What do you hope to accomplish by eliminating the n-word? —Robert C. Smith in Garden City, NY
I think people misunderstand the stance. It is crucial that rappers have the chance to express the truth that is in their heart. But I don't think that rappers are part of this debate. This debate is about corporations and other corporations. This debate is about the sponsors and the people who are concerned and the people who have a business to protect. But the artists' rights have to be protected. Sometimes America can go so far that people's rights are taken away. The bogeyman will come and destroy a business or hurt a person that is giving an honest expression through his art. That has happened a lot in this country.
Is there a hip-hop musician you feel the world should listen to more? —Cara Lahr in Rockville, MD
So many are relevant in different ways. I love when the Black Eyed Peas ask, "Where is the love? but I also love when NWA said "F the Police" The discussion between police and community started at that point. If you life in extreme poverty sometimes you see the police as the occupying force. That they are there in some way to keep you in poverty and keep the system in place. And whether it is right or wrong, it is the perception. The fact is that without the poets, the condition it is easier to ignore. These people are voiceless without their poets. They have no voice except for rapper who either describes his condition or is talking about how to fix the condition.
Last April I attended the Save Darfur rally in D.C. and was excited to hear you speak. However, I was troubled by your statement that we shouldn't support a regime change in Sudan. How do envision ending the violence in Sudan without president President Omar al-Bashir losing power? —Carly Pildis in Boston
I don't have a road map, but one of the things I think is very important is prayer, awareness and being a part of foundations that promote it. They talk about regime change, but they also talk about oil and s___. They say it is regime change, but it is so complicated. Most of the time we aren't talking about supporting anybody unless there is something under the ground. And that is the sad truth about American ambition and many kinds of foreign policy. I don't have the answer. But don't we wish all the politicians were not connected in so many ways.
When will African American entertainers and athletes pull their resources together to create a bank where aspiring African American people can submit a business plan to secure a loan? —Terry Jackson in Durham, N.C.
You know I love all kinds of activism. I certainly think blacks deserve to have something whether it is affirmative action or an opportunity that should be opened up to them. But at the same time I believe that people of color are not the only poor people in America and all over the world. America has had a hand in putting [black people] in a certain space. So the idea of affirmation active or some of the other ideas to give to African Americans is good. And I think they deserve it.
If you can give only one thing to help a young man who is poor, sad, and angry, would you give him your book, some money or the Bible? —Ju Huang in Stamford, CT
I would give him my book, because there is nothing in that book that isn't already in the Bible, but maybe I say it in a different way. At the Hip-Hop Summit in Detroit, I saw Eminem one time speaking to the audience. He told them that with "hard work, dedication, self study and faith and you can realize any dream." I saw kids in the audience crying, he said it so eloquently. A preacher couldn't tell them. A prophet couldn't tell them. Their mother couldn't tell them. It wouldn't mean s___. But Eminem said it and it rang a bell. I am hopeful that the way this book is written some young and older people will digest it.
Why should we erase the word "nigger" even though it won't make a difference in the whole scene of racism? —Jose Costa in Luanda, Angola
One, we want people to understand the messages that rappers are giving on radio. Two, because my children and my parents are likely to be offended by it and this is mainstream radio.
Real hip-hop is the underground artists that respect the culture and strive to produce meaningful lyrics that will move not only your body, but also your mind and soul. How do we get more of these positive artists on the radio and TV? —Nick Wallace in Salt Lake
All hip-hop artists that are successful are poets. I would like them all of them to be uplifting. I would like the world to be that way. But they all have a right to exist as they are. I don't see why Snoop Dogg can't be the next Hugh Hefner.
There are movies made everyday glorifying death, murder, and sex. Why does hip-hop have to be the first one to take the fall? —D. Lee in North Carolina
It doesn't have to, but it does. People will always blame the poets for society's ills. But these are the true artists. In the movies, the violence is so gratuitous. The sad truth is that people can't take it when it's reality. The difference between blues, jazz, rock n' roll and rap is that rap stayed poor. Even the white rappers are poor. It's scarier to look at poor people it makes everyone uncomfortable. Their pain is something that people would like to see swept under the rug. The last chapter of my book is about rappers having the guts to speak truth to power. It is very important that they do.