Abdul Beretay is a member of Third Eye Navigators, a New Jersey based hip-hop group, and part of Skillz and Politics, a project seeking to promote hip-hop as a legitimate art form and a political medium

Why do you feel it is important to respond to white power music?

Hip-hop started with people from a part of society that had experienced racism. They were looking for a structure in which to express themselves. Hip-hop, as a concept, is a response o the hateful rhetoric of white power music. While it may not attack skinheads, the political force behind it is a vital part in opposing the popularity of white power music.

In hip-hop, we have to understand the Nazi mindset, and those attitudes have to be challenged. We need to use our creativity. We have to give youth a sense as to why white power music is unhealthy. If it does gain popularity, it will destroy the gains of hip-hop as an art form expressing the urban reality.

We need to be more mindful of the subtleties. We must learn to respond with more intelligence and less emotion. Hip-hop is not altogether on point on this issue yet; it needs to be more than just a redirection of black anger. We need to think tactically on how to use our creativity to respond to hatred and to deal with the more subtle issues. Our message needs to emphasize more involvement.

Part of the mission of Skillz and Politics is to re-interject politics into youth culture. Why do you feel it is important to build up a politically conscious youth culture?

We do a disservice to ourselves as young people when we ignore that we are part of the state. We just don't seem to comprehend political responsibility. We don't see how we are connected to problems.

The point of music, and the point of Skillz and Politics, is that while we need to enjoy music there also needs to be a message. Being young is not an excuse to ignore that we have a responsibility to society. We have to try to make music a medium to bring about political discourse.

I like to dance, but I want to see politically relevant songs become just as popular as those with good beats.