Hip Hop’s humble beginnings have snowballed into mainstream media access, sparking trends in pop music, fashion and culture. But has this mainstream success led rap artists to forget the power of their hip hop pen? Are messages of misogyny and materialism overshadowing messages of social unrest and political speech? Durham artist 9th Wonder is heading up a Hip Hop Summit at North Carolina Central University in an effort to remind would-be-artists and insatiable consumers about the responsibility rap artists have to spread the right kinds of messages. On the next State of Things, to bling or not to bling … what’s a modern day rapper to do? Host Frank Stasio speaks with Durham artist 9th Wonder, of the group Little Brother; and Mark Anthony Neal, associate professor of black popular culture at Duke University. (59:00)