niggas, bitches, and hos

You know we're in trouble when Russell Simmons becomes the spokesperson for the hip hop generation. His most recent brilliant idea to bleep three more derogatory words from hip hop lyrics (what about other genres that use those three words? Like Meredith Brooks's "Bitch," for instance?) does nothing to address the social inequalities that actually produce the sentiments that some rappers espouse. Why bleep more words? I can hear it now: most mainstream rap (the kind they play on the radio) will be 3 minutes of bleeps with a few words worked in. How about promoting hip hop artists who actually have something thoughtful to say? Like Jean Grae, or Flo Brown, or Talib Kweli, or Dead Prez... and so many others (time for the underground to come above ground perhaps?)

I can't promise all these hip hop artists adhere to a politics of respectability but they will be a welcome change from the souped up commercial jingles that dominate the radio stations presently.