Mark Braboy
Associate Editor
Hip-hop is perhaps the most polarizing and culturally influential art form that African-Americans have contributed to.
Within its 37 years of existence, the culture has kicked down doors in music, art, fashion, politics, business, literature, and dance. It has influenced an entire generation of men and women.
Unfortunately, no matter how far the culture has progressed, there will always be its share detractors.
Recently, Geraldo Rivera, a veteran journalist of Fox News, made comments claiming that the Hip-hop culture has done more damage to minorities than racism.
There is already a red flag coming from this man who works for a network where it is okay to make bigotry fueled offensive comments about people of color, gender and impoverished socio-economic statuses.
Rivera has obviously been living under a rock these past few decades because hip-hop is part of the mainstream! In fact, the vast majority of mainstream culture has been influenced by art forms that were created by African-Americans.
To me, hip-hop is one of the last genres of music and black art to have a socio-political stance on anything. Unlike music from the 60s and 70s, talking about social issues in mainstream music is hardly seen anymore, except in hip-hop.
Artists like J.Cole, Young Jeezy, Killer Mike, David Banner, Kendrick Lamar, and Talib Kweli have been front and center to speak about the current social and racial issues of the United States.
Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, a man who has benefited and contributed heavily to hip-hop, believes it has brought people together better than many cultural figures besides Martin Luther King and President Barack Obama.
“The impact of the music, you know, this didn’t only influence kids from urban areas, it influenced people from all around the world. People listen to this music all around the world and people took to this music. And racism is taught in the home. I truly believe that racism is taught when you’re young. So it’s very difficult to teach racism when your kid looks up to Snoop Doggy Dogg,” said Jay-Z.
A culture and music genre like hip-hop does not come without its drawbacks however. Many conservatives and anti hip-hop critics argue that it promotes racial stereotypes and portrays African-Americans in a very negative light. Hip-hop purists also believe that today’s hip-hop has lost its way and has become oversaturated with artists who would rather promote sex, drugs, and senseless violence.
Like most genres there are many layers to it. The damage this music causes is practically minuscule compared to what racism has done within the last three or four years. What it does, if you do not balance what you listen to, is no different than what would happen if you overindulge in any other non-informative kind of entertainment.
The real damage comes from institutional racism, lack of role models in the household and in impoverished areas and the socio-economic issues that plague our communities; issues that are addressed in hip-hop time and time again.
You may not agree with the way many hip-hop artists convey their messages, but you have to respect not only how the music sheds light on the issues that affect us, but how it gives an opportunity to brilliant and creative minds to establish themselves where they would normally not be accepted.
Hip-hop is our culture that we created from practically nothing. As long as we continue to respect and protect the culture, our generation and our children will reap the benefits of it for a long time.
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