In a rather unprecedented move, instead of complain about it to the media, Grammy Award Winner, Rhymefest, took the pen into his own hand and wrote a letter to a UK conservative parliament member after hearing some disparaging remarks in regards to the rap community.

OTHER SIDE OF RAP

BY RHYMEFEST

Rhymefest

C/O Beth Brookfield Sony BMG

Bedford House

69-79 Fulham High Street

SW6 3JW

Dear Mr. Cameron,

My name is Rhymefest. You may not have heard of me, but I am a US rap artist and I wanted to write to you in response to your views on hip-hop.

After reviewing the comments made by you on the state of Hip Hop and hip hop culture, I tend to agree with you more than not.

I agree that rap music and urban music depicts a life in the inner cities and poor communities that is often violent. I also agree that by glorifying and promoting violence via radio, TV and videos, it does give an acceptance for that behavior that is then negative for the community.

As a Grammy Award-winning artist, who has worked and written with many other rap artists such as Kanye West and ODB, I myself on occasion am guilty of contributing to the culture. I believe that the hip-hop community is definitely in a state of denial about our complicity with the glorification of drugs and violence. If I was a middle-aged politician who knew nothing about rap music and I turned on the radio, then I would understand exactly the way you feel about urban music.

However, although I agree with you that we are role models that affect our community and our music does play a role in people's behavior, beneath the surface there are artists making changes and making the difference and there is more to rap than what you see.

If you look closer and you examine beyond what is promoted to you as hip-hop, you'll see artists such as Kanye West, Common, Estelle, Lupe Fiasco and myself, Rhymefest, who don't make foul music at all.

Myself and Kanye West won a Grammy for this and it is a song that is recognized worldwide.

Common, who made an album called Be, conveyed that we can just be ourselves and be free to explore out own spirits and it has no negative connotation to it at all.

I think it is very easy to explore the negatives and it is very easy to exploit the bad in rap music. What I think you need to see, Mr. Cameron, is the other side to rap music. If you don't like it then you can come out and say that you don't but I know that you will like it.

My challenge is to ask that you sit down and have a cup of tea with me. In fact, let me come and perform for you. I am sure you will see that rap music is more than murder music or knife culture. If you truly believe this is a democracy then sit down and discuss with me the issues that you see.

And if you are correct, and your opinion of rap music is the same, then we should come together with the community; rappers, politicians and radio DJs, and have a wider discussion.

I think this is a better way to convey a point and make change than to just be against what appears to be rap culture.

Because, Mr. Cameron, this generalization is not all of us, it's just a few bad apples that spoil the bunch.

So I say to you, and to all of us, let's have a real discussion.

Let's solve the problem of the rap community in a civilized way and in a way that music can still be entertaining.

This way it can benefit everyone. Amen. I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,

Rhymefest

Published: 01 August 2006
Issue: 1229