Anyone who has been to a professional basketball game in the last few years or watched a game on TV has witnessed the preeminence of hip-hop music in everything from the stadium music to the promotional commercials. Unfortunately, the unscrupulous personal behavior of some league players coupled with unfavorable stereotypes have tainted hip-hop’s image. Take for example, Indiana Pacer, Ron Artest. His widely publicized brawl with fans and other players in 2004 during a game between his team and the Detroit Pistons left an ugly scar on the league and was an indicator of an escalating problem with NBA players on and off the court. Consequently, players like Artest became quickly associated with what many perceived as the “dark side of hip-hop.” In fact, Artest even made his own rap record months after the incident. Did hip-hop have any influence on Artest’s behavior? Is the fact that he made a rap album just an easy scapegoat for his behavior? There are no easy answers.

Brian Burwell of the Saint Louis Post Dispatch commented on this issue at the time of above-mentioned player/brawl incident. "Marketing people thought they were getting Will Smith and LL Cool J. But now they've discovered the 'dark side of hip- hop' has also infiltrated their game, with its 'bling-bling' ostentation, its unrepentant I-gotta-get-paid ruthlessness, its unregulated culture of poses, and the constant underlying threat of violence . . ."  This is the unfortunate and too often unwarranted stigma that comes with hip-hop culture. And as with any genre/music form while there are many that defy the stereotype there as just as many that many that fit the mold.

As a result you have an executive/corporate NBA (not the players or a good percentage of the fans) that is still reluctant to fully embrace the hip hop culture or music. This was made very apparent at this year’s All-Star weekend in Houston, a blossoming hip-hop capital. As countless representatives of the hip hop culture sat courtside for the festivities while millions watched at home on TV, coordinators of the event elected to have a country music act perform at halftime. Regardless their reasoning, the reaction from the hip hop community and many of the players and fans ranged from disappointment to all out anger. Because of the decision to not have a current hip hop artist or group perform, which seemed to be a logical choice, many perceived this as the NBA saying “Just because it’s here doesn’t mean we have to encourage it.”

Another interpretation of this issue, according to some, isn’t simply that NBA players enjoy hip-hop music but rather once they gotten to a comfortable point in their careers economically they begin to live the hip-hop lifestyle. Granted, many of these ball players came from the same neighborhoods and suffered similar hardships while growing up as heir fellow artists. Should we expect them to conduct themselves any differently? It may be a perfectly acceptable lifestyle to embrace in their personal lives, but as representatives of a professional athletic team and its city and as public figures, they have a greater responsibility. Despite hip hop’s current popularity, the majority of ticket-buying fans have little patience for superstars who spend more time posing than playing. Continued on page 2 »