Music is something that I’ve always found comfort in. I find it the easiest way to swing my emotions and uplift my mood. Almost always am I listening to something; even in the shower or while I’m sleeping. My tastes used to vary more, and I’ll still give most things a listen at least once but I’m pretty much all about the hip hop.

I know the bad rap (pun totally intended 🙂 the genre gets. I hear the criticisms of the vulgarity, ostentatious displays of wealth, misogyny, homophobia and colourism perpetuated by mainstream rap music and hip hop culture. All deserved. But when people dismiss rap as a whole, they dismiss the work of those emcees quietly looking to change the game. And I’m not talking about Macklemore and “Same Love”. There are queer artists, female artists, straight black male artists who are picking up fans while spitting counter culture to the mantra of money, violence, women & drugs. Conscious rap exists and has existed for a while, yet every discussion of “what’s wrong with hip hop” seems to forget that. I think some young fans know about and sometimes choose to ignore any side of rap that isn’t as popular as the Rick Ross-style braggadocio or needless glorification of ganglife. Current reflection upon my musical tastes has revealed a slippery slope towards the likes of French Montana and Waka Flocka. But I think people outside of hip hop legitimately don’t realize that a whole other beautiful side to the culture and genre of music exists.

Music-makers and game-changers A$AP Rocky, Angel Haze and Childish Gambino

That isn’t to say that what’s dominating the airwaves right now has no value. The experiences of disenfranchised, urban, Black American youth is what hip hop was founded on. And some of those disenfranchised youth grew up on a culture of money, violence, women and drugs where hip hop has been and still is a much-needed outlet and reflection of that environment. However, that is no excuse for further oppression of transfolk, women and other minorities. So while I think that everyone’s voice should be heard, positive voices aren’t being heard enough in mainstream media. Black and hip hip hop culture are inextricably tied; it is inevitable then that we see the politically-charged and economically-motivated negative characterization of Black people seep into media portrayal of hip hop – a lucrative industry that refuses to play nice politically. There is nothing inherently wrong with people who happen to fit certain stereotypes of what “Black music” looks like but it is important that differing messages get out there. We, Black people, are not a monolith. Hip hop is not a monolith.