Killer Mike of Run The Jewels performs at the Reading Music Festival in England, Aug. 28, 2022. Hip-hop has been an integral part of social and racial justice movements.It’s also been scrutinized by law enforcement and political groups because of their belief that hip-hop and its artists’ encourage violent criminality. Free speech advocates see the ongoing persecution of rappers as a proxy war primarily waged against Black and Latino people who are the early pioneers of the culture. For hip-hop artists who live under repressive regimes, “dropping bars” to air one’s grievances against the government can mean time behind bars or worse. (Photo by Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)
