Opinion: When Hip-Hop Sold Its Soul for a Stack

By Jasmyne Cannick | Special to California Black MediaJasmyne CannickOPINION – Once upon a time a long time ago in a land not that far away, hip-hop was the voice of the streets. It was a movement, a message, and a megaphone for Black empowerment and communal struggle. Born from block parties and sound systems in the Bronx, N.Y., it was raw, unfiltered, and unapologetically Black. It wasn’t just music. It was a blueprint for survival. But somewhere along the way, the cipher got hijacked by the almighty dollar, and now we’re left wondering: when did hip-hop trade its soul for a stack?They Caught the VaporsLet’s talk about some names — Soulja Boy, Rick Ross, Nelly, and the Doggfather himself, Snoop. These are the same artists who once rode waves of Black creativity, who stood on the shoulders of a community that built them up, only to later moonwalk into Donald Trump’s inaugural events like it was a VIP lounge. And yes, Black people have every right to critique that. These men owe their fame to the culture we created. The beats, the bars, the slang—none of it exists without us. But when the culture needed them to stand for...