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Hip Hop music and culture have been blamed for many of the ills in society and in the African American community. Now, thanks to Geraldo Rivera, we can add a new debilitating issue to the Hip Hop is the cause of ________ list.

In an interview on HuffPost Live, Rivera, “Hip Hop aficionado,” stated:

“Hip-hop has done more damage to Black and Brown people than racism in the last 10 years.”

Geraldo, a FoxNews contributor challenged anyone to find “a youngster — a Puerto Rican from the South Bronx or a Black kid from Harlem who has succeeded in life other than being the one-tenth of one-tenth of one percent that make it in the music business — that’s been a success in life walking around with his pants around his ass and with visible tattoos…”

On Thursday, Roland Martin, host of “NewsOne Now” clashed with Rivera over his assertion that Hip Hop music/culture have been more detrimental to minorities than systemic racism has over the past 10 years.

SEE ALSO: [WATCH] Black FOX Anchor Pushed To the Edge By Geraldo’s Ferguson Comments

Martin asked Rivera, “On what basis — to suggest that Hip Hop — the clothing, somehow has done more damage than racism in the past decade?”

Rivera told Martin, “It’s not just the clothing obviously, it’s the lyrics, it’s the role models, the examples. You emphasize the front page of all the magazines, the remarkable influence of people like Jay-Z, P-Diddy and Snoop Dogg — all of them incidentally have had their run-ins with the law. But what about the Tupacs, the Notorious B.I.G.s, these lyrics, Suge Knight now accused of murder in L.A. after running over a Hip Hop rival.”

Geraldo continued, “at a certain point you have to concede that the virtue being expressed here is a horrible counter productive, anti-social message that is holding back the success of people who should be picking up their pants, getting an education and getting a job.

After Rivera finished his opening tirade against Hip Hop, Martin responded, “I can look at major corporate brands in America who actually have Hip Hop artists on their commercials. I can go to NBA arenas around the country and I’m going to hear Hip Hop music, and trust me, aint a lot of young Black and Brown folks who are season ticket holders in those arenas.”

Geraldo snapped back, “A kid who needs to get a job, lives in Spanish Harlem, and is favoring the Hip Hop lifestyle and he is not going to be able to get that job, he’s certainly not going to be able to compete for anything other than an entry level job.”

Martin countered that Hip Hop music and culture is not just centered on violence. The culture and it’s music have become mainstream with major corporations regularly tapping Hip Hop artist   to have their music or likeness as a part of their advertising campaigns.

SEE ALSO: Geraldo Rivera: Barack Obama Is ‘Stuck-Up’ And ‘Snobby’

The “NewsOne Now” host later stated, “In the last seven years, 53 percent of Black wealth has been wiped out due to the home foreclosure crisis. We saw Wall Street pushing Black folks and minority folks into sub-prime loans. And that means losing homes, that means losing equity. The inability to also now be able to launch your business … When Black and Brown people were forced into sub-prime loans, they were targeted, that is about race.”

Martin further challenged Rivera’s assertion by asking him, “Tell me what is more violent than the economic violence of Wall Street against America?”

Watch Martin and Geraldo Rivera go toe-to-toe over Hip Hop inflicting more damage on ‘Black and Brown people’ than racism in the last 10 years in the video clip above.

Do you think Rivera has a valid point or is he way off base?

Be sure to watch “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin, weekdays at 9 a.m. EST on TV One.

Subscribe to the “NewsOne Now” Audio Podcast on iTunes.

Geraldo, Roland Martin Clash Over Rivera Saying Hip Hop Has Done More Damage To Minorities Than Racism (VIDEO)  was originally published on newsone.com