The new Rap News, No. 7, came out a couple of days ago (video below). Its not quite my favorite number (I liked 2 and 5 the most; for the whole series best check out the Youtube Channel), but the theme is as always relevant, with many pertinent remarks and a catchy musical bit. In a way Rap News is the paragon of what is best in the so-called new media. It combines an interesting analysis of events, with a significant coverage of wikileaks and other internet related phenomena, in an entertaining and unconventional package, spread via Youtube, and all for what seems a modest budget. Throw in a bunch of tongue-in-cheek references, and boom, Rap News. Interestingly, no connections to mainstream media appear, or are needed for that matter.
To the substance of it, the videos do highlight one of the biggest problems of the 21st century: the degradation of the American Republic (playing it fast and loose with the term). True, one can point to other major players and say that they are no better. But, without going too deep into the matter, they never purported to be "the shining city upon a hill." America many not be perfect, but having it turn into a corporatist plutocracy will benefit no one in the long term.
