Sorry for the delay, I've been busy with school. I'm only 21, so I don't remember the start of rock and roll. Man you guys are old. I agree with what you're saying. I guess my comment was made based on what I've seen riding the bus through the ghettoes of West Philadelphia. There are tens of millions of people, the majority of whom are minorities, in poor urban areas throughout the U.S. who have incredibly rough lives because they are surrounded by drugs, violence, and poverty. Many of them fail at school because their schools suck or because they just don't try since it's not cool or they have already lost hope. They end up with no skills, poor work ethic, and stuck in the same situation as their parents.

You could argue that rap is just expressing what life is like on the streets. The problem is that successful rappers become the superstars of the 'hood, and some of their messages glorify and normalize drugs, violence, etc. This just reinforces negative aspects of hood culture.

The hood has enough problems to solve without rappers making it cool to slap a bitch, shoot a thug, and smoke crack. That's why I don't like some rap artists. I'm not worried that the fake white ganstas in high schools in the suburbs are going to be more violent because of the lyrics.