by Dr. Boyce Watkins

We know about the power of hip-hop, which is my favorite genre of music. Hip-hop can either produce an entire generation of soldiers ready for liberation, or it can produce a pack of misguided buffoons who are looking for a white man to tell them what to do. The hip-hop music on urban radio stations around the country have become nothing less than weaponized brainwashing, and I dare any expert to prove otherwise.

The next time you listen to a song on urban radio featuring a black male rapper being funded by some major corporation, count how long it takes for one of these things to be mentioned:

1) Liquor

2) Drugs

3) Sex

4) Materialism/money

5) Gun violence

6) Something about women being b*tches or hoes

I bet you won’t get past the 60 second mark before one of these topics comes up. Why must it be the case that hip-hop is the only genre of music where nearly every song on the radio covers the exact same topics? This is no accident.

My mentor, Dr. Tommy Whittler at DePaul University, is one of the world’s leading experts in Consumer Behavior. He also has a PhD in Psychology. One point on which he and I agree is that a consistent message being shared with impressionable young minds to a catchy beat is not only compelling to the listener, but it also digs itself deeply into the subconscious. Even more amazing is that many of these songs are done with beats that sound a lot like nursery rhymes.

As I mentioned last week when I took issue with Clear Channel Radio’s consistent promotion of the same music being spun over and over again, I argued that we should fight the brainwashing of our kids by turning off the radio and listening to the music on our phones. Hip-hop is a powerful genre, and there are amazing artists like Immortal Technique, Jasiri X, Lupe Fiasco, Dead Prez and others who provide music that is both powerful and productive for our community. They are working to teach us how to be free instead of convincing our kids to sign up for a lifetime of corporate slavery.

The coons of hip-hop need to be confronted to make room for artists who want the best for the people they claim to love. We can’t keep ignoring the influence that toxic music is having on our sons and daughters. It’s more than just beats and rhymes, it’s about determining the soundtrack for our collective future.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the author of the lecture series called Commercialized Hip-Hop, the Gospel of Self-Destruction. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.