What have they done for the people? What have they done for the culture? What are they doing for themselves? Are they really living the life that they’re showing you they’re living on Instagram. We throw around these words like icon and legend really loosely now, and sometimes those things haven’t been earned. There’s an upside to that and a downside to that. I think now the market is really saturated. And that’s really sad, because that’s a pillar of creativity and a great outlet for artists. I just heard that MTV is ending the MTV News department. And so it’s hard to find the best sources anymore.

James Devaney/WireImage Scott Gries/ImageDirectĪnanda: Now social media, any and everybody can report on any and everything. We finally are out of the darkness we were forced into for so long in this country, and I think we have to respect that and be responsible for that. You have to respect the growth and also remember the power that we have and especially now that our people are really getting a lot of shine, right now, by everybody and rightfully so. And when we see our culture itself shifting into different ways, remember that we can impact that through our music. So I think it’s important to keep that for artists. That’s one of the things that hip-hop came through and broke the mold for, because we were much more edited prior to that. I’m not as drenched in music as I used to be I think it’s important not to silence people. Music, and especially Hip-Hop, shifts mindsets, and I think that’s why it’s important for us to remember the power that it has. I was a little girl getting influenced by Hip-Hop.

So, I can tell you that 50 doesn’t feel like 50 and I’m sure it doesn’t to Hip-Hop either, because Hip-Hop is still the force for changing and moving the culture that it’s always been. VIBE: With this being the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop and you being one of the OGs of Black women in media, how do you feel about how media has changed since your ascent?Īnanda Lewis: Wow, good question. We spoke with the women about their thoughts on the current state of the culture, Hip-Hop, pivoting, and how they would define the strength of a woman. With the heart of journalism being threatened by new-age technology, Hip-Hop turning 50 and VIBE turning 30, this reunion felt divinely orchestrated. Following Free’s tenure on 106 & Park, she turned to entrepreneurship before returning to her media roots with Amazon Music. A post shared by FREE? leaving her career in broadcasting, Lewis has merged her television and carpentry worlds as host of TLC’s While You Were Out.

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