Hip Hop Music; Bridging the Gap Between Races

Hip Hop music went from fun music, to politically conscious music, to gangsta music, back to fun music. A lot of negative things have been said about the quality of hip hop music, and how it affects the youths in the society. Young people would now rather want to be like the biggest rapper out than to have their own identity; they would rather listen to what Jay-Z says about life than to listen to their parents advise on life.



I recognise this, and I would say it could be one of the negative parts of hip hop culture depending on the rapper being listened to, but I chose to focus more on the good that hip hop has done. I know there would always be people that would bring to light the wrong notion of the black people that rappers put in their songs, so I might as well leave those people to do their job while I do mine.



The reason why I am writing this is because of the wrong conception that a lot of people have over a recent event in hip hop culture. Jay-Z and Kanye West are on a Watch The Throne tour, and there friend Gwyneth Paltrow (a white actress) was with them while they were in Paris. And while they were in Paris, performing their hit song, Niggas In Paris, she got over excited about the reaction of the crowd, and tweeted this words- "Niggas In Paris for real", with a picture of herself dancing on stage. A lot of people, bloggers, hip hop reporters and some rappers have bashed her endlessly on the use of the "N" word.



Personally, what I see is the beginning of what I feel black people in America have always wanted- Equality. I think someone like Gwyneth Paltrow and other younger generation of white people that love to be a part of the hip hop culture no-longer see Negroes as black people, but just as people like them and the rest of the white people out there. What I am saying is that Hip Hop music has been able to bridge that gap between the races, to the point where you have white rappers, Black rappers Asian rappers, Hispanic rappers; Hispanic listeners, Black listeners, white listeners, and Asian listeners. Now, you have a lot of white people at hip hop shows and concerts, and they look up to this rappers. They don't just like the music, they like and respect the musicians.



I think this is a great development. Although this is just a social thing, it will definitely transcend to other spheres of life. And, one step at a time, the dinosaur age of white people that can't stand black people will fade out, and this new generation would take over, and we will just be one happy planet...One Human Race.



I think Michael Jackson would have achieved this early in the 80s, but he went and turned himself white. And, if you look at Bob Marley, he was on the same track. He made politically conscious music, and even attacked the whites with his lyrics, but his songs were so melodious that everyone, regardless of race just vibed to it. But, with Hip Hop being a big medium, the effect is much more noticeable. I have watched rapper Game's live concerts in Norway and New Zealand, and seen 90% white people in the audience, rapping a long to every word of his songs. I think, regardless of what negative image people paint hip hop, they have done more in erasing racial tension and building equality than any million man march or protest has done. I believe in getting positive with positive, not getting positive with negative...u dig?