This article from Black Agenda Report suggests rerouting the responsibility for “…the anti-social aspects of commercial hip hop…” in that “…the bulk of Black community anger at hip hop products is directed at foul-behaving artists, rather than the corporate Dr. Frankensteins that created and profit from them.”
Hip Hop Profanity, Misogyny and Violence: Blame the Manufacturer
by Black Agenda Report executive editor Glen Ford
May 2, 2007
The often convoluted debate over hip-hop lyrics and images frequently misses the point: mass marketed rap recordings, videos and stage acts are corporate products, and the artists are virtual employees and subcontractors of huge multinationals. Corporate control of the cultural marketplace is the real villain in this story, not artists who did not pick themselves for stardom and cannot on their own alter boardroom business models. Corporations have been usurping and reshaping Black mass culture for decades – hip-hop is just the latest product line.
“What the public sees, hears and consumes is the end product of a process that is integral to the business model crafted by top corporate executives.”
Read the whole article at Black Agenda Report
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