R&B Legend Gladys Knight isn’t feeling hip-hop music. According to The Boom Box, the 65-year-old singer expressed her distaste for the genre during an interview in support of her role in the new Tyler Perry film, I Can Do Bad All By Myself.
She says hip-hop has negatively impacted the black community due to its aggressive lyrics. “It’s been bad, in my opinion, as far as the quality of the music and the stories that they tell. It’s one thing to be raw about your history, but they took it to another level and it became vulgar,” Knight said.
Despite hip-hop’s heavy impact, Knight says its never “elevated our industry musically.” She goes on to say that hip-hop’s effect has “lowered…self-esteem” in the black community. “It definitely has not elevated us as African-Americans, because we show disrespect for our partners, men and women,” Knight explained. “I believe we have lowered our self-esteem with these performances and presentations.”
Ironically, Knight’s music has been sampled by some of hip-hop’s elite, such as the Wu-Tang Clan, Lauryn Hill, Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane.
She is currently prepping a European tour in October.