Hip-hop has consistently gotten a bad “rap.” Since at least the 90s, rappers’ lyrics have been used against them in court and been blamed for corrupting Black children.
But there’s a major problem with that.
“Hip-hop,” “urban,” and “Black” are euphemisms for crime, and rap music is used to link Black people to crime.
But the use of Black art against its creators is part of a long history of white supremacy. The same thing happened with Jazz music, when appropriators and cops used the music to target jazz artists.
There are nearly 500 instances where rap music or lyrics were used in the course of a criminal case! This is only happening in hip-hop, even though pop and country music BOTH have plenty of songs just as violent. So why does rap REALLY get so much hate?
The truth is that hip-hop has historically exposed America’s racial inequities and inspired us to fight back!
Further, it has offered SOLUTIONS to many social problems. For example, hip-hop has frequently offered insight into mass shootings by focusing on the systemic factors that make such violence possible.
Whether you’re a hip-hop fan or not, the music’s history reminds of an important fact. White supremacy is primarily responsible for the issues we face around race and inequity. Hip-hop just exposes this truth!