I think the point everyone is missing is that as Africans in this country, whatever we have created (culturally, artistically, musically, etc.) has always been a representation of our stuggle for acceptance and an identity in America. When we came here, we had nothing and we weren't told our history. We were called niggers, coons, and negroes. These words demean us and do not tell us who we are, or where we come from. We need to have something to tell us who we are. We need our own identity. This is not to say that white people can't listen to hip hop music or for that matter be apart of the culture. It isn't just blacks who are apart of hip hop. Latinos, Asians, and other non-white people are just as instrumental in hip hop as African Americans are. However, I just wish that white people knew the importance of black culture ( I also wish some black folks knew the importance). What we create isn't just music to dance to. Listen to Mos Def's "Rock and Roll." Everything we created has been STOLEN from us. Our music, our art, and our identity. It isn't something that should be taken lightly. Damn right I take my culture seriously. I should have a culture to call my own and not have eurocentric values dictate what I should and should not be. What blacks create always gets spit on in the beginning. Once whites embrace it, it becomes legitimized. That's not fair. This is what pains African Americans. It's like society is telling us that whatever we do, we will never be accepted as anything other than second class citizens. I'm not a racist and I'm not yelling at white people, but please know the importance that our culture holds. Black culture has created and influence hip hop culture and music. Jazz, Rock and Roll, Soul, Negro Spirituals, Blues, and R&B were all created by black people, and these forms of music went into what makes hip hop. Black and white people should never forget that. Peace.


UnOrthoDox.