The Lack of Exposure by Mainstream Media Outlets on Hip-Hop Artist Charity Work Is Horrible

No matter how big, successful, or powerful Hip-Hop culture gets, I believe it may never get its due respect and acknowledgement.

Especially it's artist who are predominantly of colour. Been called thugs, animal's, criminals, degenerates, classless, & many many other things.

Hip hop is musical art form and a culture that was formed during the 1970s when block parties became increasingly popular in New York City, particularly among African-American youth residing in the Bronx.

When kids from underfunded & poverty stricken areas who were unable to express themselves Hip-Hop was a tool that gave them the power to say their truths.

Making many young men & women successful & able to provide for their friends & family when many thought their was no escape for people like them.

Now I know the culture isn't perfect by any means but when you understand where some of these talented individuals grew up, you should be able to see why many do talk about violence & drugs.

It was the only life they knew. Drugs and violence were not started by them & may not end with them. The bad treatment of women though should never be excused, many of these young people never had guidance to truly respect people especially women.

A dog eat dog world where you can't show love or weakness. Not a excuse for many individuals who disrespect our queens but a slight understanding.

Many other artforms are not squeaky clean either. Others promote drug use, sex, & violence but the torch isn't shined brightly on these negative.

So when I hear people say that Hip-Hop artists don't support their communities I find that to be complete garbage. Canadian Hip-Hop megastar Drake released his single "God's Plan" in 2018 from his EP Scary Hours.

Drake is one of the most successful artist of his generation. At this moment he has the most number one singles on the US Hot Rap Songs chart with fifteen of them, and as a rap artist, he has the most number one singles on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with sixteen of them.

"God's Plan" charted number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it his fourth US number one, and second as a lead artist.

During this time there were social media videos of Drake giving money to individuals who seriously needed it for college, bills, food etc. But that was only half the story.

He released the official video but gave it added context. His label gave him a budget of near 1 million dollars. Instead of spending it on song he gave it away to his fans and the people.

It was such a brilliant way to further expand his song's lifespan, thinking outside the box & doing a noble thing for the community.

But the exposure for this huge moment is very barren, same with a lot of other Hip-Hop charity work. I truly believe if a pop or rock act did this type of artistic charity, it would be front page news.

Not with Hip-Hop though. It's either poorly promoted or swept under the rug which is so disgusting. You never get to see the good, inspirational side of the culture often enough.

When something negative or controversial appears that's when all these mainstream media outlets know all the so called ins & outs.

How many Hip-Hop artist charities can you name?

I'll like to give a massive shout out to CNN who actually did gave some great example of Rappers giving back. Link is here.

Controversial artist Eminem has his own charity called the Marshall Mathers Foundation.

Gangster rapper The Game had the Robin Hood Project.

One of the leaders of the new generation, J. Cole, has his on foundation called The Dreamville Foundation named after his record label.

Ludacris, P.Diddy, 50 Cent, and Queen Latifah, just to name a few, all have charities giving to great causes but they are never given the exposure like other music acts and celebrities.

The closest we got to great awareness on Hip-Hop charity was when Chicago artist Chance The Rapper raised 1 million dollars for schools in his home town because the government were not going to.

This greatly need to change. Hopefully with the success and positive feedback of "God's Plan," maybe it will.

Liu Scott

#daRENAGADES

#crudBUTprofessional

#drake

#godsplan