Hip Hop: A Culture of Disrespect?
Rappers are often synonymous with over-sized egos and bad behaviour, which seems so distanced from the forward-thinking and empowering movement that has influenced their music. Hip Hop as a genre has evolved greatly since its birth in the late 1970s, although sadly it seems that the culture is yet to mature
Humble, respectful and focused, are unfortunately terms rarely used to describe the majority of rappers in the public eye. Is it any wonder, after watching Kanye West’s latest outburst at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, that Hip Hop has such a poor reputation in not only the media but popular culture as a whole? For all of the complaints that the music world does not take Hip Hop seriously as a genre, there are far more arguments for these preconceptions. Between legal trouble and constant displays of violence and disrespect in public, rappers are frequently tarnishing the reputation of Hip Hop as a culture.
Kanye West: Music Overshadowed by Ego
Often in the media spotlight for his obnoxious and egotistical behaviour, Kanye West is perhaps a prime example of why Hip Hop is still viewed with such a high level of immaturity. The highly successful rapper and producer yesterday stormed the stage during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech, disrespectfully interrupting by expressing that he felt Beyoncé should have won the award for her Single Ladies video instead.
West later apologised via a post on his official blog on kanyeuniversecity.com dated September 13th 2009, stating, “I'm in the wrong for going on stage and taking away from her moment.” He then continued to explain, “Beyoncé’s video was the best of this decade. I'm sorry to my fans if I let you guys down. I'm sorry to my friends at MTV. I will apologize to Taylor.”
Hip Hop Etiquette
Regardless as to whether Beyoncé really did deserve to win the Best Female Video award or not, it was the manner in which West expressed his feelings that was completely disrespectful and unnecessary. Kanye West, however, is not the only artist that regularly misrepresents the Hip Hop culture with their arrogance and lack of etiquette. In the industry this type of behaviour is sadly far from uncommon; as rapper T.I. quite rightly mentioned in his 2008 Rihanna-assisted single Live Your Life, ‘we’re mighty full of ourselves all of a sudden aren’t we.’
If artists were driven less by their egos and worked harder to support each other in this industry, then Hip Hop would certainly not only progress as a culture, but also present a united front to a world that is yet to fully embrace it. In order to change the general perception of the genre, artists need to really demonstrate a far greater level of modesty and maturity. After all, Hip Hop cannot demand respect as a culture, when its most significant representatives show so little respect to others.
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