Esteemed journalist Peter Bailey is the host of NiteCap, in which he has intimate discussions with hip-hop stars and pop-culture icons. The YouTube series is now reliable for some of the most authentic interviews on the web. His latest guest is Wu-Tang legend Raekwon, and the two sit down to talk about where hip-hop started and where it is now. What started as a creative medium for unheard, marginalized communities is now heard all over the world, undeniably influencing people from all walks of life.
This bridges the discussion to a controversial, and often touchy, subject--namely, cultural appropriation--and the woman who's been a focal point in that conversation: Iggy Azalea. Many think Iggy has no rights to the sound she's profiting from. Leading this charge is Azealia Banks, among many others. Rae, on the other hand, thinks the Iggy hatred is unwarranted.
"She was able to take it from somewhere so far away where she was at, to here and nobody's gonna ever wanna give it up because of course she's a white girl, pretty and she's got talent ... Music is for whoever knows how to it make it, man. We have to say to ourselves, 'If you're talented, you're talented.'"
Rae then relates the story to the Morocco-born Bad Boy French Montana. He feels the fact that hip-hop is now more inclusive, and more worldwide, is undeniably a positive; "I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s somebody from Mongolia that come out and sell 100 million records."
2015 marks the 20th anniversary of Raekwon's seminal Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... At the end of the interview, Rae announces his next album will be called Fly International Luxurious Art.
Agree? Disagree? Watch the full interview below:
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