Oprah "under attack" about hip hop

Phasad1913 · #1 06-15-2006, 10:27 AM

"wouldn't it be helpful for her to host a show on which she features rap artists? "

Honestly, no I don't. Oprah has worked long and hard at having HER own show. She doesn't owe anyone, including "us" anything. She can have whatever topics discussed on HER show that she chooses. I, personally, have seen various rap artists featured on her show. Specifically, what comes to mind the quickest is when she had Ludacris on her show along with, I believe it was, Don Cheadle and other entertainers discussing the word "Nigger". She has people on her show who are pertinent to her topics when she wants and I don't think it's fair to try to make her feel obligated to have who we think she should have when we think she should have them. There are many different types of black people in this country and in this world who have varying views, likes and dislikes and Oprah is doing what she likes and wants to do. Anyone else who wishes to host rap artists on their show can do so whenever they wish. I understand and appreciate your point about her being such a high-grossing celebrity with an influential audience, but at the same time, the business savvy brilliance that she has is alos directing her on how to maintain her throne at the top of talk shows and to her, it may be that having that type of show may not be the best thing for her audience or her business. Who knows? Again, that's her call to make, not ours.

We can't be too bothered by what the citizens of Cape Town or any other black populated nation or region has to say about our people here in America. Cape Town citizens have their own varying social issues that they have to face. Perhaps those people there who are critical of Black Americans need to wise up and realize that just as depictions made abroad about Africa are not truly representative of the realities there, the same can and should be said about black Americans and America. Its not their fault the good about South Africa doesn't get depicted to us here in the U.S and its not our fault the good about black Americans aren't depicted there.

Bottom line is that Oprah has opened the door for other young, talented black people to get out there, use their brains and make it as talk show hosts or any other things that they choose to do. That means that other people can get out there and do that. ANy person who wants to have rap artists featured on their show can do so, but don't force Oprah to be the one voice or outlet of that one facet of our culture. That's not fair, espcially given ALL the things she already does for our community that NO ONE can argue that she doesn't do.

Lady of Pearl · #2 06-15-2006, 02:04 PM

I do recall seeing Kayne West on Oprah several months ago and it was a positive show and I believd he performed and gave a tribute to his mother

I don't see how she could cater to the audience of her particular market with a hip-hop show. Tyra Banks has had her share of artists concerning that maybe they should check her out!

Anticipatience · #3 06-15-2006, 04:03 PM

I agree with the fact that since Oprah has worked so hard to come up and make her own show where she does things her way.
I also agree with the fact that she has had rappers on her show before (Ludacris, Kanye, Eve, and a couple others).

What I'm calling to attention is that when she had Ludacris, Eve and Kanye on her show, it was to talk about the movies they were in ("Crash" and "Barbershop") and to talk about up-and-coming talents (concerning Kanye). Never has Oprah has a show strictly about the contents of hip hop songs, which she stabbed at on the show with Ludacris without letting Ludacris address his lyrics (or editing out what he said). In my opinion, since she opened the can of worms (talking about what rappers are saying), shouldn't she close it properly by letting rappers speak for themselves?

By the way, is it not interesting that when she had the cast of "Barbershop" on the show, she failed to invite Ice Cube (according to Cube himself: http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headli.../?source=IDIF), the main character and producer of the movie? What was that about? I know she's not scared to have controversial people on her show. She had Chris Rock on. What's the matter with Ice Cube?

f8nacn · #4 06-15-2006, 04:21 PM

Maybe it was a scheduling conflict...how do we know that Oprah's people didn't attempt to contact Ice Cube regarding Barbershop, we don't know, we just know what they are "" saying...we can't believe everything we hear because frankly we aren't them (Oprah, or any other person challenging her). I don't blame Oprah for not having "hip-hop artists" on her show because as a whole, it does not reflect the audience that she serves and/or seeks to serve. However, she does has a place on her website for show ideas, that must mean that she is open to any new ideas and that just may be something that she may do.

Anticipatience · #5 06-15-2006, 04:55 PM

Her website gets thousands of suggestions a day...yes, mine was one of them but don't think I didn't write to Tyra also...

Exquisite5 · #6 06-15-2006, 05:01 PM

It's Oprah's show and see no reason why she should be chastized for not liking hip hop, or not inviting hip hop artists, or talking bad about hip hop or whatever.

It's her show! Oprah could spend all day every day using her show to "vent" for the daily hour of "what Oprah hates" and would still owe not one of "the hated" an obligation to allow that particulare "hated" to come on her show and talk to her about why she shouldn't hate them.

I've seen this topic on other boards/email lists and I'm like <<eye rolling>> ..who cares? Does Oprah look like she likes hip-hop? I mean, this is the woman who was not even cool enough to get the Beyonce booty hop down good-- that was like a major event in her life. Somehow I think hip hop has a bit too much flava for her....like it does for my mom.

Oprah no more "ought" to have random hip hop artists on her show than Phil Donahue ought to have had Ozzie Osbourne on his.

Anticipatience · #7 06-15-2006, 06:07 PM

Social responsibility has gone out the window. Having the good, bad and the ugly should be a concern of hers in my mind. EXPLAINING the bad and the ugly (and giving them the chance to explain themselves) is what is necessary because no matter how many shows she does with Denzel Washington, Chris Rock, Shamar Moore, Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou and other "seemingly safe" African-Americans, people around the world will still primarily think about 50 Cent when it comes to Black Americans (I did a study while I was there about Perceptions of Black Americans among Black South Africans. Results were startling.) Don't let me get my own show...

Phasad1913 · #8 06-15-2006, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anticipatience

Don't let me get my own show...

Well maybe you should get your own show. That is what you, AS an African American, and largely because of Oprah, can do if you want. Get your own show and feature nothing bu hip hop artists and let them elaborate on their way of thinking. Problem solved

SummerChild · #9 06-19-2006, 02:50 PM

Anticipatience, what perceptions are going to be cleared up by Oprah having foul-mouthed, women-denigrating rappers on her show? I understand freedom of speech and all that (I'm an atty.) but really, Oprah's show seems to me to be more about upliftment so what can really be gained by featuring Ludacris and 50 Cent? What is the mainstream (or other AAs for that matter) going to suddenly understand about the lyrics of rappers such as Ludacris and 50 Cent that is going to show them in a positive light?

SC

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anticipatience

Social responsibility has gone out the window. Having the good, bad and the ugly should be a concern of hers in my mind. EXPLAINING the bad and the ugly (and giving them the chance to explain themselves) is what is necessary because no matter how many shows she does with Denzel Washington, Chris Rock, Shamar Moore, Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou and other "seemingly safe" African-Americans, people around the world will still primarily think about 50 Cent when it comes to Black Americans (I did a study while I was there about Perceptions of Black Americans among Black South Africans. Results were startling.) Don't let me get my own show...

Live_Wire17 · #10 06-16-2006, 06:46 PM

Quote[ I don't blame Oprah for not having "hip-hop artists" on her show because as a whole, it does not reflect the audience that she serves and/or seeks to serve.

Trust me...all of those "beautiful white people" in her audience have children who listen to hip-hop. Those people in her audience are the parents of the kids that are shooting up our schools and murdering their friends. She might want to try to reach them too.

I have been to the Oprah show on many occasions...being from Chicago...what you see on TV is very different from the way she acts to the audience when the camaras aren't rolling (speaking from a personal experience that I had).