A00304 - After 50 Years Why Haven't We Made More Progress?: The Rise of Hip Hop Culture

 I am avidly watching the Olympics and I am more than a bit amazed by the apparent rise of Hip Hop Culture.  From the introduction of the new Olympic sport of breakdancing 



to the omnipresence of Snoop Dogg


it seems quite evident that those who condemned Hip Hop Culture in the 1980s and 1990s may have finally found their condemnations swept away by history.

It is not lost on me that this Summer, Ice Cube 


one of the more controversial rappers of the 1980s, is today the owner of the much televised 3 on 3 Basketball League and that Ice Cube's fellow N.W.A. group member, Dr. Dre 


is approaching billionaire status from his business endeavors more than his music.

Indeed, one of the "improvements" that has occurred in the United States over the last 50 years is the number of African American athletes and entertainers who have been able to parlay their skills into multimillion dollar -- even billion dollar -- careers.


I wonder how those who once excoriated the Hip Hop Culture can reconcile their criticism in light of the historical record of achievement and acceptance that has occurred over the intervening years.

Simply astounding!

Peace,

Everett "Skip" Jenkins 
Fairfield, California
July 28, 2024

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