SavonOsco said:

Artist like Lupe and even more mainstream like JayZ have been telling us this for the longest. But please understand this...it has always been about the money from the days of Sam Cooke, Dizzie Gilipsie, to the Detroit Motown Sound. If dumb down, misogynistic, vulgar music moved units in Smokey Robinsons era then Barry Gordy would have been Suge Knight. I just don't believe music execs were utilitarian in their approach to selecting the types of music or artist they promoted then, and I don't believe that execs are more bottom line driven today. We eat this shit up, it's hella cheap to produce, artist are easily replaced, and it plays to the lowest common denominator in all of us...which for some odd reason suits this generation of listeners just fine.
More than racist the particular black music that you allude to is a form of self hate. And honestly, if you ask your friends that play this music in the presence of minors or allow them access to BET 106 and park, or whatever "rap" driven medium...they will deny the impact all together or judge it minimal at best in "priming" this generations behavior. With that being the case my friends..if the parents and community don't have the sense enough to shield the youth from its influence (saggy pants, neck tattoos, degradation of our women, etc) then we have far more troubles that what this thread suggest.
[Edited 7/22/09 21:20pm]