These issues are a great talking point which can lead to a deeper understandings of Hip-Hop’s themes which not all students will have equal access to. A good example is poverty, if a student has grown up in relative comfort, they may struggle to understand the perspective of those that have been less fortunate; so too with cultural appropriation. Admittedly, this is a tricky discussion and one that needs to be conducted with care so as not to reinforce the negative stereotypes and privileged assumptions it attempts to bring a greater awareness to. I say “bring awareness” instead of “correct” as it implies gaining new perspectives which can help us better understand a variety of lived experiences; correct implies wrongness, awareness is simply a broadening of one’s world view. Lastly, as a white, cis-gender, middle class, male my starting point in matters of cultural appropriation is that I cannot truly understand what it is like to not live in a position of privilege. As such my position always begins with the honest acceptance that I simply will never know what it is like to be a black women, and therefore, should listen to other peoples’ lived experiences in the hope of gaining a greater understanding of the aspects of society I have limited recourse to.
Here is a link to a highly sensible and well-grounded discussion on how to approach the challenging language and themes which Hip-Hop often presents in a classroom setting – including the N-word:
https://www.facinghistory.org/mockingbird/discussing-sensitive-topics-classroom.
Here is a short video explaining some perspective on different ways that cultures can be appropriated:
This is a longer but wonderfully delivered TED Talk which comes at the concept from all angles; its informative but goes a step further it is critique by showing how messy it can become in melting pots such as America.
Here is a discussion of the Kendrick Lamar concert where a white women used the N-word when singing a lyric after being invited on stage. If you search YouTube you can find the original (explicit!) recording and a number of different perspectives. This video, I believe, best matches the general opinion of most Hip-Hop listeners.
For further reading, there is an Eminem Interview which discusses his belief that white people should never use the N-word.
https://www.flexxmag.com/news/racism-sucks-eminem-has-the-tightest-rhyme-ever-but-we-wont-ever-hear-it-because-it-rhymes-with-the-n-word
There is also a Guardian article which addresses the topic for a well balanced fashion.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/23/kendrick-lamar-white-rap-fans-n-word-off-limits
Wikipedia has a thorough overview of cultural appropriation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation
This article focuses on the issue of hoop earnings: https://www.vice.com/en_nz/article/43a3mj/confessions-of-a-set-runner-what-australian-reality-shows-are-like-behind-the-screens
This article looks at the issue of white people and dreadlocks:
http://www.exberliner.com/features/the-dreaded-conversation/
Humanity4HipHop 