Commonplace # 1: All Hip-Hop is the same.
In almost any article you can find debating hip-hop and the violence it supposedly encourages in many communites around our country, there is an abundance of comments bashing artists who glamourize slanging drugs, demeaning women, murder, and jail time just to name a few. But these things don't describe hip-hop they describe gangasta rap (they are in the same genre but they are NOT the same). Though, references to selling drugs, demeaning women, murder, and jail time are not necessarily non-exsistent in the lyrics of music that is described by the original definition of hip-hop, if they are there, they surely aren't encouraging it. Accordingly, it is understandable that those not familiar with hip-hop could see it as degrading but thats just the thing - you can't judge something you aren't familiar with.
Below are two links that discuss hip-hop. The first is an article that talks about negativity in hip-hop and the second is a "message" from an original hip-hop artist.
1.) http://www.suite101.com/content/controversy-in-hip-hop-misogyny-violence-weed--hypersexuality-a247711
2.) http://www.globaldarkness.com/articles/true_meaning_of_hip_hop_bambaata.htm
