Back in the heyday of the group Run DMC, hip-hop was the sole property of urban blacks. Today, it has been embraced by suburban white youth, as well. Indeed, just a few years ago, you could stop at a traffic light and be assured that the driver of car next to you blasting gangsta rap was a black male. Not any longer. Turn on your TV and you will see ads using hip-hop.
Many shops specialize in hip-hop toys and video games.
Jet reports that a highly popular exhibit of hip-hop culture is now at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The Jet article is timely and useful because the writer interviewed dozens of artists, supporters and critics alike. Two years ago, I attended a conference where C. DeLores Tucker, chairwoman of the National Political Congress of Black Women Inc., condemned hip-hop and challenged the rappers in attendance to clean up their acts. None seriously accepted her challenge. Tucker's contempt for the art form has deepened in two years.