Hip-Hop and Politics

Claims that R. Kelly Has Increased Record Sales is a Bunch of Hype

So all these news outlets are running around reporting that in the wake of the documentary that there’s been a spike in his ‘Sales’ of R Kelley’s music… There’s a lot of straight-up bullshyt in those headlines so let’s unpack what’s happening. The headlines ‘R Kelly Record Sales Increase‘ suggest one of two scenarios. The […]

Davey D: Did the Telecommunications Act of ’96 Stifle Diversity in Rap Music?

A lot of folks point to the 1996 Telecommunications Act and say its the key mark in the sand… I disagree and allow me to give some context.. First I was one of those people who actually spoke at FCC hearings when this was being proposed and covered the 96 Act on my radio show […]

Is Bruno Mars a Culture Vulture? No, He is Not!

So as of late, there has been a lot of discussion around singer Bruno Mars and some folks insisting that he is guilty of cultural appropriation. The definition of this term Cultural Appropriation means: the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand […]

Hip Hop Has Always Been Political

Whenever we talk about Hip Hop and Politics it’s always done from the standpoint with us going to the ballot box as the ultimate goal. Don’t get me wrong, voting and participating in the electoral arena are important, but Hip Hop is so much bigger and so is politics. For many of us politics is […]

Is Hip Hop’s Audience Really 80% White?

Is Hip Hop’s Audience Really 80% White? By Davey D original article-July 15, 2006 In recent days a debate has ensued on my website daveyd.com, around one of Hip Hop’s biggest myths. It started in 1991 when Newsweek Magazine did a cover story on Gangsta Rap and in their article they put out an un-researched […]

Editorial: Beyond Banning “Bad Guns” and “Arming Good Guys”

This is a very thorough, well researched article focusing on the nuances and complexities behind Gun Control. Writer, organizer, talk show host, Subhash Kateel goes all the way in and changes a lot of the conversation by busting down the myth behind policies like Stop-and Frisk and everyone owning a gun in country’s like Switzerland […]

Editorial: Stop Calling These Imposters Hip Hop

STOP CALLING THESE IMPOSTERS HIP HOP ARTISTS, they do not do or cover all its elements of the hip hop culture This version of Hip Hop that the worlds media promotes globally, is a strange sissified version of its true self. It consists of middle-class fakers acting like gangsters, so-called hardcore rappers, so-called underground heads […]

How Can Hip Hop Save the World? Lessons from a Seattle Youth Service Scandal

On March 3rd, I was invited to speak at an intimate panel at Seattle University called “How Can Hip Hop Save the World?” The gathering, brought together by SU’s Mary Pauline Diaz, featured Mako Fitts, Ready C from my crew Alpha P, and myself, as well as about 10 student participants. I didn’t know what […]

Editorial: Two Words: On Wisconsin!

Two Words… Self Determination. Corporate Fascism. Your Choice. TWO WORDS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkFOBx6j0l8 From the debate raging online and via Twitter, I see miseducation is alive and well. Workers from teachers to firefighters once called public servants are now being called freeloaders. It reminds me of something RZA said in the documentary, Rhyme, and Reason [paraphrasing]:why am I beefing with […]

Editorial: Here’s What We Should Teach Our Kids on Ronald Reagan Day

Today, February 6 is Ronald Reagan Day and to be quite frank, I’m happy to celebrate. As folks gear up to pull out all the stops and all the bells and whistles to commemorate what would’ve been the Big Gipper’s 103rd birthday, I too wanna leave no stone unturned. People all over the world especially […]

Martin Luther King: The Importance of Black Radio & Using Words as Weapons

This weekend we’ll be celebrating what would’ve been Dr Martin Luther King‘s 82cd birthday and in doing so we should all be mindful of the power of his words. We should be mindful of King’s words as we continue to dialogue about what sort of responsibility those who speak to the public have especially via broadcast […]

If Rappers take Heat for Inflammatory Words Why Can’t Sarah Palin?

I have a few questions that have been nagging me about all the issues falling out around this past weekend’s tragedy in Tucson? First, there’s been a lot of talk about how accused Tucson shooter Jared Lee Loughner is mentally unstable, crazed and out of his mind. People are looking at his smiling/ smirking mug shot […]

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