The Misconception.

My mom and I were driving to Vegas yesterday, it was like a 3-4 hour drive, and I had her listen to some Lupe Fiasco. She actually was really feelin it. He Said/She Said made her get all misty-eyed.

That's when I explained to her that Hip-Hop and Rap are two completely different genres. This is the former.

Hip-hop is all about self-expression. It's all about the art and the struggle and the living and the every day grind.

Rap is all about the 22's and the money and the chicks and the drugs.

Rap is the fame, the glamour of the thug life.

Hip-hop is the reality underneath the streets. Its the hurt behind the gunshots. It's story-telling, it's takin the dope dealer and tellin his story and bringing that tragedy to a public view so a middle-class white kid from the pinnacle of modern day suburbia can start to understand what's really goin on outside of his own world.

People are always saying "you need to broaden your horizons".

Some people do that by watching documentaries, reading books about civil wars and child trafficking.

That's all so relevant, don't get me wrong.

But this is just another way to get a first-hand accounting of what's really going on in our own neighborhood.

It's something people can relate to. These kids are rapping to get away from where they're at right now.

They rap to get off the streets. They rap so they can stop sellin drugs. They rap to provide for their family.

Hip-hop is saving lives. And I think it's ignorant to say "All of these rappers belittle women and do drugs."

That's like saying "All rock and roll bands worship the devil."

And once you give it a chance, you can start to see the poetry and artistry behind it.

But a lot of people don't bother to look closely enough to see the real beauty of it.

I dunno, that's just my two cents.