Is Violence Within the Hip Hop Industry Life Imitating Art?: Adrian Norman

It's a frequent and unfortunate story in the United States that hip hop artists, often very young, end up getting killed by gun violence. What is it in the music that leads to this? Is there something in the culture? And what's the impact of this when it's applied to broader society? To learn more about this, we speak with Adrian Norman. He's an author, news writer and political commentator. He's also a member of the Black Leadership Network Project 21, an initiative of the National Center for Public Policy Research that seeks to promote the views of African Americans whose entrepreneurial spirit, dedication to family, and commitment to individual responsibility have not traditionally been echoed by the nation’s civil rights establishment. Adrian shares his take on the violence stemming from the hip hop music industry that is the topic of his documentary titled “Smoke and Mirrors”. Adrian is attempting to shed light on an issue that unfortunately only becomes mainstream newsworthy following the killings of aspiring rappers. We speak with Adrian about some of the main narratives in African American communities in the United States, the impacts of progressive policies, and how the nation can move forward.