Give hip-hop a fuckin' break

There's a a few things in life that make me truly ill(actually there's a lot of things in life that make me ill) and one of them is this double standard that people have regarding rap and hip-hop. It's fucking annoying for a die hard fan like me to hear people constantly talk about hip-hop like it's nothing but ho-slappin', drug dealin', Cop Killin', and bling-wearing gangsta crap. They hold it to a cultural double standard that they don't hold to any other form of popular music and I'm pretty sick of it.

First Look a little harder, dig a little deeper, and understand that some of the problems with modern hip hop is just one consequence of a societal structure that values capitalism at all costs. Materialism isn't just something Black hip hoppers are concerned with. The popularity of celebutants like Paris and Nicole are more than enough proof that sex and money are popular with everyone. So spinning rims on a Chevy is a huge negative for a black guy, but a soccer mom in a gigantic SUV is perfectly alright. They are both examples of a materialistic lifestyle. This is AMERICA, pal. You can't indict a particular group of people without it reflecting on the whole of the country. Is materialism a problem for black people? Certainly. But go to a mall and tell me it isn't a problem for every person, of every race.

Now to make myself very clear. I have absolutely no problem with legitimate criticisms of the popular culture; rap being a part of that culture, I have no problems with that either. However, the idea that 'rap' espically gangsta rap is to blame for black society's ills is fucking stupid, and very akin to blaming the problems of the 60's on rock n' roll. If you can step back and be objective about it, it's pretty clear that music, while pervasive and culturally relevant, is hardly ever the root of a problem. What it comes down to, I think, is a case where you simply don't like either a) rap music, b) young black culture, or c) both. A is certainly acceptable. However Is rap music telling black people to do drugs cause its cool? Demographically speaking, America has a drug problem. You're not gonna go sell coke on the street corner cause Young Jeezy makes it sound cool anymore than I'm gonna rail a line because Charlie Sheen is so awesome. Drug use is way more complicated, in its implications, than anything in rap music. At the same time, individual drug abuse is pretty straightforward (I want to get high, motherfucker!) and has nothing to do with a particular genre of music. I live in a city that back in the 60's and 70's flooded the world with Heroin, but you don't see me blaming Corsican folk music for what they where doing. Is rap music telling black men to degrade their women? no more than any hair metal band in the 80's(of course rappers say fuck more so people feel uncomfortable) And really it seems to me that the problem with respecting women stems from not having a male role model around who actually respects women. Another issue, that. So what of the numerous titty bars here in Marseille(best in France)? Do all people who visit there hate women? What about Chinese wife-beaters? Do they all listen to rap? Unlikely. I find the videos that come on late on BET pretty horrible(Jesus they suck). But honestly have you ever seen the female wrestlers on WWE? Abusing and degrading women is by no means limited to black culture. And it's certainly not the only culture that glorifies it. I don't defend it, because it's a real issue. But I'm not gonna condemn the whole of hip-hop culture for its more misogynistic tendencies anymore than I can condemn the whole Spanish and Latino culture for it's more misogynistic machismo.

Plus you gotta admit "3 5 7 to your fore-head, they'll be more dead, cause I'm a pro, kid." sounds pretty badass.