On the latest episode of People’s Party With Talib Kweli, guest Angela Rye breaks down what she sees as the difference between hip-hop and pop-rap. Over the course of the hour-long interview, the political analyst and news correspondent for CNN and NPR touched on a variety of subjects, but Kweli noted that in the course of all her work, she has remained deeply rooted in the hip-hop community and culture, even going so far as to quote J. Cole during a segment. When Kweli’s co-host Jasmin Leigh asked about the changes in hip-hop in 2019, noting that “it’s not just a Black thing now” and wondering whether hip-hop is “more party music or is it still revolutionary,” Rye gave a fittingly thoughtful answer:
“This may be something I get trolled for, but this is my truth. I believe there’s a distinction between hip-hop and pop-rap. I think that right now, there’s a dominance of pop-rap, but I also think that it’s not all the way fair to say, ‘It’s always been Black.’ There was a group called the Beastie Boys. But it was overwhelmingly Black then and it’s still overwhelmingly Black now and I think the reality of it is, it allows people to express however they see fit. It’s always had a multicultural audience and supporters and fans, more power to the people. If you can relate to what folks are talking about, great! I think that’s exactly what we need… to tear down the barriers and walls that exist. If the bridge can be hip-hop, cross it.”
Rye and Kweli also discuss the lasting emotional impact of the 2016 Election, what people call them on Twitter, and of course, America’s disconcerting swing toward far-right practices and principles since the election. Check out the full episode above and subscribe to Uproxx Video on Youtube to see future episodes of People’s Party With Talib Kweli as they premiere.