The following is an excerpt from the forthcoming book, "Black American Money", set to be released on July 15, 2009.
Many people think entertainers have power. Their power is virtually non-existent relative to the corporations who finance their products. Fame is manufactured, and black people do not own the factories that create megastars. So, while many people blame artists for the flawed portrayals in commercialized hip hop, the truth is that the solution is far more complicated. The following is an example of the kind of conversation that would occur if hip hop artists suddenly chose to empower themselves and stand up to the corporate pressure to create socially damaging music.
