"What has become painfully evident is that Hip Hop artists were not meant to be revolutionary leaders. They were merely supposed to supply the hook while Black revolutionaries kicked the powerful verses."

The LEADERS at hip-hop's birth fought so hard against it being birthed as an artform that they lost sight of the realities that were being expressed through it. Black leaders completely dropped the ball in the 1980's, caught up in running for office and not in addressing the issues in the community (notable exception, Mayor Harold Washington, who understood the power of the youth).

But where does it leave us now? Hip-hop is simultaneously corporatized and the vehicle through which a fair amount of wealth has come into a few hands in the community.