Cosby Show alum Malcolm-Jamal Warner is (again) unhappy with hip-hop.
The actor appeared on Peachtree TV’s Monica Pearson One on One to discuss his thoughts on hip-hop and Black music. The constant use of the n-word and messages filled with “misogyny, murder, mayhem and disrespect of fellow Black people” cheapens the music that is being put out today, according to Warner.
“Unfortunately, the success of hip-hop is predicated upon the anti-Blacks,” he said. “When you listen to the hip-hop that gets
the exposure, conscious hip-hop isn’t getting exposure. The messages that are getting the exposure are misogyny, murder, mayhem, and disrespect of fellow Black people. That’s not all the hip-hop that exists.”Plus, there’s the matter of that word.
“You can’t have a popular hip-hop song without using the n-word,” said Warner, who considers himself a hip-hop purist. “Our Black music has somehow become anti-Black, and it’s been so normalized that it gets right by us. The conditioning, the programming is so powerful.”
This isn’t the first time Warner has expressed discomfort with today’s Black music.
TMZ caught up with him in May during the peak of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef. He expressed his disappointment with hip-hop and stated that the harmful elements of the culture—e.g., the n-word and misogynistic language—had been normalized.
Warner pointed out that the music could have balance and not be negative most of the time. He blames the media for focusing on the ignorant side of hip-hop. He said that attention should be given to dope music played in underground circles, which also promotes positivity and is not viewed negatively.