It's not apples. It's not cotton. It's entertainment in all forms - media, sports, music. So when you have something as prestigious as the Kennedy Center that's on your same lot and you're that polarizing that you'd have to excuse yourself from that, it's a real query²⁸ that you asked.

MARTIN: Well, we hope we get to talk again as you're farther down your residency because I'll be interested to know how you're going to navigate²⁹ that, how you are going to navigate that. That is the elephant in the room.

Q-TIP: I'm not going to shirk away from it, though. You know what I mean? But it's not about even going toe-to-toe with somebody like that. You want to be able to like just be the light and just really try to like speak truth into power and just be transparent³⁰ and learn and grow, you know.

MARTIN: How will you know you have succeeded in this quest when you're - completed your time in residency here?

Q-TIP: Who knows? If you think about that, then you ain't working. You know what I'm saying? (Laughter) Right? You just got to be doing it.

MARTIN: That was Q-Tip, member of the legendary³¹ hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, speaking to us about his new role as the creative director of hip-hop culture at the Kennedy Center. He was nice enough to talk to us just before he performed at the inaugural event. Q-Tip, thank you so much for speaking with us.

Q-TIP: Thank you, queen.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CAN I KICK IT?")

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST: (Singing) Can I kick it? Yes you can. Can I kick it? Yes you can. Can I kick it? Yes you can. Can I kick it? Yes you can.

1 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

2 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

3 eyebrow   

n.眉毛，眉

参考例句：

• Her eyebrow is well penciled.她的眉毛画得很好。
• With an eyebrow raised,he seemed divided between surprise and amusement.他一只眉毛扬了扬，似乎既感到吃惊，又觉有趣。

4 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

5 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

6 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

7 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

8 collaborator   

n.合作者，协作者

参考例句：

• I need a collaborator to help me. 我需要个人跟我合作，帮我的忙。
• His collaborator, Hooke, was of a different opinion. 他的合作者霍克持有不同的看法。

9 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

10 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

11 bouts   

n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作

参考例句：

• For much of his life he suffered from recurrent bouts of depression. 他的大半辈子反复发作抑郁症。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was one of fistiana's most famous championship bouts. 这是拳击界最有名的冠军赛之一。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

13 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

14 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

15 degenerate   

v.退步，堕落；adj.退步的，堕落的；n.堕落者

参考例句：

• He didn't let riches and luxury make him degenerate.他不因财富和奢华而自甘堕落。
• Will too much freedom make them degenerate?太多的自由会令他们堕落吗？

16 degenerates   

衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Liberty often degenerates into lawlessness. 自由常常变质为无法无天。
• Her health degenerates rapidly. 她的健康状况迅速恶化。

17 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

18 misogynists   

n.厌恶女人的人( misogynist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

19 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

20 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

21 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

22 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

23 misogynistic   

参考例句：

• And it brings out everything that is most noxious and misogynistic about the right. 而且，这种情绪也流露出右派思想中最为保守有害，歧视女性的那一面。 来自互联网

24 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

25 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

26 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

27 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。

28 query   

n.疑问，问号，质问；vt.询问，表示怀疑

参考例句：

• I query very much whether it is wise to act so hastily.我真怀疑如此操之过急地行动是否明智。
• They raised a query on his sincerity.他们对他是否真诚提出质疑。

29 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

30 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

31 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。