User:TomUSA/Race in hip hop

Race is a common topic in hip hop culture. Most performers of hip hop are African American or black, however, large minorities of Hispanic and white rappers have emerged since the creation of hip hop music and culture in the mid-1970s.

History

Hip hop has often been associated with African American stereotyping, as the original creators of hip hop were blacks from the Bronx, New York. But when white rappers and hip hop performers began appearing in the scene, many criticized them as being "wiggers" or black wannabes. Rappers such as Vanilla Ice appeared in the early 1990s in the mainstream hip hop scene. It seemed to be an outlandish idea at the time, and Vanilla Ice was criticized for his participation in hip hop music, as he often used black American culture in his music videos and style of music.

White rappers weren't as often criticized over time unless the subject of race in hip hop was brought up. White rapper Cage brought up his racial identity, as did several white rappers to come. The most famous white rapper, also winning awards as being "best rapper", is Eminem. Eminem has often made references to his racial identity and counter-criticzed people who made an issue with whites in hip hop. Eminem's song "White America" concerns the topic of race in hip hop, talking about his success no matter what his race.

Other forms of hip hop music created by white performers fusing music mostly identified as "white" began appearing in the 1990s. Celtic hip hop, a fusion combining Celtic music and hip hop, has attracted a large audience and many performers in the underground hip hop scene.

In Europe, most rappers are white and blacks are the minority. This is because Europe is the origin of white people, thus making the larger population white. However, this is the case with America, but hip hop was founded by blacks in "black enclaves."

Overview

Many white rappers, Hipsanic rappers, and even Asian rappers have been successful in the hip hop scene.

White rappers in the mainstream include Beastie Boys, House of Pain, Vanilla Ice, Eminem, Asher Roth, Mac Miller, Cage and Macklemore.