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Hip Hop History Lesson
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History is almost always told by the side that wins. The stories of the defeated and oppressed are often missing from "classical" texts and it therefore falls to the surviving generations to pass them on. Many of these stories are forever lost in the tides of time. But every so often, generations later, a curious descendent seeks out these forgotten histories and retells them.
Into this tradition enters Dan Park, a.k.a. DYP tha Goldynchild, a twenty-something, East Coast bred and born, Ivy League-educated, Korean-American emcee, who was recently inspired to put on wax the story of the brutal forty-year occupation of Korea by the Japanese. WireTap recently spoke to Dan about his new song "35 Yearz" -- a magnificent attempt to seek redemption for his ancestors.
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| Sometimes at night/ I stay up and think about My history, my heritage/ so much to figure out So many questions/ left unanswered My homeland/ still being affected by cancers A century old/ a story rarely told Goldynchild break tha mold/ as the saga unfolds For 35 years/ we were victims of oppression Stripped of our rights, of our lives and our possessions It's fucked up/ no one even really talks about it Kids claim Korean pride/ but I'm cynical/ I doubt it What about our grandparents?/ they lived through it How soon we all forget/ my generation ignorant That includes me/ so I quest for wisdom Share it with my peers as I bless the rhythm Christians, Buddhists, Confucianists, whatever This affects all of us/ yo, we're in this together Now let's take this back/ to 1905 To the day the Japanese Protection Treaty was signed This gave Japan/ control of our nation By 1910/ official annexation Marking the start/ of our darkest hour The Resident-Governor had absolute power The first was a wicked man, named Masatake Who dreamed of Koreans being carbon-copies Of the Japanese/ he seized our land Bleeding hands/ man, woman/ all ages Raped of their wealth/ forced to work for slave wages Schools fell victim to this cruel assimilation In our own nation/ yet we faced discrimination Kids were made to learn the Japanese language Korean was forbidden/ All our leaders disbanded Newspapers shut down/ freedom of speech gone Raped all our women/ passed the Japanese seed on "Comfort Woman"/ that's what they would call her These were our beloved mothers, sisters, and daughters It makes me crazy to think about what they did, yo Denounced every faith/ and converted it to Shinto That's the native Japanese religion They took away our God/ and our power of decision Filled up the prisons/ with our best politicians And after all this, they expected us to listen? Verse Two: Nine years pass/ now it's 1919 Underground movements springin' up on the scene Through a decade of struggle/ with great determination Koreans came together for a peaceful demonstration To voice their concerns/ to have their say It would turn out to be one of our bloodiest days The Japanese responded with naked violence Beating us down/ we refused to stay silent Fighting back attacks/ even though it was useless This became known as The March 1st Movement 15,000 injured/ over 7,000 deaths Countless lives affected/ 50,000 arrests Even though we lost the battle/ it galvanized the people The next 15 years/ we would fight to be equal Oppression continued/ socio-economically Pillaging our culture/ no thank-yous or apologies Sacrificed our people/ for Japanese greed Humans used as ammunition/ for a cause they never believed Pearl Harbor and World War II Through it all please believe our countrymen were used Years go by/ as the war rages on August 6th of '45/ Hiroshima is bombed Japan is defeated/ resources depleted Korea once united/ is suddenly divided at the 38th parallel/ a nation is torn Out of trauma and death/ our country was born (talking) Land of the morning calm... |
