Comment by Brian Lockerbee on Sunday, Feb 3 at 02:36 PM

While Mr. Carter's accomplishments are impressive, he is merely a cliche who has reached the highest levels of fame and fortune. Many young African-Americans are impressed by the stories of the street --particularly if they come from lower income levels. It is perhaps understandable that they respond to hip-hop which glamorizes street culture and makes the poor, uneducated, outsider feel hip. At the same time the "music" if you want to call it that, reinforces Black stereotypes among whites,Blacks, and others. The results has been a complete decline in standards and culture. It has been sad. It is devasting. Fans of hip-hop are so far away from maximizing this journey on earth it is unfortunate. But here is the "kicker." Now that people like Jay Z and P.Diddy are successful they want to get out of the ghetto and live on Park Avenue and embody the persona of the sophisticated and wealthy. The problem is that they have to keep the hip-hop game going to make as much money as they can -- continually poisoning the culture. Today they can straddle both worlds because there are so many who are confused, and so many big money earners who came out of poverty. The fact that during this interview with Rose, Jay Z admits that his aim is to influence what kids listen to, wear, and do -- in other words, our culture -- it is sad that he doesn't tell young people to abandon the baggy pants, baseball cap tipped to the side, and other symbols of being an underclass and focus on getting where he is now by raising up the community rather than tearing it down. For him to say that American Gangster is something he had to get involved with is appalling. We are talking about a man -- in the movie -- who killed, poisoned, and profited from other's misery. Why, Charlie Rose, did you not use every caliber of your more than ample intellect to call it what it is?

Comment by Umberthen Valerio on Monday, Nov 12 at 11:51 AM

Jay-Z is someone that get great deal of respect from me. Inspire me to pursuit my dream I myself come from not so good neighor hoods he show light, to a young person like myself who Latino. I hope to have my own empire for Reggaeton music