Listening to Someone Else's Music

When I think about really good hip hop, I think of music that addresses the struggles of black Americans and talks critically about conflicts between blacks and whites. Music that epitomizes this for me is Grandmaster Flash, early Dr. Dre, Mos Dof, and Black Star. We discussed in class how some musicians like Lauryn Hill and Rakim Allah have reacted to their white fans in a borderline--if not completely--racist way. While racism is racism no matter who it is from and who it is directed at, I wonder whether it is at all valid for black musicians to feel this way. The reason why I feel that black musicians wanting their music to be heard by black people alone is understanable, is because that is who they are directing their music to. These musicians are trying to engage with the black community about problems and issues that are specific to them. Sometimes I feel like when white people listen to this type of music, there is no genuine way for them to connect with it because they lack the personal experiences necessary to truly understand it. At that point it seems like listening to hip hop that tries to get at the root of the black American experience is more of a fashion statement than anything else. Yes, it's true that there are ideas that you can understand fully without having experienced them yourself, or it is quite possible just to love the music for what it is. I'd have to imagine though that having white fans who cannot connect with your music on the level you intended must be pretty frustrating for musicians. This is a complicated issue that can be looked at from so many different angles. I'm just trying to understand how it must feel for the musician to have his/her audience be an unintended one and one that might not fully grasp the music's message.