Stars Reflect on Hip-Hop Before, After Obama

Crowds Come to the National Mall to See History and Make History
By CHRISTOPHER WINDHAM

Barack Obama’s quest for the U.S. presidency inspired thousands in the hip-hop community, who embraced the youthful candidate with songs, mixtapes, rallies and clothing.
As hip-hop ponders what role to assume in a post-Obama world, several stars and moguls recently offered perspective on hip-hop’s direction “BO” and “AO,” (before Obama and after Obama.)
“We [hip-hop] felt we would be instrumental in electing the first black president,” Sean “Diddy” Combs told the crowd at Howard University, the site of Pepsi’s “Refresh the World” symposium, which brought together experts on education, economy, gender, hip-hop and civil rights for discussions on the top issues impacting urban and black America.
Joining Combs on the all-star panel were rapper MC Lyte, Disturbing tha Peace Records CEO Chaka Zulu , Source magazine Publisher Londell McMillan, rapper/actor Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges, and actress/rapper Queen Latifah.
The panelists offered perspective on the early days of hip-hop, as well as personal anecdotes about the growth of the culture, the portrayal of women in hip-hop and the paradigm for black masculinity in a post-Obama world.

“One of the most important things Obama said in his acceptance speech was that he can’t do it alone,” Ludacris said. “We all need to take responsibility to do something, whether it’s volunteering or starting our own foundations. We’re all in this together and we need to rise together as a people.”
The packed audience at Howard’s Cramton Auditorium issued cheers and jeers at the panel responses. The session was the only entertainment-focused panel featured in the day-long symposium, which was moderated by director Spike Lee. The event held on a historic Dr. Martin Luther King holiday, which was also the eve of Obama’s swearing-in ceremony.
Combs said he’s noticed a change in the black community since Obama’s presidential campaign. “I think we’re partly responsible for the president’s election,” he said. “I’ve seen a change in our communities. I’ve seen fathers spending more time with their children. I’ve seen an evolution and but it’s a lot more work that needs to be done.”
The portrayal of women in hip-hop music and videos has been criticized for creating negative stereotypes of young ethnic women. The panel weighed in on the issue.
“I don’t like all the depictions of women in hip-hop,” said Queen Latifah. “Because we are trendsetters we do have an opportunity to say something. We need more women out there speaking.”
Queen Latifah said some of the less flattering lyrics, which are sometimes based on reality, fail far too often to project positive images of black women. “We are the hoe in club, yeah,” she said. “But at the same time, we’re the first lady of this country.”Since its inception, hip-hop and its stars have been featured in many high-profile advertising campaigns. Despite spawning a generation of urban entrepreneurs, some have questioned whether hip-hop’s marketing success has commercialized the culture.
“We got a lot of bad versions of hip-hop in commercials,” Queen Latifah said. “Hip-hop is always going to have this realness underneath it all. And all of us that made some money are always going to have that realness too.”
Combs said artists should be open to feedback from others and conduct personal assessments of their work. “You got to have the heart to go out there to do what you do, and let yourself be heard and be exposed in the right way,” Combs said. “If you’re telling the truth, then it’s not selling out.”
McMillan at The Source magazine, which recently stopped accepting advertisements for pornographic films, pornographic Web sites or escort services, said the culture should widen its net by embracing different styles. “There’s got to be a diversity of the products we create in hip-hop,” he said. “As we become more commercial, we can’t lose sight of our value system.”