Oprah Responds to Rappers' Critiques

A lot of what she is saying is true. Artists need to be accountable for what they put in their music. I know some of the music is a form of their expressing themselves but lets be real, kids take this stuff to heart because a large majority of them want to be a part of what they are listening too. I know its not the artist job to raise the children but they can do their part and create awareness. Lets face it too many brothers are either dying or getting locke up and thats a problem.

True indeed,mrdavis33, this is what i have been saying for so long! i saw that show w/luda and she did say that to him. Also,he got hammered 4 his use of the word n18er by various black members of the cast, too. Furthermore,while it is unfortunate but true, often society associates hip hop w/negativity. It would be one thing if mc's were rapping about the problems like they did back in the days. Instead,now most of them rap about being a problem. It is sad because their are so many mc's who are making positive moves but b/c of the praise mc's get 4 being "gangster" ony a few get very recognition. Much respect! god bless you all!

I agree with all that but the fact still remains if oprah was so concerned about enlightening the kids. Have some our more progressive rappers on. If im not mistaken she aint never had pe, krs, tribe called quest, dela soul, mos def who raps and acts. Shell have schwarzenagger, stallone, julia roberts pretty woman glamorizing a whore, billy bob degrating a whore. C'mon opie i dont buy that shi.t. I rather you keep i real and let it be known. She been on close to 25 years and you mean to tell me thats all she could come up with. Cant blame her though we keep supporting that meaningless sh*t she doing. Fight for us!!

I agree with all most the comments above in parts, but at the end of the day its true... I never be hearing about oprah havin' ppl like common or those positive image ppl (to my knowledge). Oprah is in a high position for black folks, so i feel she could be doing a little more herself to be changing the image that some perceive black music has. Let some white folks know that not all hip-hop music is about violence... They'll soon notice dat!

Lol i love oprah but luv hip hop more. . .and to see a debate between these two. . . Ima watch this one have ta sideline : t

Lol i love oprah but luv hip hop more. . .and to see a debate between these two. . . Ima watch this one have ta sideline : t

Oprah does do alot to quell the negative image of black people, that's what she's all about, ignorant are still ignorant she can't change that, damn man nobody gonna give oprah credit for upholding a positive and respectable image of a black woman, F*ck that oprah does nothing but uphold to her own standards of excellence, that's why so many "people" watch her, she's smart and informs "everyday people" of some things they may or may not have known about, ain't nothin' wrong with that, give respect where respect is due....

Oprah is full of sh*t. Other than that, i agree with all comments already posted before this one. She should take more responsibility by having positive rappers on her show instead of some white people dr.phill bullsh*t. The only reason she has responded to the criticism is because once luda and 50 address her on their next albums, they will reach a larger audience than her show ever will, concerning the youth of today, who in turn could possibly be future viewers of her show. Each one, teach one.

What about having some positive rappers on your show oprah? how bout some, chuck d, krsone, common, paris.... Even the founding fathers of hip hop, grand wizard theodore, grandmaster flash and the furious five... Kool herc, afrika bambatta... Sugar hill gang.... Crazy legs and the rock steady crew. Graffiti artist "lee" if she just hated gangsta rap...i would understand... But it seems to me, she hates all hip hop. And for a show that has so much revenue coming in from the urban black community... You would think that she'd recognize the hip hop culture a lil more. But no__ every week she got some fag hairdresser or homosexual home decorator or white person plugging there sodomite skills. Look__ rap is a dominant form of media now. By her simple using the "gangsta rap" blockage is a benign way of disrespecting her people. She could of been did a show on hip hop, like vh1 did on hip hop legends. But like 50 cent said... She more interested in pleasing white american female audiences. I see through her ass like glass. She scared her ratings gonna go down or they gonna cancel her show like they did "arsenio hall" back in the day for bringing on farakhan. Damn girl... Ain't you rich enough to make a bold move yet! damn... Where's the rebel spirit in our people today, man__ it just seem to have dissappeared. 1!

My lady love her ass. I dont hate against her i just dont support no bullsh*t. Especially when she sh*ts on my culture which is hip hop. At the end of the day she knows what she's doing. Yall need to check that article about the conspiracy to shut dave chappelle down. Its pretty interesting, and ophra is the leading culprit. Check it out. Fight for us !!

Is her show not for whitewomen? how much does the urban black community support her? i see....hmmm, well that does it for me, i'm convinced that no matter how good a person does in their life (she's done more for more people in a day then most will ever even think about doing in a hole lifetime) that they can never escape critisim, cause if she did bring on all those people of hiphop on, she'd be labelled somethin' else by some other ignorant bastard that don't know his ass from a hole in the ground...

Oh please.....oprah,harpo whateva. First of all if you loved rap as you claim you do then you put the rappers on your show that you like. You play fifty in your mp3 but, talk sh*t to ludacris about his content? if you don't like rap, you don't like rap phuckit. Or, start listeneing to better rap your self and get a real feel for what hip hop has to offer. If you don't like vulgarity then, don't buy rap from vulgar artists. You judging hip hop as a whole while you bump 50? he's cool but, damn. Operah needs to check her perspective and spend more cash with the hood.

Eh...oprah does more for the communities than 50 or luda...so f- them both on this....

Hip hop culture? to quote q-tip "hip hop can never be a way of life." while you guys support whatever for example 50 says, you have to remember that 50 is famous for talking about killing black people. Period. No one can argue about that. With all the money rappers claim to have, none of them give as much as oprah. Oprah gives $10 million to katrina victims. Puff and jay give $1 million combined. Both of them together have the same networth as o.

Hip hop is about expression through what is seen n learned as a child . When u live in the projects n see murders n had to sell drugs to make it what r they supposed to rap about. Ya 2pc wrote music that wasn't bout killin but he wasn't around dat sh*t 24/7 like other rappers. Instead of downin these people be glad that 50 isn't sellin drugs anymore instead makin music n if u took da time to look it up he also makes fundations for kids in da projects. Lets take a trip to da projects in chi town see if oprah's there

What you saw was a typical white ophra......dats why most ppl believe tyra treats her gusts respectfully she does not cut comments....just to win ......shame on you ophra.....truly shame

I would have to agree with opera on this one. Don't get me wrong i love hip hop; it is the voice of my generation. However, there is a line and today's rappers have clearly crossed it. How many times will our young children be exposed to the same negative messages, images...etc. It is unfair to ignore opera's comments because "she only caters to old white women." here is a woman who comes from one of the most poverty stricken states in america, and today is making billions; if anything her opinion should be respected. Not to mention she is a positive black role model, which may i add is lacking in the black community. Lastly, i find it outrageous that ludacris or any rapper deem opera as a sell out because she associates with white people. Aren't most record companies comprised of white executives?

50 cent and other rappers cater to white people as well. White people purchase rap music more than any other ethnicity out there. White executives promote gangster rap. So who is really selling out? 50 cent and ludacris promote black on black violence and we defend them?? oprah is a positive role model who has done a lot for the black community as well as all of america. She frequently has black singers and entertainers on her show. She is also a leader in philantropy in africa. I've lived in africa and most people who are leading the fights on aids and poverty are white, not black. Her presence in south africa is letting those girls know that they too can be successful and accomplished. More african americans need to wake up and be positive role models for their community and the world we live in. People in the us do not realize how much opportunity they have and how they waste it.

You should have snap i just want you to know i really love you oprah

There are many people who think that oprah is not for hip hop, but thats not true she some times may say things that may offend rappers but they can also say things that offend her. Oprah is the only person who is real in the talk show host world besides ellen, she is my role modle and i stand in her light and i love what she doing.

Oprah's job is not to create a positive image for rap. And just because she doesn't broadcast hip hop every day doesn't mean she hates it. It's just not where she is. It's not what she feels will be a useful to her target audience. As a matter of fact, her target audience is not white but it is women. Not b words and hoes. When some rappers say she hates rappers because of this and that i laugh. Because it's those same rappers who in a majority of thier songs lyrcize about f'ing b's on the wall at the club and killing n188ers. That so stupid that they open their mouth to say something like that because their statements sound like the klan. The kings of hatred. I used to poeticise and put it to a rap beat. As a teen i thought i could make money with it. But, if i didn't degrade myself, my people, and every one in between... Glorify drugs and murder... It was going to be very hard to get popular. When you turn to this crap that is said to represent the things that entertain blacks its whores, murderers, sex obsessed, drug dealers or preachers. That's it! that is what they say we are. The hip hop generation. Hypocrates. So if oprah decides she doesn't want to accentuate that part of 'hip hop' that's great with me. She has had common on, mary j, i love mos def, she had dave chappell. You people want her to put lil kim on. I'm tired of being that. All over the world that is what our black selves are. The stupid, uneducated, gun slinging, sex crazed monkeys of the world, regressing toward the stone ag

Then again i think oprah should ever so often help the poor and less fortunate and urban in the united states publicly. Like in leu of the most favorite things shows she can pay someone's light bill for a year or send some child to places he might never have the chance to go to experience something great. Say, if a poor child wants to be an astronaunt let him take a trip to nasa. Even a cute show could be letting some of the rich folk who think they have it so bad, experience the lif of a working class parent who works everyday but still can barely make end meet. But as far as hip hop goes her show isn't hip hops latest, its called oprah and is so called for a reason. People wake up. Prosperity in the world isn't found by balling ourselves up and praising our ignorant loud talking imbeciles, or honoring our criminals. Prosperity is in lifting each other up, and displaying to the world the nobility and dignity of our people. Lets take issue with the musicians and artists who put crap out there and supporting those who don't, (will smith, india arie, jill scott, lauren hill etc.). Then i'm willing to bet oprah would have more artist on. It's just that so many popular conscience hip hop artists are unseen. The labels don't use them and money don't come their way.

My voice on this topic is mutual; i don’t think all is lost in hip hop. I think that there are still a lot of positive voices out there, i grew up listening to hip hop and i absolutely love it, but there is one aspect that bothers me on an extreme level. I do agree with this book in saying that hip hop is moving in the wrong direction lyrically. It used to have a message about survival, love, friendship, not giving up, and keeping it moving, now it doesn’t seem to have a message, at least not a positive one on that point. But also i do blame the artist, most of them rap about topics for money and entertainment purposes, but some people take them literally and mix studio gangster images with reality and that’s where the problem escalades. The imaginary hip hop world that was created for only entertainment purposes in now coming alive in our own backyard and no one is doing anything to stop it, including msz oprah!

Its not rappers fault that people act in stupid ways, i personally think good riddance to idiots, it was when i watched a comedian called bill hicks who talked about a guy that jumped out of a window when on drugs, firstly if your going to do drugs, do be responsible and don't ruin it for others, secondly who taught that guy that we fly from top to bottom, hasn't he seen planes take off? but if people let the music rule their lives, its their own fault when they commit crimes they deserve a punishment as severe as you can get i believe, although there is a risk those people could become really good people and reform, but are you willing to take that risk? e.g the leader of the gang bloods has reformed, but look at what he has left behind, so is his reformation really worth it? if your unable to appreciate clever puns, metaphors and similes with a mix of rhymes then whose fault is that, yours or the rapper's?