The foundation that sonic innovators and entertainers stand on is every bit as important as what these figures create from it. Ebro knows this, and expressed disappointment with many artists who didn't take the time to acknowledge that. Moreover, this refers specifically to hip-hop recently celebrating its 50th birthday, and artists within the genre not releasing any statements or tributes about it. "Making all this $$$ because of HipHop and artists can't even post a 'Thank You' ..." the media personality wrote on Twitter on Monday (August 14). Whether his comments accurately reflect the response to the genre's five decades in the cultural sphere is a debate for the comments.
After all, there have been plenty of MCs, producers, executives, and other hip-hop figures who celebrated this milestone. For example, there are tribute shows, media projects like music, film, and beyond, plus an avalanche of written or recorded testimonies on it. In fact, an age bias probably factors in here, since many artists that engaged with this history have more experience than contemporary leaders. Maybe Ebro is specifically calling out people who generally don't make it clear how much they owe to past legends.
Ebro Calls Out People Not Honoring Hip-Hop's 50th
Regardless, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise, given that the radio host is often dishing out reflections on the culture. Most recently, he caused an online stir when he called Drake out for not speaking out on more social issues. "Y’all know I’m the biggest Drake fan on this show,” Ebro told co-hosts on Apple’s Rap Life Review show. “Drake has never shown up to have anything to say about anything going on in society with Black folks or anything other than himself."
Of course, plenty of people agreed with him, but a whole lot of folks were quick to push back, as well. Eventually, he clarified his comments and stated that he only compared the 6 God's output to others because Drake criticized "This Is America" by Childish Gambino. Still, it made many think about what artists can do better when it comes to their platform, and the same can be said about honoring this genre. Stick around on HNHH for the latest news and updates on Ebro, and for more on hip-hop history.