African American Political Thought

Paul butler raised an iconic music figure; a critic on society and a conscientious sever of the music industry. He is a firm believer in the role hip hop music can play in the society. How it could be employed as an effective tool, and how it can unearth the injustice that lurks beneath the apparent fairness in the justice system in the state (Chobanian 01).

In his writings butler has expressed harsh criticism against law enforcement agencies for blindly believing in informants who might have personal vendettas and distort facts to implicate certain communities. His views about prosecutors spark much heated debate. Quite ironically the prosecutors never fulfill their aim of curing the society of all the vices. They, infect worsen the situation by magnifying the problem after mass incarceration. For him the justice system is entirely flawed, and it fails to function properly as a tool for reformation (Chobanian 04).

In butler's opinion, the society should keep itself informed of the injustices and the flawed system through the medium of hip hop culture and music. The hip hop artists play the dual role of entertaining the public, and at the same time acting as political analysts and social commentators. Marginalisation of Afro-americans and Hispanics has led to an entire breed of hip hop artists. They throw light on the plight of the disadvantaged communities.

According to him, the greatest threat to the country is not external terrorism, but the downright mistreatment and deliberate incarceration of the black population. This leads to disruption in entire families and those who are wrongly convicted are turned into hardened criminals.

Many rappers are accused of promoting violence through music. However, most rappers are not bad people. Their music reflects what they experience and observe around them. It is a manifestation of the ...