Hip Hop Social, Social And Political Activism?

Hip hop is often criticized for moving away from its roots, becoming detached from its socially and politically conscious beginnings. Modern hip hop is dismissed as being sexualized, drug-induced, and violence promoting. While this view may hold true at times, many ignore the political and social activism by those in the world of hip hop. Greg Tates essay How #BlackLivesMatter Changed Hip-Hop and R&B in 2015, the book chapter Hip Hop, Food Justice, and Environmental Justice by Nocella II et al., and Tricia’s Rose’s book The Hip Hop Wars, provide examples of hip hop social and political activism.
Hip hop political activism has been reignited by the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Rappers being used as a middle man for communicating complaints of

Hip hop’s positive political and social contributions are also supported by those who don’t create the music. The work of “Journalists , bloggers, activists, teachers, students…suggests that there is a diverse, invested, and significant group of people who are part of hip hop but willing to challenge and revision it” (Rose, 246). Those who work with and listen to hip hop are not innocent bystanders, and have the view that they have responsibility to keep its morals and messages in check. Popular music review sources like Rolling Stone or Pitchfork may be promoting music by writing about it on their respective sites, but they also play an important role in criticizing its problematic content. Music blogs spark discussions on social media platforms by creating articles that make people think about what they are listening to. Without the guidance of these discussions, some listeners may have offensive content go over their heads, or even normalize it to them through repeated listens. When journalists write articles about controversial music, they owe it to the public to break down the lyrics and actions of the artist who create it. People like journalists who create content about hip hop actively shape how society views the genre, and what positive things can come from it. Many discussions about race in today’s society arise from conversations about the lyrics or actions of hip hop artists. Without the analysis of the music by non-artists, the messages from the artists may get marginalized by only being heard by a core fan group. Instead, anyone who has access to articles about the music can join in on the conversation, learning from and using the lessons from them. Outside sources allow the dialogue of hip hop to crossover racial and social