In America we have big issues with education - in impoverished communities especially. I work with Teach For All, and so we're encouraging more people to get into teaching.
John LegendRead
Hip hop is usually a bunch of guys talking to a bunch of guys, in my experience. It's homosocial, not homosexual, in that it's almost always all one gender in a room where it's being created. That locker-room environment has an impact on the language. I think the music suffers 'cause it allows an almost cartoonish level of misogyny.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Hip hop culture is predominantly male-dominated, influencing its language and themes, sometimes leading to misogyny.
John Legend reflects on the nature of hip hop as a homosocial environment, predominantly created and consumed by men. He suggests that this male-only space contributes to a language that often becomes cartoonishly misogynistic, ultimately affecting the quality and messages of the music produced within that context.
Themes
Hip HopMisogynyMale CultureMusicLanguageHomosocial
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing the representation of women in hip hop during a panel on music culture.
More from John Legend
All quotes →Hip-hop is one of the most free art forms there is. There's so many sounds you can use, so many things you can bring in. You never know, man. I bet years ago people would've never said they would hear me with Rick Ross, and we did four classic songs together.
John LegendRead
For me as a songwriter, I love when other people cover my songs.
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To have the chance to see your music be elevated and to have almost universally positive response to that music, makes me feel better every day. I feel more confident and inspired, and that's fun.
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Why wouldn't I help? What good reason do I have as a human being with power and a sense of empathy and morality, why wouldn't I do something?
John LegendRead
I wrote the song "Show Me" as a prayer to God asking simple, honest questions about life and death and why there is so much suffering in the world. As I grew with the song I realized I shouldn't limit these questions solely to God; I should ask those questions of others and of myself.
John LegendRead
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