Slideshow: Hip-hop’s political alter egos

SLIDESHOW - AllHipHop has compiled a list of leaders in the history of black America and compared them with their closest contemporary hip-hop artists...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

By Houston Williams
AllHipHip.com

Hip-hop and rap music didn’t emerge out of a vacuum. While the culture is original and unique, it comes from a rich history and is the culmination of many traditions. This is very evident in political hip-hop. The activists, scholars and leaders of the past have heavily influenced rap artists and some — like Tupac — are even the children of revolutionaries. Others are understudies like KRS-One, who blatantly adopted the Pan African theologies of a great leader to be revealed later in this story. For a bit of fun and education, AllHipHop has compiled a list of leaders in the history of black America and compared them with their closest contemporary hip-hop artists. Feel free to weigh in on your disagreements, agreements or your own comparisons.

For more on the hip-hop and politics series from theGrio click here and for more from AllHipHop.com click here.

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