I’ve talked a bit about Generation X and in particular, my take on it as an African American one, which I find to be hugely important, since whenever topics like these come up, they’re almost always spoken of in essentially White terms. For example, many White Gen Xers will make loving odes to the so-called “Summer of Love” that took place in the latter 1960s and supposedly marked an idyllic time for the preceeding generation, the Baby Boomers, in the bloom of their LSD-induced haze of “Free Love”.
Meanwhile, of course, if you were Black at that time, and you lived in Urban America, chances were, you didn’t get a whole heck of a lot of love from the powers that be. Rome was literally, burning.
Anyway…
I say all that as a setup to the following piece I got by way of the job headhunting website, Monster.com. It’s about how the Hip Hop Generation-undeniably a Gen Xer creation and phenomenon-takes its place in the America workforce. I’ll tack on the article itself below, but please allow me to register the following observations:
1. The single biggest observation about all this from my standpoint, is that it doesn’t mention any Blue Collar workers. Nor should this come as any shock or surprise, as the Blue Collar sector barely gets a mention in the larger national discourse. The assumption, both tacit and implicit, is that everyone works in an a cubicle pushing a pencil, and that’s simply not true. While Gen Xers in particular remain the most college educated American cohort in the history of the union, the fact also remains that they still represent a minority of the American population as a whole. One reason why I personally find Monster.com to be a waste of time, is because it doesn’t help anyone who works in the Trades or the Blue Collar sector, and again, they’re not alone. Of course, it comes as no small irony to me, that so much blather about “the Hip Hop generation” would be had, while its creators were hardly college types to begin with. Hmm.
2. Exactly what is a “Hip Hop look”? I’m not entirely sure I know what that means-after all, both A Tribe Called Quest and NWA are Hip Hop acts, but they have totally different “looks”; Sean “Puffy” Combs, Jay-Z
and 50 Cent have all been known to don snazzy suits, and other acts like Kanye’ West wouldn’t have in many ways, a more “classic” “Hip Hop look” (to me he’s a lot closer to a Hipster in appearance). Then there’s Pharell Williams of The Neptunes-by his own admission, he dresses like a nerd. Same deal for Lupe Fiasco. The Monster.com article doesn’t make clear exactly what a “Hip Hop look” means.
3. The article makes some mention of how the so-called Hip Hop generation uses lots of slang on the gig and so forth on the job and at interviews. Where I came from, you knew what “code switching” meant-is there something I’m missing here?
As you might have guessed, I could go on, but I’ll hold here and wait for your comments. Let er rip…
The Obsidian
The Hip-Hop Workplace
Cultural Clash or Generational Transition?
“That’s a very valid question,” says Bruce Sherold, president and CEO of Diversity Search Group, a minority executive recruitment firm. “Young hip-hop people tend to see things on their own terms. They want to be accepted just for who they are. People my age tend to conform more to the culture, whether it’s the workplace culture or culture at large.”
“These kids are talented, but their viewpoints are different,” Sherold adds. “African Americans of my generation — 45, 50, 55 years old — are probably more conservative than the mainstream media gives us credit for. We think things should be ‘professional.’ Young people’s definition of ‘professional’ is different.”
Clothes, Hair & Language
Hip-hop culture is expressed in the workplace in two main ways, Sherold explains: clothes and hairstyle. “When I interview young people now, I have to remind them how to dress,” he says. “They don’t seem to think their appearance has any impact on an interviewer. That’s a challenge for me. I talk about their social responsibilities, especially in organizations without a lot of African Americans. Everyone who follows them will be judged by how they dress and act. That’s a big responsibility.”
And then there’s language. “They talk in rap slang,” says Sherold. “It takes a while, but eventually they realize you can’t really communicate that way.”
Navigating Both Worlds
Not everyone agrees. Bakari Kitwana, cofounder of the first National Hip-Hop Political Convention and author of The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture says that while growing up in hip-hop culture, college students — the type going into corporations — “already learn to navigate both worlds. They learn there are two sets of cultures for African Americans. If they decide they’re not going to make compromises, they won’t make it in the business world.”
Kitwana uses the National Basketball Association as an example. “Athletes won’t get far if they don’t conform on some level,” he says. “The NBA has a dress code, and players shed their gangsta dress [on the job.]” But many athletes and white-collar workers reclaim their hip-hop sensibility off the court and outside the office. Kitwana uses himself as an example. With two master’s degrees, he had one classroom style when he taught, another for his social time.
In fact, some hip-hop aesthetics are celebrated in the corporate world, says Kitwana. When Darrell Cobbin was a vice president and business unit manager with Coca-Cola USA, Sprite became the fastest-growing soft drink brand in the country. One reason, Kitwana explains, is Cobbin created authentic ads that resonated with hip-hop kids. “That’s the ideal world: to be recognized in your field for your achievements, while being true to your culture without pandering.”
A Bold Attitude
Carol Lewis, president and CEO of CSL Image Consulting, spends much of her time coaching African Americans on business, protocol and fashion concerns. She says fitting in to the corporate culture means not wearing anything that blares, “I’m cool!”
But she also describes an upside to hip-hop. “Plenty of talented, creative individuals come from that culture,” Lewis says. “They’re fearless, zealous and they want something better for their lives. They use their street skills in the workplace. They’re willing to make a deal at all costs, or relocate anywhere if it means getting on the fast track. They’re natural salespeople. They look at all different angles of a situation, and they take great risks. It’s a bold attitude.”
A Two-Way Street
The move into a new workplace can be challenging for anyone — bold attitude or not. Sherold believes it’s everyone’s responsibility to help young African Americans adapt. “First, it’s the individual’s responsibility himself — you can’t minimize that. But it’s everyone else’s job, too, to maximize the potential of those around them.”
Still, it’s a two-way street. “Employers have to realize these new employees are coming in with a different attitude,” Sherold says. “It’s not wrong; it’s just different.”
