There's a saying in the hip-hop world that says "Don't hate the player, hate the game"; basically it means that you can't be mad at the players for playing by the rules of the game. Right now it seems that everyone out there is doing a lot of hating both the players and the game in when it comes to hip-hop music. The big topic of the day, in the wake of the Don Imus affair has been what is wrong with hip-hop, and the growing consensus seems to be that hip-hop is the major culprit of all things wrong with American culture right now. At least that's what I'm getting from news, talk radio, and all manner of conservative websites.

But I am here, as a pretty loyal fan of hip-hop to defend the honor of the music. I am here to stand up for the artists who do good music, but are being tarred by this anti hip-hop fervor that suddenly seems to be sweeping the land. I am pretty sure that I will catch some heat for saying some of the things I am about to say, but I'm a big boy and I can take it. I also have the forum to debate with those who wish to debate, and maybe I can shed a little light on the subject for them.

My major problem with all of this anti hip-hop hysteria is the fact that so many of the people attacking the music don't even listen to it. Maybe they have different musical tastes, maybe they tried it and it wasn't for them; whatever the reasons so many that are in a rush to condemn hip-hop do not listen to the music. They take selected lyrics from selected songs...usually the most objectionable they can find...plaster them on screen, or read them on their shows and proclaim that this is what all hip-hop music is. They don't care that there is a wide range of hip-hop out there, the only thing they care about is that they have found some offensive language and images to bludgeon hip-hop with. The problem is, hip-hop is much more varied than that.

I would venture a guess that most everyone out there knows the name of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, or Nelly. They know that these guys rap about some stuff that pretty nasty, foul mouthed, and in many cases misogynistic. And for them, this is hip-hop....all there is. The problem is, these guys are not all there is...not by a long shot.

They don't know...and don't care to...about Nas, or Common, or Most Def, or the Roots. They don't know about Rakim, or Tribe Called Quest, or Black Sheep, or De La Soul. And the reason is because these artists don't fit the profile that has been created for hip-hop. Since these guys don't spend all their time rapping about b*tches, p*mps, or gangbanging they don't count...because if they did maybe hip-hop wouldn't be so menacing. Maybe there would be something to talk about other than how bad the language is in hip-hop, how violent it is, or how degrading its images often are. Acknowledging these rappers, and others like them, would maybe be reason to rethink some of the stereotypes of hip-hop, and would show the world that hip-hop isn't the new devil on the block. So don't hold your breath waiting for any features on them...they don't fit the profile.

Another problem I have is the fact that suddenly hip-hop has become the way out for others who screw up. The only reason everyone is suddenly on the "hip-hop is bad" bandwagon is because it was dragged into the Imus affair as a way to mitigate what he said. He calls the women of Rutgers some racially offensive names, and suddenly the cry goes up "What about the rappers!" To which I say, "What about them?" What do they have to do with this? What did they say on Imus's show about those young ladies? I see it for what it is...an easy way to deflect attention from one wrong by highlighting another. I have no problem with challenging rappers or their record companies for producing some of the junk they put out there, but I do object to the timing of it all. This has been problematic for a long time now, but it hasn't drawn this much interest in a long time from the MSM or the conservative side of the aisle. But as soon as Don Imus sticks his foot down his throat, the lyrics in rap music become a huge issue? Seems like mighty suspicious timing to me!

I also have a problem with the lack of attention being paid to the companies that put this music out there. While they are usually mentioned in passing, usually to talk about the larger evils of the MSM, they are largely given a pass by all involved in talking about the issue. The outrage seems to be all reserved for the rappers who record the music, with scant attention paid to the hustlers who put the records out. To me, as bad as the rappers may be, the corporations are worse. They are worse because they are the ones making huge pofits off of this mess and they are the ones promoting it.

I remember back when hip-hop was almost exclusively a black thing; when the biggest company dealing with rappers was Def Jam Records. Back then, from the mid 1980s to the early 90s, rap music was different. It was all about who was the best MC, who had the best DJ, whose crew was the best, and who could turn a party out. Guys like Kurtis Blow, Melle Mel and the Furious Five, LL Cool J, Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew, the Juice Crew, and Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Pince ruled the airwaves. That was a time when word of mouth could make or break a record...if people said your music was lame, you weren't going to sell many records.

All of that changed in the 90s when the corporations saw there was money to be made off of hip-hop music. Suddenly records were beng promoted by the record companies and the music itself begn to change. It went from how good your crew was, to how many n*ggas you killed on the block. Jazzy Jeff was out and NWA was in. And the dirty little secret that even now no one wants to address was born....hip-hop was no longer a black thing, it was now being mass produced for a mainly white, suburban audience. And when that happened, that was the first time that politicians and the media gave a damn about what was being said on those records. Suddenly hip-hop became a scourge that had to be dealt with...when it began to affect them, when their kids suddenly were wearing LA Kings caps and listening to ZAGGIN-4-EFIL. And I detect some of that same undercurrent in this sudden burst of righteous indignation about how bad the lyrics in hip-hop are.

I am not saying that the lyrics in all of hip-hop music are uplifting, nor am I convinced that they are all vile and misogynistic. I understand, and agree that some of this stuf...a lot in fact...is unhealthy and someone needs to take a stand against it. What I am saying is that not all of hip-hop should be smeared with the same broad brush. Not eveyone should be lumped in with the purveyors of p*mping, or the glorification of gangsterism. And some of that voluminous outrage directed at the rappers should be shared with the people that make it all possible, their corporate bosses.

I'm just saying in this case, you should hate the players...and the game.