When Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) reflects on the influence of hip-hop, he remembers all the wrongdoings artists have exposed throughout history. Even as hip-hop turns 50, the music still provokes discussions about high stakes

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political issues, from police brutality to gun violence.

I got elected today because of hip-hop, Bradford said, pointing to his time as a former nightclub promoter. My attitude was that if I can get people into a club to listen to music, we can get people in our communities to vote

,

and I use that as a catalyst to do what I do.

Standing on the steps of the State Capitol in Sacramento on Monday, Bradford was one of the members of the California Legislative Black Caucus celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. Lawmakers cooperated with the recording industry

Assn. Association

of America and the Bring the Peace Movement to host the event, which was filled with dance and music.

born in

the

Bronx, New York, hip-hop has made its mark all over the world, including on the West Coast.

It’s hip-hop

spirit of protest and truth telling is alive and well in his poetic lyrics. Hip-hop group NWA, founded in Compton,

California,

spoke out against police brutality and ethnic profiling in the 1988 hit “

Fuck

the police. The 1995 song California Love by the late rapper 2Pac, featuring artists Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman, refer to multiple cities, including Sacramento, Oakland and

the

watts

neighbourhood

in Los Angeles.

Hip-hop artists have long embraced the use of digital tools such as drum machines, turntables, and synthesizers. The use of artificial intelligence,

or AI,

however, has sparked fears about the future of music and hip-hop artists have been at the forefront of that debate.

Joel Flatow, senior vice president of Artist & Industry Relations at the Recording Industry Assn.

association of

America, which also oversees the group’s West Coast operations, called hip-hop not just a driving force in music

,

but in fashion, culture and even politics.

Hip-hop is really the language of protest, poetry and speaking truth to power, Flatow said.

For assembly member Lori

D

Wilson (D Suisun

City

), the influence of hip-hop is not only in the lyrics. Wilson, whose first concert was NWA

.[no third period]

said hip-hop swagger isn’t easy to replicate.

What has always lifted me up about the music is the boldness and confidence of the performers, she said. That feeds me and the others in the crowd.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers weren’t always big fans of hip-hop. In the 1990s and 2000s, explicit lyrics in rap songs drew criticism from Congress. Today, hip-hop has great appeal and even presidential candidates have embraced the music in political campaigns.

We’re really trying to get back to the roots of hip-hop culture

,

and speak to all peacebuilders and motivate our communities to get involved

civil civil

said Johanna J Thompson, who has developed programs for the Bring the Peace movement.

The celebration of hip-hop comes at a pivotal time for the entertainment industry. Hollywood writers and actors have been on strike for more than 100 days, demanding better pay and other benefits;

in mid-July, actors joined writers on the picket lines.

The use of AI artificial intelligence to generate text and other content has been a major sticking point in negotiations between unions and movie studios. While many musicians, including hip-hop artists, are not unionized, they also face the same challenges that Hollywood actors and writers face.

like inclusive

fears that AI will be used to clone their voice and style without their consent.

Hip-hop artists have

varieddifferent

views on the use of AI in music. Rappers like Rapper Timbaland,

announcing his new startup

think

S

using AI to sound like another artist’s voice could unleash more creativity. the artist

recently also received

backlash, however, for using the voice of

the

leaves Notorious BIG in a song he shared on Instagram. Ice Cube has called AI demonic and said he thinks artists should go back to using their real voice instead of relying heavily on technology. little wayne

has

said

That

he is too unique for AI to replicate his sound.

AI music startups are already popping up, and tech giants like Google, Facebook parent company Meta, and Microsoft are exploring the use of AI to generate sound.

Wilson and Bradford said so

it is using AI

an issue lawmakers are watching closely.

I think we as California legislators need to better protect our creatives because it’s really what makes us who we are, Wilson said.

last year, California became the first state to limit the

ways of using

bee

artist

lyrics and other forms of creative expression

can be used against them

as evidence in criminal cases. When California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Act on the Decriminalization of Artistic Expression, the politician appeared alongside well-known rappers

like inclusive

YG, Ty Dolla

$[per Times style] S

ign and Tyga in a virtual ceremony. Congress this year again introduced a federal bill that would limit the use of song lyrics as court evidence.

An I

awmaker

s at the event

recognize that their work is still not done. Referring to lyrics from

artist pop superstar

Beyonc, Councilwoman Tina McKinnor (D-Hawthorne) asked the crowd at the hip-hop party to join her in prayer.

As those who try to break down the very foundation of who we are, remember those words of wisdom from Queen B, she said. You won’t break my soul.