About those Grammys ...
Regarding coverage of the Grammy Awards: Hip-hop artists deserve their due and their glory. But when The Times’ writers insist that hip-hop is now “culturally dominant,” it raises issues. First, when anyone insists that any art form is culturally dominant to the point of being the Future, it instantly isn’t. Second, it seems to imply that other forms of music are no longer relevant, that if we care about justice and truth, we’ll mainly listen to hip-hop (or rock or punk or country). This isn’t helpful, because we have a nation of mono-cultures, i.e. people who listen, read or watch only one thing — whether it’s Fox News or golden oldies or hip-hop. Genius in all other forms goes unnoticed or forgotten. Hip-hop is strong and deserves its day in the sun, but let the art form stand or fall on its own. Kit Leonard Dennis Los Angeles