Where is Rap Music Headed?

These days, fans of hip-hop feel a division as to what is considered rap music. One of the main focal points in the debate is rapper Iggy Azalea.
An Australian native, Azalea raps with a Brooklyn accent, which some find off-putting when they hear her actual accent. Most of the criticism toward her, however, stems from the argument that Azalea misappropriates rap music and its origins.

According to GlobalBlackness.com, the roots of hip-hop come from New York’s undergrounds, community centers and parks in the mid-to-late 70s. It was a way for the youth living in impoverished neighborhoods to express themselves and escape their surroundings.
Disc jockeys began mixing older records together while youths break-danced. The members of the community had slang battles, which progressed into rap battles.
By 1979, hip-hop had become well known enough to have the first rap album produced, “Rappers Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang, a group from Harlem.
Cut to thirty plus years, and it is evident that hip-hop has changed a lot since its beginnings. From its origins to the eras of “gangsta rap” and “swagger rap,” hip-hop is still seen as a property owned predominately by African Americans for self-expression.
Times have changed, and while people of different races have been able to cross into the hip-hop audience, like Eminem, none have caused such differences of opinion like Azalea.
Some felt that Azalea’s win for best hip-hop album at the 2014 Grammy’s was unjust and that corporations are beginning to have more influence on the music genre than the people and listeners.
Specifically, rap artist Azalea Banks has had an ongoing dispute with Iggy, saying that the artist doesn’t appreciate where hip-hop comes from and what it represents.
In a Dec. 18 interview with Hot 97 radio, Banks said that Azalea is slowly smudging out black music. Banks told the interviewer that Caucasian children are capable of anything while African American children can’t even own something that was created by them.
Though Azalea has her detractors, some artists have stood by her, like rapper T.I., who produced Azalea’s album. He has said that Banks is just jealous of Azalea’s success because she has mostly stayed underground.
Yet, other artists have offered a simple solution to the Azalea problem. Rapper Lupe Fiasco said, “If people don’t like her music, simply don’t buy it.”