Aoki Lee Simmons Calls Out Non-Black Hip Hop Fans For Disrespecting The Culture

“You know every time a Black hip-hop artist, a rap artist who has broken into the American mainstream dies, it is only those communities, the Black community, the hip-hop community, who are actively involved in their remembrance or in mourning them. At the same time, like so many privileged non-Black people are living their life...the soundtrack to their life is this music...they are using it for everything...they are getting so much value from these people, these artists, and from their life stories.”

“But when the artist dies—not a word. So much of what makes hip-hop so compelling is it’s about stories. Part of it which makes it so compelling to white America is it’s so often the stories of the traumatic lived experience of Black Americans...like the absolute worst parts of systematic oppression and the havoc it wreaks on communities in the hood—violence and drugs.”

“You want to appreciate the art, profit off the art, give profit to their art, but completely devalue and continue to oppress and ignore the humanity of the artist. So when these artists die young, it’s so obvious how much these ‘fans’ care about them as human beings...he issues that kill your favorite rapper are often the same issues people are marching in the streets for—but there’s a disconnect with that.”