Forbes magazine recently published its annual “30 under 30” issue. In the music category two hip-hop/rap artists were Iggy Azalea and Azealia Banks. The two have a rocky history as can be seen in their twitter feuds in retrospect to Azalea’s recent Grammy nominations. Banks has called Azalea out in the past over racism and cultural appropriation in her music.

Despite her critics in the hip-hop community, Azalea has garnered widespread success in sales and awards. These two artists represent the controversy over the evolving rap and hip-hop genre as non-black artists begin to emerge in the field.

In order to be a well-rounded artistic community, our current record-breaking artists, singers and rappers need  to learn how to make hits without giving blows to other groups of people. It is our generation’s responsibility to not just listen to the music produced, but to actually pay attention to all aspects of the industry — including the artist.

Azalea is not the first non-black person to dabble in rap. Other artists like Eminem and M.I.A. have had success without being scrutinized for racial insensitivity. M.I.A. and Eminem have been called out for “crude” behavior and language, but never for misappropriation of hip-hop culture.

What is most important for millennials to understand, both as artists and consumers, is that art is not exclusive to race, class or creed — yet it should still be approached with social awareness. Our generation does not need to attack artists to educate them, but it is important to establish an environment where these discussions can create positive art for all artists and audiences.

Banks’ main criticism of Azalea is that she has had success because she is privileged by her race and despite her involvement in the rap world she fails to understand the cultural significance of rap and hip-hop for black and Latino communities. The two have battled it out on Twitter, most recently after Banks gave an interview on Hot 97 radio where she discussed Azalea’s problematic image and lyrics. Azalea has been accused of exuding a fake voice that sounds more like a black woman when she raps. Azalea is Australian, yet when she raps her accent is unrecognizable.

Intersections between genres of music are not new, and now audiences for genres have also expanded and become more diverse as there are more sub-genres of music and artists shared. The Internet age makes it easier to share music and introduce indie-rock fans to dubstep on social media. There is nothing wrong with different artists dabbling in different fields, yet before emerging in a genre, the culture behind it should be considered.

These lyrics and performances are important to be considered when reflecting on t rap and hip-hop which originated from black and Latino communities and served as form of artistic expression in a time where creative space for minorities were often denied. It is especially important to consider this when Azalea refers to herself as a runaway slave master in “D.R.U.G.S.”

The most critical  take away from this conflict is that the audience is the most important player in the music industry. We are the demographic for these artists, and the reason they wrack up Grammy nominations and Forbes’ attention is because we hand these artists the microphone with every purchased song, album, and shared YouTube video. These artists’ success depends on our reception and it is our job to be just as aware as they are. Otherwise true art is lost.

Laritza Salzar is a sophomore newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at lcsalaza@syr.edu.

Published on January 12, 2015 at 12:45 am