“This issue is dedicated to exploring the Commercialization of Hip-Hop. We wanted to find out what people think about how Hip-Hop has changed and where it is going. Have the roots of hip-hop been lost? Have the original purposes and values of Hip-Hop been distorted by “bling bling,” “video chicks”, and “thug life”? Have the graffiti writers and b-boys/girls been deemed relics of Hip-Hop’s history that archeologists will someday rediscover?” - Miesha Lowery. Editor-In-Chief