Stapleton argues that Hip-Hop has political power in her essay "From the Margins to Mainstream: The Political Power of Hip-Hop." However that isn't so; the Hip-Hop community wants to earn political power but it can't because the people who do have political power won't give it up to a "negative influence." The general American idea about the hip-hop culture is that it consists of a bunch of "gangstas" and "thugs" who have a terrible obsession: money, drugs, and hos. If it was true that hip-hop had political power our society would be much different than it is now.
Hip-Hop is not just a genre of music, hip-hop is a culture. People in the not only the black community, but now the entire nation represent themselves by displaying their interest in Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop is so large now that it has its own clothing lines, movies, magazines, and even cars. However, just because the aspect that you see on TV is filled with glamour and fame, doesn't mean that is what the entire Hip-Hop culture consists of. Hip-Hop is a community and less than one percent of that community actually lives in all the fame and fortune. Where do all of the less fortunate come in? The real question then would be: what is the definition of Hip-Hop? Hip-Hop is a community for which people in an.
urban environment can release. It's a place where they can go and get inspiration. It's a place where they can get away from all of the struggles in their lives. Stapleton defines Hip-Hop as the role of cultural and political voice of entire generation of youth (170). Her definition doesn't put the entire community into perspective, it is very misrepresented.
What Stapleton fails to cover and understand is that the few Hip-Hop "superstars" that have the ability to voice their opinion to the public do not always say what the community would want. Hip-Hop is just as diverse as any other community of people, whether it is religion or race, not everyone has the same vies.