Hip Hop Damaging America? Don't Believe the Hype

The propaganda surrounding the Hip-Hop community is unbelievable. This once underground genre has come to the forefront and has since been scrutinized by politicians, churches and social activists. Not to mention television networks such as the ever-so right winged Fox News. I believe that politicians, are blaming the Hip-Hop culture, for issues concerning the communities that they made promises to. Where the household failed in raising their children, they would like to blame Hip-Hop. And for the churches that seem to be losing congregations because people are hurting and looking for something to ease the pain rather than scripture, they all blame Hip Hop. I find this to be quite disturbing and I would like to try and dispel some of the negativity surrounding this culture, because believe it or not, it is not all bad, it has its positive and negative qualities as any other entity on the planet. The real problem here is not just BET or Hip Hop. The real problem is broader than any one TV network or one cultural phenomenon. Over time Hip Hop has evolved more than those DJ’s back in the Bronx could have ever imagined. This cultural phenomenon has turned ghetto-bred children, once thought of as a lost statistic into multimillionaires. This genre has evolved from political angst, fun-filled themes associated with the ‘hood, gangsta rap, intellectual rap, crunk music and all the way into mainstream. This genre once looked upon as one dimensional music for the child of the ghetto can no longer be looked at in that way. Hip Hop encompasses several attributes, however government and politicians, television personalities and communities alike are looking for someone, or something to blame for their plight and hip hop has become a major target. Hip Hop has become the scapegoat of things gone wrong in this society.


Rapper T.I. said it best on BET’s special forum called: Hip Hop vs. America, when he stated, “America uses Hip-hop as an easy target to blame all of society’s problems on”. Hip hop did not invent sexism, violence, homophobia or materialism. If you listen to the language used by Former President Bush and people in our everyday lives, one would realize that all those things are as much a part of America’s fabric as baseball and apple pie. Still, that should not let hip hop off the hook. Hip hop may not have started violence, sexism, misogyny or homophobia, but it has amplified, and in many cases, glorified theses images. Some people pick on hip hop just because they do not like it. But many pick on hip hop because we want it to do better. We remember when the music of hip hop was connected to the streets, powerful and political and entertaining at the same time. And we worry that much of today's hip hop and rap has descended into something meaningless.

Guest Writer,
Tynee Sims