Bill Beene‘s perspective on keeping hip-hop clean seemed one-sided. Just as Kenny G is considered a jazz artist, he has nothing to do with what Coltrane did. Likewise, what Chingy may rap about doesn’t have anything to do with what STL’s own Black Spade or F5 Records artists may rap about.
Hip-hop shouldn’t be dragged into a discussion about what it is or isn’t doing without acknowledging that there are many types of hip-hop artists who tackle a variety of topics. Don’t give hip-hop a bad name just because the side of the art form that is promoted by old men in suits is the type that also degrades women and promotes violence. The breadth of artists involved in hip-hop culture is clean and dirty at the same time.
Miles Bonny
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