rap may be a reflection, but the average ignorant ass nikka ain't shining. Rappers are shining by being as ignorant as possible. The whole so and so ain't real, he had a job, he went to college. What the fukk kinda logic is that? We piss on people for having legal jobs and furthering their education? Art imitates life, but also life imitates art. Your reality and my reality may not be the same but we both see 50 Cent. You think 50 Cent just does what he has to do. I may see 50 Cent as cool and someone I want to emulate even if I don't need to live that life.How is rap to blame when the themes of the songs is a reflection of the environment and current state / plight of black people you can't blame the result , the inception of rap was literally due to poverty , oppression and hopelessness ...
nikkas like Melly Mel wanna complain about the current state of hip hop but him nor his peers made an effort to have authority of the culture & build and invest their own record labels right before hip hop was about to have an impact on the mainstream world ..
Originally that was what hiphop represented but those days have long been over with. You have to "find" hiphop with positive, uplifting messages. The easily-accessible, mainstream hiphop that the world mainly identifies rap with is an exaggerated caricature of the most negative stereotypes of black people. This is by design.