Jamal Spencer brings it strong in his next blog, taking on the haters!

Hip-hop is not to blame   Ok, let me confess right now: As a young black male I feed into the stereotype of liking rap music. Now that we’ve gotten that

Hip-hop is not to blame

  

Ok, let me confess right now: As a young black male I feed into the stereotype of liking rap music. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way let me say that while yes, some of rap is a little risqué, it is not destroying the very society we live in, as we know it.

  

Far too often I hear about how writers and parents and others blame rap music for whatever is currently troubling them. You’ve heard how rap was destroying the NBA? How tattooed thugs were taking over the league? Please. In the last year the NFL players have had far more brushes with the law than NBA players (The Cincinnati Bengal’s should change their colors. They look like the prison uniforms the players have become accustomed to wearing.)

  

Even Oprah has brought up the issue. When Don Imus made his infamous comments about some female basketball players, Oprah had rap mogul Russell Simmons and rapper Common on her show so she could tell them why it was their fault.

  

But as it relates to the NBA, David Stern had to institute a dress code to keep players from wearing their throwback jerseys and baggy jeans to NBA arenas. Allen Iverson has been labeled by some as a thug because he has more tattoos than rocker Tommy Lee. He’s black, he has cornrows and lot’s of tattoo’s so by definition he MUST be one of these young hip-hop thugs. Give me a break.

  

Rap isn’t for everybody. If you don’t like it, then don’t listen to it. If you think your kids shouldn’t listen to it because it’s violent or they curse, then so be it. But don’t blame a genre where not all artists share the same views. Don’t blame something of which you may not know anything about. Rap isn’t to blame, maybe the player’s mommas are. Excuse me while I turn my music up.

 

As always, fire away if you agree or disagree!