Something I mildly struggled with as a white guy was my love of hip-hop. I had to ask myself if it was indeed culture piracy or if it was just music to be enjoyed by anyone before I could truly embrace it. From then on, I could take in anything, from the thuggest street poets to the palest instrumentalist.

Most of the people around me either ignore and shun hip-hop or have a superficial appreciation for it (hey, take a picture of me making gang signs with a sideways cap so I can put it on my LJ!) Both groups tend to have their "exceptions" for one reason or another, usually to prove that they aren't close-minded and/or that they have well-rounded tastes. So then the name-dropping commences. Take for instance, where at a gathering of some sort, someone had put on David Banner:

"Oh, man, what is that? That's horrible!"

(Me) "You don't like crunk?"

"No, but I do like some rap. Ever hear of Atmosphere?"

I think, He's gonna say Jurassic 5 next, I just know it. Sure enough, after expressing my indifference towards Atmosphere, Jurassic 5 is next on the list.

You can usually substitute or supplement some of the names. Switch Atmosphere for Aesop Rock. Add to Jurassic 5, The Roots. But for some reason, the rock-leaning white kids of my community are conceding a little to the hip-hop world, albeit a shade lighter than most.

I pose these questions: (1) What about these acts draws them in? Am I missing something? and (2) How big of a dick am I for ragging on white guys for not liking "black" enough hip-hop?