Approximately five seconds after the Super Bowl halftime show began last Sunday, debate erupted on Twitter over rappers and hip-hop music, and their supposed deleterious impact on the black community. The conversation among conservatives, in particular, was reminiscent of the age-old discussion over the value – or lack thereof – of rap music.

Dr. Carol Swain chimed in, intimating that rappers have not done much for black lives. She tweeted:

I must have missed something last night as I watched the halftime show many on the right and left seem to think was superb.  Please help me out by listing all the great things rappers have done to improve the quality of black lives in America?  #HalfTimeShow

I must have missed something last night as I watched the halftime show many on the right and left seem to think was superb. Please help me out by listing all the great things rappers have done to improve the quality of black lives in America? #HalfTimeShow

— Dr. Carol M. Swain (@carolmswain) February 14, 2022

Conservative political commentator Adrian Norman responded with a thread listing examples of hip-hop artists who are using their wealth specifically to improve conditions in the black community:

Dre donated $70M for a new degree program at USC that blends business, marketing, prod. dev., and design. 50 Cent has a foundation that does food & clothing drives, along w/ community work. He also does lifesaving water projects in Africa

THREAD:

Dre donated $70M for a new degree program at USC that blends business, marketing, prod. dev., and design. 50 Cent has a foundation that does food & clothing drives, along w/ community work. He also does lifesaving water projects in Africa (1/6) https://t.co/PAsEq3sNvw

— Adrian Norman (@AdrianNormanDC) February 14, 2022

My friend and contributor for The Blaze, Delano Squires, also went back and forth on the issue. He tweeted:

Honest question @JeffOnTheRight, is there any amount of $$ that would make you publicly degrade (through lyrics and imagery) the image of you children, cousins, Queen, or community? If not, why do we co-sign for others what we don’t practice ourselves?

Honest question @JeffOnTheRight, is there any amount of $$ that would make you publicly degrade (through lyrics and imagery) the image of you children, cousins, Queen, or community? If not, why do we co-sign for others what we don’t practice ourselves? https://t.co/NqLbvDQlhU

— Delano Squires (@DelanoSquires) February 14, 2022

Many, regardless of political affiliation, have pointed the finger at hip-hop music when discussing issues like gang violence and drug dealing in inner city communities. Specifically, they cite the type of “gangsta rap,” pioneered by artists like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and others who performed at the Super Bowl, as prime culprits inspiring “black-on-black” violence.

Of course, nobody is arguing that rap music is the sole cause of these problems. But, people have often referred to it as one of the main drivers of gang activity in the inner city. The debate is decades old.

But, are we looking at rap music in its proper context?

The vast majority of black Americans who listen to rap are not involved in gang activity. A huge chunk of hip-hop fans are white. Yet, we do not see a proliferation of gang or drug-related violence breaking out in the suburbs.

Even further, we can take a look at an interesting statistic that might provide some perspective: Suicides.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report in 2017 noting disparities in suicides between whites and minorities. It revealed the suicide rate for white Americans was 19 per 100,000 people. For Hispanics and Asians, it was 7.1. For blacks, the rate was 6.6. This means white Americans commit suicide at more than double that of minorities.

Yet, we do not see any major discussions on the influence of rock, grunge, punk, alternative, emo, and other such genres. As a fan of all of these musical styles – along with hip-hop – I can tell you a lot of these musicians create some of the most depressing music you will ever hear and has been consumed by millions of white Americans. Should we assume, then, that this music is driving suicides?

Of course not.

So, what is the real issue at play here?

I would suggest it is environment that is the real culprit. On my podcast, I discussed the issue with King Randall, founder of “The X For Boys,” an organization dedicated to lifting up black children in Albany, Georgia. Through his program, he mentors young, disadvantaged black boys and provides a productive environment to prepare them for adult life.

Randall told me the reason he started his organization is “because a lot of their issues are mainly their environment that they’re in. So we can take them out of those environments where they’re committing crimes, et cetera, or just being around the wrong crowd, we could have a significant decrease in the crime rate for boys ages 11 to 17.”

As a black man, I never figured rap music played much of a role in the problems many of us face. This is not to say there aren’t valid criticisms of much of the rap music that has been produced. Much of it is demeaning to black women, especially. There are artists who glorify bad behavior. As a former musician, I know music is an incredibly powerful force. But I do not believe the music alone has the power to motivate a person to commit a violent crime. As my good friend Darvio “The Kingpin” Morrow said:

It’s the blanket statements. Like “ALL of rap is bad.” “There’s not 1 redeeming value of hip hop at all”. That’s what it sounds like ppl are saying. I could be wrong. But it’s like “all of your problems would go away if u pulled up your pants & only listened to Johnny Mathis”

It’s the blanket statements. Like “ALL of rap is bad.” “There’s not 1 redeeming value of hip hop at all”. That’s what it sounds like ppl are saying. I could be wrong. But it’s like “all of your problems would go away if u pulled up your pants & only listened to Johnny Mathis” lol

— Darvio Morrow (@DTheKingpin) February 15, 2022

Morrow also pointed out that it is the issues facing the black community that spawned the music, not the other way around. Many of the songs produced by these artists are drawing attention to these issues, not glorifying them.

My position is that the environment – created largely by so-called progressive policy – breeds far more criminality than hip-hop. If rap music plays any role in this, it is the possibility that it could augment the negative influence of the environment. If a black person is raised in Beverly Hills, they are far less likely to experience or become involved in gang activity.

The same could be said of whites and suicides. Rock music does not cause someone to take their own life. But, it could magnify the environmental or mental health issues that are already present. The reality is that the vast majority of those who listen to Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” are not going to consider suicide.

If this is the case, the fixation on hip-hop is more of a distraction than an avenue through which we can develop authentic solutions. If we truly wish to address these problems, perhaps it makes more sense to focus on the real issues instead of blaming a genre of music.