Nice thesis, but this isn't cultural studies, this is about a comment that was made, which you didn't address. Rather you made assumptions the intent of what was said and offered your own over-generalized opinion about a number of things that also have nothing to do with the issue being discussed.

Hip-hop and the "black community" are not synonymous. They're not the same thing, not similar, and in no instance does one equate the other. They are two overlapping populations - statements made about "hip-hop" do not apply to the "black community" as a whole, and vice versa. I've read tomes of romanticized history of hip-hop, some more informative than others, and I've taken numerous courses on Hip Hop at a top-tier university... No generalizations can be applied to the varied history of the genre or the culture, as it has spread across many decades and many continents - *BUT* Arrested Development was not spilling Cristal in the club in their videos. KRS One does not walk around with a bottle of Cris glued to his hand. Chuck D has never appeared on CRIBS with a fridge full of Cristal bottles.

Big Tymers, No Limit, Clipse, Nelly, et al on the other hand - they have. THEY are the segment of "hip-hop" that is associated with drinking Cristal AND those specific individuals that do name check Cristal DO refer to women as bitches (over and over and over) and DO identify themselves in the drug game (in many cases in a braggadocios way, in many in a precautionary 'dont do this' way) and DO boastfully describe themselves as thugs.

When you say, "so does ROCK and HEAVY METAL [degrade women]," what's you're point? Where do they enter the conversation? Rouzaud was not asked about the relationship between ROCK music and Cristal (possibly because Cristal has virtually ZERO visibility in ROCK videos, or in ROCK music) - he was offering a direct answer to a directed question. Other music genres are not part of the conversation, though your argument - "but HEAVY METAL does it too!" is a very mature one... As long as everyone degrades women it's alright?! (that's a rhetorical question).



This is not about the plight of a fictional impoverished prostitute and Jay-Zs charitable donations have nothing to do with this comment in the least bit. "Looking at his complete story" does not contribute at all to this situation, unless you're insinuating that there's something in his past, some sort of brain damage or mental retardation that prevents him from objectively looking at a statement without colouring it with his own [self-serving] assumptions... But I kinda doubt that's what you're implying.


"Racist white people...make comments..." "People who think Jay-Z pulling a race card are racist." No one here has identified themselves as being white (i'm mexican for the record), and you're using ignorant ad-hominem attacks, petty name calling. But more directly you did not address the Rouzaud comment at all, rather used this space to call people who disagree with you as racist white people. Very intelligent.

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