Dr, Akil Houston
Dr. Akil Houston, Associate Professor of African American Studies at Ohio University, was quoted in an Agence France Presse article headlined “Rappers, women aiming big at Grammys after past snubs.”
After last year’s shutout, Jay-Z dissed the Academy in “APES**T” — his track with wife Beyonce — vying on Sunday for Best Music Video, along with four other boundary-pushing black nominees.
But for others, part of rap’s appeal is that it remains non-conformist.
“So much of rap music history has been about resistance and counterculture — a win also means the approval of mainstream culture,” said Akil Houston, a hip-hop scholar at Ohio University.
“In a way, then you lose that outsider edge.”
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