And just say this...

I grew up in a black community with nothing but black friends who were barely scraping by, and I acknowledge that still doesn't make me black, nor do I claim to have any sort of understanding of being black. However, if you talked to me, you would know that I am not the "black phase" guy you speak of. And by having lived within a black community my entire life until 18, I at least have a somewhat limited view of how hip hop influences the black people who I have known. If you want me to talk about rap's influence from a white perspective though, then I will do it this way.

AS I said earlier, and as you have acknowledged yourself, white people are listening to hip hop like crazy (by the way, everybody watches 106 and Park around here, it's the south) and driving a lot of sales. Why aren't the problems expressed in hip-hop bearing their head in the white community? Almost every white young person I know listens to some sort of hip hop, however, the problems Cosby is discussing aren't showing up. If hip hop has such an overwhelming influence, why isn't this occuring?

By the way, my point was that all hip hop isn't the same. Music runs in cyclical patterns, and one can see a more conscious attitude returning to popular hip hop with artists like Kanye West (a few more than 400 sold). Oh, and by the way, I never thought caring about the state of the black community as a white guy was a bad thing. I've always thought it would be nice if more white people cared. But I digress. At least as a white man, I am willing to still see the injustice in this world carried out against blacks. It doesn't seem like you are.