Reply #57: You're preaching to the choir

[hiphopnation]

here. I happen to think most of the stuff he's put out is highly profound and stinging. As an artist and performer myself, however, I'm always highly suspect of anything that is scooped up by the great corporate machine and redistributed out to the masses, no matter what I think of the product personally. Mass-marketed products tend to loose a feeling of authenticity for me.

That being said I think Em has used his spotlight very wisely and put out some amazing music in the process. I'm a fan.

But politically speaking, issues of race and class I think it's debatable what he's done to advance these issues in the national public discourse. At least some folks would take issue with the sentiment, as evidenced in this thread. Again, as a product is mass-marketed it tends to bet "defanged" in a way that it looses it's potency. Only time will tell in this case if Em really has done his part to advance the causes that you think he does. It's not something we'll be able to tell in a few years; more live a few decades.

But it struck me as a highly debatable and subjective statement to say "on issues of race and class, he's good." You didn't seem to make your point very strongly in the OP.

Nice swipe but I love hiphop of all types though I am far from an authority on the subject and don't claim to be so.