Give Oprah a break people. She did have MC Hammer on the show a few years ago when he was all over the charts. I guess that's about as Hip Hop as she's gonna get.

Ice Cube was on Jimmy Kimmel tonight and they discusses this. Ice basicallly just said he wanted to be on Oprah. Then went on bout his new cd that is old skool Ice Cube and previewed a song called "Dont Snitch". Which is basically a song bout not talking to the cops or youll pay the price.

Im not a big Oprah or Ice Cube fan, but I can see why O wouldnt give publicity to someone who is basically promoting violence.

PurpleRighteous1 said:

I think the heart of the debate is being missed here...Yeah, rappers are now unfairly piling on Oprah...But the fact remains that Oprah seems like she's on an elitist trip when it comes to certain hip-hop acts....Again, 50 Cent's earlier comments have NO merit in this debate...

But when Oprah invites the actors of Barbershop and neglect to extend an invitation to THE PRODUCER and principle figure behind the movie (Ice Cube), there's a problem...When she attacks an actor (Ludacris) for something that has nothing to to do with his film appearance, there's a problem...As much as I respect Oprah's media power, we all know that she probably thought Ludacris was some gangsta rapper??? The irony is he's closer to a comedian (Oprah has Chris Rock on the show and never questions him about his usage of the word "nigga" as she did Ludacris...) I think there is a disconnect with the younger black generation..I myself think that Oprah is getting a little blinded by her white middle aged female demographic.....I dig her...but Oprah needs to understand that people are much more complex than her worldview...
[Edited 6/7/06 1:05am]

ThreadBare said:

yeh im sure thats it if any other race was in a situation like this it would just be the media reporting what happened but when its black people its a masive conspiracy made by greedy racist white men.
[Edited 6/7/06 2:03am]

hellomoto said:

No one is trying to offend you here, but that really is an issue for many of us in the Black community. We speak on it only because we know it, not only by theory or metaphorically through our souls, but through EXPERIENCE. Please try to impart a bit more compassion when adressing a cultural issue that so many people feel affected by.

lazycrockett said:

Actually, Ice Cube's "Stop Snitchin'" is more of a battle track that talks about his place in hip-hop history (One line..."Where the fuck were you when I rocked the Apollo?!!!")...It has little to do with its title...There's also another song on the album called "Why We Thugs" which talks about the poor and disenfranchising conditions of the hood and how a normal everyday kid gets sucked in to becoming a thug....In other words, Cube's much more complex than the normal "gangsta rapper..."

Furthermore, your point has little to do with Cube conspiculously being absent on Oprah for the film Barbership...A film that he starred in, spearheaded and excutive produced...I'll give you 50 Cent; there's no reason he should be on Oprah....But Cube's beefs have merit...That's the issue Crockett....
[Edited 6/7/06 5:21am]

ThePunisher said:

That woulda been about 15 years ago.

murph said:

It's not being missed, at least not by me. I know that Oprah was/is wrong for not letting rappers on her show who are there to promote separate and positive things, things that she is interested in no less. I'm just tired of typing it everytime I respond to one of these Oprah vs HipHop threads. I say that damn near everytime I write one of these things. I even did it this time, but my comp fucked up and I lost it and I didn't feel like typing it again
[Edited 6/7/06 6:14am]

Graycap23 said:

I'm just sick of these low-life thugs acting like Oprah is "obligated" to have them on her show.If you buy one of their CDs,all you're gonna hear is "bitch","hoes" and "nigga" all throughout the album.If you watch their videos,all they do is degrade black women,reducing them to scandily clad sluts.Why should she offer them a place to promote their degrading,offensive bullshit? This may come as a shock to some of these rappers,but not every black person approves of that bullshit,or lives that type of lifestyle.If I was Oprah,I would tell these idiots to kiss my billion-dollar ass.

hellomoto said:

Consider this, as your eyes roll: I'm a journalist who's worked in newsrooms for more than 11 years. I know the sorts of stories that get passed along by homogenous news editors (read, baby boomer white men from Ivy League schools) without any real thought to their questionable news value -- just because they involve and affect nonwhites. And, I've challenged enough such stories to understand the mindset often carried by such decision-makers at news outlets.

I'm not too sure about what really happened to DNC Chairman Ron Brown, as conspiracies against blacks go, but I know my facts when it comes to media politics.

Peace unto you.

RipHer2Shreds said:

Apparently,he's a flop rapper that nobody knows,just trying to stir up some shit to sell a few records

DavidEye said:

I know that's right!!. I can understand where Ludacris and Ice Cube are coming from, but they're kind of acting like it's wrong of Oprah to dislike Hip Hop. Now yes it's wrong for those ppl to not have been on their respective shows, but I keep hearing these ppl say "Oprah has a problem with hip hop" like that's a bad thing. Some Hip Hop these days is crap. It's degrading, meaningless, and regressive to our people. What's to like?

PurpleRighteous1 said:

Its a bad thing when you demonize an entire subculture out of ignorance because YOUR COLLEAGUES choose to help promote stereotypical artists to repreent the genre. Hip-hop is way bigger than Oprah and I'll bbe damned if artists like Talieb, Mos, Pharoah Monche, Common and so on deserve to be thrown in with the likes of Lil Jon. There is no excuse for ignorance when you're in a position like Oprah is. There is no justification for this. No matter how much some of you try to help push Oprah above the heads of everyon else; she's one person. Hip-hop is a subculture that consists of millions of rappers, dancers, artists, actors and more. Using the word "all" in a situation like that makes you look like a bigot, even if you're the white media's and white middle America's darling token black woman. The rap that popular was put there by WHITE MEN WHO RUN RECORD LABELS. If no one signed the offensive artists, they wouldn't have money and I guarentee you most of them wouldn't be rapping, they'd be selling drugs or doing something else that pays or they simply wouldn't be popular. Point the finger where it belongs.

murph said:

Well like i said im not a fan but the lyric that jimmy quoted didnt seem like a positive message...

murph said:

Hon, I swear I don't mean this in a bitchy way, but, I wanted to use this post to address a myriad of viewpoints here that I'm at odds with, and I'm between work with no chance to post against several others I've seen on the thread (smile)

That being said...what exactly is Oprah's worldview to some of you? One of the things which is really becoming bothersome to me is the point that, because her show focuses on topics such as literacy, charity, women's issues, human interest stories, family relationships, and parenting, that her demographic is a soley WHITE audience??? WTF is this???? NEWS-F-LASH, y'all...contrary to popular belief as it has been set forth by some of those in the media....I, and EVERY BLACK WOMAN I KNOW has been watching Oprah for years because of the very topics I mentioned above. Whether people realize it or not, it almost feels as if some are really shortchanging us (meaning Black females) because those are issues and daily life topics that matter to black women just as much as their white counterparts. YES, we too want to hear about leadership schools for girls being built on the mother continent. YES we too want want to see shows on local citizens who are making a difference in their communities ( and if you know somebody you'd like to show appreciation for then DAMN, go to Angel Network and nominate them so they can get money to carry on their plight )
and YES, WE TOO like to read everything under the sun from pre-1950 classic authors to non-traditional fiction by way of Wally Lamb and the next up and coming literary dynamo black, white, yellow, or blue, AND FOR GOD'S SAKES----oh, and try THIS: YESSSSS WE TOOOOO like to see fluff pieces on how to make fab flower arrangements or a lower fat Sunday morning French Brioche, or where we can go to find the world's most comfortable pajamas to enjoy while we sit our asses down to read our metro or arts section of the newspaper on a lazy morning ---SO WHAT GIVES???? These are hardly topics that are alien to the black female community. All of this talk about Oprah catering to the interests of female "whites" is closed-minded and nothing short of silly. Stick it to her for having too much of a GUUURLY centered format if you want, but all these suppostions that her show is somehow more interesting to white females as opposed to black ones is steel-against-the blackboard annoying,and in my own experience and at least 50 other black women in my immediate circle, simply not true.

rant over

Ottensen said:

I'm with Oprah on this.
Those guys doesn't add any musical creativity to the world. Bad examples to the youth (black youth in particular) they cannot play any instrument and their 'work'is based on samples.

This doesn't mean I like that Celene shit on her show as well

Tosh said:

You've completely missed the point.

Ottensen said:

Thank you sooooo much for that. This is what has been on my mind for so long, but I couldn't find the words to best express it. People need to hear this. I'm going to save it and use whenever possible in debate like this. EXCELLENT POST

PurpleRighteous1 said

I think I share some of PurpleRighteous1's praise. Ottensen and I'll include Threadbare. I really enjoy their posts.
[Edited 6/7/06 9:12am]

And I repeat...

BlaqueKnight said:

Who in the WORLD thinks that only white women watch Oprah with almost every black comedian, writer or commentator of any sort having have made reference to black women watching Oprah at some point? Black people comprise about 10% of the population; Oprah's demographic will most likely always be predominantly white. Come on now! Back on topic.
[Edited 6/7/06 9:54am]

BlaqueKnight said:

....and you are absolutely right. But I would be lying if I didn't feel that many people on our site, for whatever reason, only notice her white fanbase and feel the topics or guests she chooses relate only to those fans. Of course there will ALWAYS be less black folks watching Ophrah based on population data, but what irks me are the sweeping statements that give the idea that her show topics don't appeal to blacks (particularly the female audience). Granted, I understand very easily how black men (or ANY man) would flip right past her shows with all those interior decorating specials and whatnot, but as as a black woman I do feel unfairly discounted for not being able to say, "HEY, I WATCH ALL THAT RIDICULOUSNESS ABOUT SPAS AND NEW SKIN CARE PRODUCTS, and yes, being a 70's baby I'LL WATCH THE JOHN TRAVOLTA mess, too.

Ultimately, when I do examine a lot of these points closely, though...I wonder what the REAL reason is that she wouldn't have a successful actor/producer like Ice Cube on the show...I think it's almost too simple to blame it on the generational gap or class issues or the man hate theory. For all we know anything could have been brewing and she could just simply feel like,' to hell with him, he pissed me off when he did x.y.z.' and with Harpo being her domain, that is her right. If I had to be honest I would admit that I don't feel like I'm missing anything by her not having big rap stars on her show...although yes, the Ice Cube comments do spark some curiosity as to whether there could be a back story.....

PurpleRighteous1 said:

Cool...But I think we are in agreement...The issue is not Oprah not inviting rappers on her show...The issue is O's treatment of two artists (Ice Cube and Ludacris) and the fact that they have legitimate beef...

Hating on Oprah is Hating Ones self..

This shows weak characters in these individuals.

Oprah is being herself - If they got beef with that then they have the problem

Ottensen said:

Oprah's worldview is pandering to her white, middle aged female demographic and advertisers ...Again....We are in agreement for the most part...If she doesn't want to have rappers on her show, then cool...But when you have professional people coming on her show to promote a film (Luda), treat them the same way you would treat a Chris Rock...To me, the fact that Ice Cube wasn't invited on Oprah to talk about a film he produced and backed speaks volumes...That's my only point...no more, no less

BlaqueKnight said:

Indeed...I think people are reading these post backwards....

Ludacris was on Conan last night. I decided to watch to see how interesting of a guest he'd be. What I learned about Ludacris from the interview:

1. he's an expert on strip clubs and thinks that Atlanta has the best ones
2. The most important trait when looking for a woman is that she has to have pretty feet. If she's super intelligent and have ugly feet, then he can't really "work" with that.
3. He likes to drive fast. He once drove over 200 mph on Germany's AutoBahn. He drove over 100 mph in Atlanta and got a speeding ticket and was forced to go to driving school.
4. He writes his songs while driving with his knees. I guess that explains why they're so shitty
5. He likes to party

Why should Oprah as a black woman promote musicians who degrade black women? Why should she bring them on her show and laud their accomplishments as black men? They seem to be uncapable to do the same for black women in their work. Ludacris doesn't even let his daughter watch BET. If you have to keep your kids away from your work how respectful is it? He won't let his daughter see it, but he wants Oprah to promote it. I love how most of them are running up on the she should support a successful black brother point. Where were all these successful black brothers speaking out when that old Eminem racist slur tape dropped. Oh they'll go balls to the wall w/ Oprah for not getting to sit and chat on her show. But, they don't have shit to say for Eminem's past transgressions. To that I say fuck Luda, Cube, 50, and Killer Mike. Killer MIke's fat ass would never reach a level to be invited anyway. WTF, is he upset about? Besides that, Oprah has had Kanye, Common, and Missy Elliot on as guests.

PurpleRighteous1 said:

Exactly! Black women are finally saying "Enough!".Nelly did a video where he swipes a credit card between a woman's ass cheeks.That's the kind of stuff that these guys do in their videos,and yet they want Oprah---a proud,successful,positive Black woman--to have them on her show,smiling and laughing with them while they promote their work?? These guys promote negative images and stereotypes,and they do more harm than good to the young folks who look up to them and buy their CDs.