MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER WANTS BALANCE IN HIP-HOP
“Our music is not reflecting of positivity, love, and upliftment of our culture. So much of our Black music is anti-Black,” Warner said.
The recent Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef has been part of the national conversation for days. So when the TMZ cameras caught up with The Cosby Show alum Malcolm-Jamal Warner, he gave his thoughts about the battle and the perception of what it does to the hip-hop culture.
When the topic was brought up, the TMZ cameraperson asked Warner, who also starred on the popular sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, if he thought the mud-slinging between the two hip-hop heavyweights was detrimental to the genre. He responded that the bad elements of the culture have been normalized, even with rappers calling each other the N-word and the subject matter that appears in a lot of rap songs tends to cater to either “murkin’” somebody, selling and/or taking drugs, and misogyny.
The actor said, “It’s been normalized for us to call ourselves the N-word. We like to talk about how we’ve taken the power of that word back. I’m of the school of thought that if I am trying to speak love and upliftment to my brother, why am I going to borrow a word from people who hate me?”
He added, “Our music is not reflecting of positivity, love, and upliftment of our culture. So much of our Black music is anti-Black.”
Warner ended by pointing out that the music could have a balance to it and not be negative most of the time. He blames the media for focusing on the ignorant side of hip-hop. He said that attention should be given to music that is being played in underground circles that is dope and promotes positivity and is not viewed in such a negative way.
He added that Black music needs the balance away from the stereotypical music we listen to today.
