The 49-year-old rapper goes on to explain the foundation of hip-hop. He says hip-hop is about a people, freedom, family and real men and women. Unfortunately, according to him, all these elements are missing in mainstream hip-hop.

What drives mainstream media hip-hop isn’t anything close to what defines the movement. Most of the men involved are driven by the love of money and have no respect for women. He dares not call them men, but boys. KRS-One reasons that hip-hop is about fighting for equality, working hard to bring up a family, and maintaining a bond with a real woman, not girls pretending to be women.

Talking about the foundation of hip-hop, KRS-One clarifies that although the movement started with black people; it has gone beyond race or color. It ropes in everyone who believes in justice and equality.

The rapper uses President Barack Obama as an example. He says Obama’s election as the first African-American president wasn’t a black man’s affair, but was a win for everyone. Were it not for the support of real men and women who stand for something beyond race, Obama couldn’t have risen to the highest office.

And again, when it comes to fighting for equal rights, he says that white people are on the forefront. While many black people take to the streets to protest, it’s mostly white people who legislate to ensure equality. Their roles in religion can’t be overlooked either.

KRS-One doesn’t end the conversation without talking about the quality of hip-hop lyrics. He says that real men rap about real issues and not songs that have no sense of direction. He mentions names such as Immortal Technique, Chuck Dee, Snoop Dogg and Dead Prez as some of the hip-hop figures who stick with the fundamentals of the genre.

The artist says that besides rapping about real issues, a real man has respect for women; a real man takes good care of his family, teaches them, and upholds a strong family bond. But when it comes to mainstream hip-hop, KRS-One says most recording artists don’t have women, but only deal with girls who get excited by the acts of boys and who don’t have respect for themselves.

Do you agree with KRS-One’s criticism of hip-hop?

Source: Reason 4Rhymes

Date Posted: Sunday, February 1st, 2015 , Total Page Views: 1137