To claim anything other than that points to a lack of understanding of hip-hop's history rather than a reflection of its culture. It's why rapper and Public Enemy member Chuck D famously dubbed hip-hop "the black CNN" decades ago. The reality is, rappers have been criticizing the government, picking apart systems of oppression and addressing the pervasiveness of police brutality in black communities since the art form's inception. When Beyoncé showed up to the Superbowl in an outfit that honored the Black Panthers, conservatives slammed her and the police union called for a boycott of her subsequent world tour. White artists are often lauded for their courage in speaking out against injustice, while black artists are often overlooked or penalized for the same actions. To declare that Eminem's freestyle about Trump is a turning point in hip-hop is lazy, uninformed. To suggest that Eminem's mediocre bars were anything other than tepid demonstrates a a shamefully low bar for the craft of hip-hop and for what constitutes bravery. "Best political writing of the year, period." "After 27 years of doubts about rap I am now a fan," sports and political commentator Keith Olberman tweeted. Hip-hop fans, athletes, and mainstream media, praised the lukewarm freestyle as urgent, necessary, powerful and genius. He indicted the president for his most egregious transgressions: perpetuating racism, emboldening white supremacy, his irresponsibility with North Korea, the attacks on black NFL players, his abandonment of Puerto Rico. When Eminem released his freestyle as part of the BET Hip Hop Awards' annual cypher, it turned out to be a 4-plus-minute a capella tirade against President Donald Trump.
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