B.O.B. Talks Iggy Azalea Winning Hip Hop AMA, Whites In Hip Hop & The Term “New Blacks”

One of the most discussed topics in Hip Hop this year centered around the emergence of Iggy Azalea and what her and other white artists’ crossover success means for the mainstream direction of the culture. Does the rise of Iggy, Macklemore, G-Eazy, Chris Miles, Chris Webby, and others over the last year represent a “whitewashing” of rap music? Or is the culture naturally growing to include more races and nationalities?

Fellow Hustle Gang affiliate B.o.B. stopped by The Breakfast Club this week, and the Atlanta-based rapper addressed Iggy’s American Music Award win for “Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album” and the rise of other white rap acts. The “New Black” performer also touched on the definition of what it means to be a “New Black.”

On Iggy winning AMA’s Favorite Album – Rap/Hip-Hop:

They really base it off of metrics like fan votes, sales and these statistics… It’s legible. She worked for it. She worked hard.

On whether there is a “white takeover” happening in Hip Hop:

I don’t feel like it’s a white takeover at all… I definitely feel like there is a centralization of power, and sometimes you could find yourself at odds with that. That’s where you don’t wanna be. I’ll put it that way.

On addressing racial issues as a Black man:

We live in a time where for speaking your mind when you’re Black… there’s so much more, there’s so many rules to it. It’s like, “You’re Black, you gotta speak your mind. You gotta be on our side.” But I’m on the side of truth… I’m not a group thinker. I’m always gonna speak the truth in the situation. I’ve evolved myself as a Black person through truth, not through following the Black handbook.

On the definition of “New Black”:

I flipped it and made it positive. I don’t want to be “old Black”… If we as Black people have the power that we demonstrated that we can come together and organize something and make it happen… if we can all come together like that there’s the possibility that we could do that everywhere and do it consistently. And really have some progress and create some change. And create something that will better our situation as a Black culture and not just always being the victim and not focus on what’s being done wrong, but the solution.

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