“It’s the easiest thing to place blame on.” T.I. exclaimed while falling back into his chair onstage. “Its like hip-hop is taking the blame for all of America’s problems,” Nelly added to his argument. This is what you would have heard if you were in the audience during the taping of BET’s three – part series, “Hip-Hop vs. America”.
The series aired on BET September 25th – 26th with the final part of the series made available online. I checked out all three and some things I agreed with, while others I was not completely sold. However, it was a debate and debates often go that way.
The panelists ranged from Mike Jones to Master P and Chuck D to Cornell West. Each of the individuals on the panel made valid points here and there, but the overall theme of the debate seemed to have been whether or not hip-hop should be blamed for America’s ills. Should it?
It’s hard for me to believe that people actually think that 50 Cent albums and replays of Nelly’s infamous “Tip Drill” video are the reason prisons are overcrowded with black men. Violence in our inner-cities is not out of control because Pimp C and Bun B rap about the dope game in the south. Be serious. When did the parenting of today’s generation get so weak that it allows society to blame a genre of music for America’s short comings?
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