Hip-Hop

Hip-Hop Slop Embarrassing To Oprah
By Robert Carberry

There has been a little stink in the press lately regarding Oprah Winfrey's snub of various hip-hop artists. Several rappers, including 50 Cent, Ice Cube and Ludacris have complained Winfrey is either distant, disrespectful or hostile to hip-hoppers. Of course, Oprah denies it and says she plays some of the music despite never making her show a forum for such individuals.

50 Cent pretty much said Oprah could give a hoot about hip-hop saying she caters to "old white women." Ice Cube is simply mad in general saying he has never been invited on the show calling himself a "rags-to-riches" story which she should appreciate. Ludacris did appear on the show, but as a promotion for the movie "Crash" which he had a part.

First, why do these guys care so much? Each one is very rich and will never have to work a real job again in their lives. They have no connection to Winfrey other than the fact all involved are black. But so what? Perhaps something deeper here is at play.

No matter if you like the hip-hop form of music or not, two things are obvious: It sells well and caters to a violent, depraved way of life. Billions of dollars have been spent to buy cd's, tapes, etc. The few big-shots in the industry have made alot of money. The promotion of the "bad ass" image has struck gold. Various record companies spend big dollars to sign rappers ranging from "Snoop" to "Kim." The above-mentioned individuals are in the "elite" of the industry.