The Fallacy Is You

"if the folks known as the hiphop generation are learning their politics from "conscious" rap, there is little hope for our future."

Huh?

That was my first reaction after reading this op-ed by John McWhorter in The New York Sun. McWhorter, the well known columnist for the Sun and Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, has long been know for his "interesting" views on race that usually take a Clarence Thomas approach to being African American.

Clearly McWhorter knows very little about the foundations of Hip-Hop and the political nature of it. Sure, mainstream hip-hop is shallow, sexist, and offers a poor representation of African-Americans (which McWhorter does in fact realize). However, he misses the boat in asserting that conscious rap and hip-hop are somehow undermining the new generation of African-Americans.

In citing songs by Pete Rock, Dead Prez, The Roots, and Kanye West, he takes the lyrics out of context and fails to acknowledge that the themes from these songs are common within African-American communities. The idea that public school systems (NOT charter schools McWhorter specifically talks about) in low-income communities are failing and providing a curriculum that is not properly aimed at the students is a topic that has long been talked by educators, civil rights leaders, AND hip-hop artists.

McWhorter, who in previous op-eds has gone as far to say that race is not playing a role in the current presidential campaign, clearly failed to do his homework when writing this piece.