Malcolm-Jamal Warner speaks onstage at the "Accused" panel during the Deadline Contenders Television event at Directors Guild Of America on April 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Photo by Jesse Grant/Deadline via Getty Images.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner Thinks Hip-Hop Has Become Anti-Black
Malcolm-Jamal Warner once again speaks up with some criticism for hip-hop misogyny and using the n-word.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner is voicing his criticisms of hip-hop–and it’s not the first time. The famed actor and Grammy-winning musician sat down for an interview with legendary newswoman Monica Pearson and voiced his frustrations with the current state of hip-hop.
“When you listen to the hip-hop getting exposure, the messages that are getting the exposure are misogyny, murder, mayhem and disrespect of fellow Black people,” Warner explained.He also bemoaned the excessive use of the n-word, which is a topic he’s addressed before.
“You can’t have a popular hip-hop song without using the n-word,” continued the actor. “Our Black music has become anti-Black and it’s been so normalized that it gets right by us. The conditioning and programming is so powerful.”
Warner has long ties to music in general and hip-hop, in particular. He famously appeared in the music video for Whodini’s “Funky Beat” and directed music videos for DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, as well as New Edition. He earned a Grammy for his jazz work with Robert Glasper and a nomination for his 2022 spoken word album, Hiding in Plain View.
He’s advocating for artists to follow their muse, while calling out the music industry and making his criticisms clear. Back in June, the former Cosby Show actor called for a moratorium on the “n-word” in hip-hop.
“There are MCs who I love, who I cannot listen to anymore,” he said at the time. “I love J. Cole but I had to stop listening to J. Cole because I got tired of hearing ‘ni**a’ and ‘bi**h’ every two sentences. Because he’s proven himself to be such an incredible lyricist, [so I hate] the regularity that he does [use those words].”
