March 12th, 2009
Jay-Z Says That Hip Hop Has Helped Race Relations
He explains, “It has changed America immensely… Hip-hop has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations. “Racism is taught in the home… and it’s very hard to teach racism to a teenager who idolises, say, Snoop Dogg. It’s hard to say, ‘That guy is less than you.’ The kid is like, ‘I like that guy, he’s cool. How is he less than me?’
“That’s why this generation is the least racist generation ever. You see it all the time. Go to any club. People are intermingling, hanging out, enjoying the same music.”
Source: Contact Music
Does he have a point?
Tags: Jay-Z
Suggestion Box
March 12th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Of course. But this is not some “news”. This is what ppl been saying for many years now.
March 12th, 2009 at 10:36 am
the only rapper that makes any sense when he talks.
March 12th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Most sensible phrase to emerge from an hip-hop artist point blank period. Substance over quantity!
March 12th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Yep… Plus the president brushes his shoulders off… On a regular basis!
March 12th, 2009 at 10:58 am
smh everybody been sayin this for years you dumb ass niggas
March 12th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Makes sense. I have been saying this myself. You see so many Asians, Whites, Mexicans, listening to Hip-hop. IT’S A GREAT THING. @4 Your right…lol even the prez!!!!!!
March 12th, 2009 at 11:05 am
jay z prob said this over a lunch of kobe beef stuffed endangered soft shell lobster and before he said it wiped his mouth with his 150 karat napkin
March 12th, 2009 at 11:15 am
he makes a very good point
jay-z’s an intelligent man
you can believe that any opinion he gives out to the media would be well thought out and to the best of his knowledge, even if u agree with him or not
March 12th, 2009 at 11:15 am
we hear this same thing every year jay-z its not gonna change just because your saying it now
March 12th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Fuck yeah he has a point. Sometimes rappers will surprise you by making some kinda sense. And it does’nt come from Talib Kweli, Common or one of those type of rappers. It’s often the rappers who’ve been through some shit (drug dealers and gangsters).
Jay restored some faith.
March 12th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Yeah that makes alot of sense
March 12th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Jay-z ain’t saying nothing no one else has not said already!
March 12th, 2009 at 11:40 am
yes jay-z is the truth. he’s smart as hell. you gotta love him. he’s an amazing men!!
March 12th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Jay-Z said this same shit in an interview 8 years ago…funny thing is – he always uses Snoop as an example….he has good memorization skills…oh shit right forgot he doesn’t write…lol…
March 12th, 2009 at 11:54 am
You guys are acting like he found the cure to racism or something…there are Sociologist who have been saying this for years…no big deal because Jay-z states it. Some of you people need to read more and research topics pertaining to race relation and you would know that this has been stated for years now…EDUCATION PEOPLE! You guys are acting like Jay-z is some kind of intellectual because he made this OBVIOUS statement! If you know the hip-hop culture and socialize in a hip-hop environment you would know this to be true already! Have you every been to a hip-hop concert…you see people from all racial backgrounds enjoying music from the likes of Snoop Dog, Kanye, Nas, Talib, Common, Jay-z, Game, 50 Cent, T.I., Lil Wayne ect. So what part of Jay-z’s statement is so PROFOUND or could it be that some of you thought he was not that intelligent in the first place?
March 12th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Eminem been saying this for years…so Jay didnt say nothing new…
March 12th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Nigel…… Does he make sense?
March 12th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Jaz-O out here sonning this nigga… and he talken’ bout Race Relations… Jigga is my nigga man.. above the bullshit… but CAN I GET THE FUCKEN BLUEPRINT 3!!!!!!!!!!!
March 12th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Jay-z does have a point but at the same time I feel like racism is slowly dying out as years go by.. if you compare the 60’s to the 70’s you’ll see a huge change in race, same if you compare 70’s to the 80’s, 80’s to 90’s etc. I don’t think HipHop has changed race relations on its own but it does have something to do with it.
March 12th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
funny I didn’t know that Jay-Z had to say something new. the guy says something and it’s expected to be like a fresh new pair of sneakers.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Cosign#19 …lol .funny how niggaz get so upset whenever jay .says anything
March 12th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Jay-Z’s awesome and very correct.
March 12th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
he’s right, but the other side of that is that u now have the N-word being used like crazy from people that arent black…but its a two edge sword..Jay is on point
March 12th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Yup! Jay is on point with that.
If you look at any type of genre of music, I would say hip-hop has the most diverse market segment (asians, latinos, blacks, white, european folks). Hip hop has really brought this sort of melting pot and allowed us to overlook people skin color and to have a good time when we are listening to hip hop. If you are from an urban city and you hit up some events, you will see all types of ethnicities, you really won’t see that with any other event or organization.
If you think of the different genres of music out there, they are all followed by certain age group and certain ethnicities (rock, jazz, r&b, heavy metal, classical etc). Whereas Hip Hop has appeals to broad range of people.
March 12th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Yup! Jay is on point with that.
If you look at any type of genre of music, I would say hip-hop has the most diverse market segment (asians, latinos, blacks, white, european folks). Hip hop has really brought this sort of melting pot and allowed us to overlook people skin color and to have a good time when we are listening to hip hop. If you are from an urban city and you hit up some events, you will see all types of ethnicities, you really won’t see that with any other event or organization.
If you think of the different genres of music out there, they are all followed by certain age group and certain ethnicities (rock, jazz, r&b, heavy metal, classical etc). Whereas Hip Hop has appeals to broad range of people.
March 12th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
cosign @shine95
if some of these niggas listen as well as they talked they woulda heard jayz say this on “hell yeah” dead presidents feat jayz. ” billy like snoop wit his blue rag on now b4 u know it u back in ‘nam”.
music is the common ground for all races and the soundtrack to my life. just try one day to listen to some country or rock or whatever try to see they point of view u might like it
March 12th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Oh yeah, because hip hop never makes fun of white people.
March 12th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
The boy hov has been having too much thinking time (going all sophisticated on us and shhhhh) instead of dishing that BP3 on us! wtf!??? smh
March 12th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Seriously, who allowed this monkey to open his mouth and why is any one listening to him?
Jay Z, go back to selling drugs and beating up women.
March 12th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
HOV speaks the truth
March 12th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
incredible how this man says something intelligent and yet you people want to act immature and make lame attempts to be clever by saying irrelevant things. He knows what he’s talking about. what he said makes sense. and yes you idiots we know he’s not the first to say it. respect what he said and keep it moving. thank you
March 12th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
WHY WOULD YOU USE CONTACTMUSIC AS A SOURCE? They are the most noncredible website ever. Anyone who gets money via online websites knows this. Nowhere in that article did they state WHERE Jay-Z said it, to whom, when, and what led him to make that statement. He “explained” to WHO? lol… I wanna know where Contactmusic got this from
March 13th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Thats some of the dumbest shit I ever heard. If you think some white kid is going to like a black kid because he listens to rap, you are warped out of your fucking mind. White boys do not consider them to really be “black” they have celebrity status, so they are treated different. You think white people liked Jack Johnson just becuase they came to see him fight? We are and for the most part will always be considered a bunch of dancing baby making singing grinning coons to white america. If you don’t beleive me get on xbox live sometimes. White folks show their true colors on the internet. Shit if anything you got these punk ass whiteboys saying nigga all the fucking time now. WTF Go look up your history Jay Z, black folks always been singing on the plantation entertaining white folk. Get real.
March 14th, 2009 at 1:57 am
#33 u new to the internet? lol