Battling a bad rap

Hip-hop grows as a musical genre, dance style and cultural comment, but is it a root of violence?

Rocky Mountain News

Published February 17, 2007 at midnight

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Hip-hop's mainstream.

Long-gone are the days when its myriad elements - from rap to DJ-ing to break dancing to fashion - could be dismissed as a fad.

This year's Grammy Awards ceremony was studded with its highest-profile rappers and vocalists. Last year, Three 6 Mafia became the first rap group to perform at the Academy Awards - and won the Oscar for best song from the movie Hustle and Flow, a film about hip-hop.

It doesn't stop there: hip-hop stars appear in video games, pipe up daily on millions of ringtones and roll out fashion lines.

But with success comes the glare of the spotlight. Critics contend some hip-hop glorifies the thug life, encouraging impressionable listeners to join gangs and embrace a life of crime. On New Years Day, Denver Broncos player Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting after leaving a hip-hop party.

Today we take a closer look at hip-hop's evolution, both nationally and locally. We spoke with experts about its potential negative influence on the young. We found local hip-hop performers who reject that sort of imagery, instead embracing hip-hop for how it can foster activism and bring a community together.

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