Interesting takedown of Whitlock.....

"Ain't Nothin to Me" -- Johnny Winter

 

There are way, way, WAY more examples of violence and misogyny in hip hop than country, plus it's much more blatant. Rappers don't do understatement. Don't make yourself sound silly by trying to claim otherwise.

 

At least we can all agree that all the problems in this country are caused by people who listen to country music or rap.

 

Never heard of somebody going on a killing spree and you later find that he has Anne Murray on his playlist.

That's not to say it hasn't happened.

 

Ta-Nehisi Coates' piece on Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d. city is interesting, in light of the kinda silly discussion currently taking place about "hip hop culture":

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/opinion/coates-hip-hop-speaks-to-the-guns.html?_r=0

Hip hop did not create black poverty or low levels education in the black community, or any of the other ills Hondo is blaming on hip hop. It is reflective of the culture, just like Vampire Weekend or Miranda Lambert are reflective of the cultures they were spawned from.

There are a number of factors that lead to these problems, but hip hop and rap music don't really show up on the list.

Edit: In a later blog post about the column, he goes into a bit more detail that illustrates the point well:

 

I was waiting. Bravo.