Get the latest gossip

Opinion: The Struggle for Hip-Hop Journalism: Why the Culture Still Needs Real Reporters

Amid evolving media consumption habits, hip-hop journalists fight for their place—and for thoughtful, credible coverage—while others question the rising influence of unvetted content creators.

As if the media landscape needed a reminder that it is rapidly disintegrating (see waves of journalism layoffs and record company restructurings), rappers and hip-hop music executives have begun doubling down on culture writers struggling to survive the times. With the exception of cover stories for legacy publications like Vogue, Variety, and Vibe, rappers like Nicki Minaj, Offset, and GloRilla amuse internet personalities like Funny Marco, Kai Cenat, and WNBA phenom/podcaster Angel Reese. This wasn’t always the case; veteran pop culture reporter and editor Danyel Smith dissected the child sex abuse allegations (now truths) about R. Kelly in the 1990s; late critic Greg Tate was esteemed for his challenging meditations about the genre; journalist and author Kevin Powell intimately gave voice to groundbreaking artists who’ve since been immortalized.

Get the Android app