In an honest a reveling letter to The Source Magazine readers, David Mays speaks on what he and many other hip-hop artists and executives see as the lack of knowledge of true hip-hop culture. In the April issue of the Source, David Mays (who is Caucasian) speaks candidly in the first letter he has written in 15 years, about racism and the dividing line between what he and many others see as the “Eminem Machine”.
Mays talks about a letter the he received from a teacher whose student doesn’t believe that Eminem didn’t create hip-hop. One Caucasian boy rudely stated, ‘What are you talking about? Eminem created Hip-Hop and he’s better than any rapper out there.’ It is sad that it appears mainstream America has embraced Eminem as Hip-Hop’s creator and King, just [as it did] with Elvis Presley when he stole the credit for Rock ’n Roll from Chuck Berry.”
Recently several big names in hip-hop got together to discuss the state of hip-hop and how they can influence a change. “For over 20 years, Hip-Hop culture has been this country’s single most powerful force in the battle to improve race relations and destroy the racism and racial profiling that continues to pervade our society. Thanks to the visionary insight of my friend and partner Raymond ‘Benzino’ Scott, myself and other leaders of the Hip-Hop industry are now focused on preserving our culture and its power to promote racial unity.”
David May’s concluded his letter by saying, “To allow this impact to continue is to open the door for Hip-Hop music to be co-opted similarly to Rock ‘n Roll and other forms of popular Black music this century. This is an uncomfortable issue for many of us to discuss because it forces us to take a real honest look at ourselves and the way racism is programmed into our society. But we must have the courage and integrity to face it now, or it may soon be too late.”
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