Gang affiliation has become so popular in hip-hop and the rappers that are associated with it have made it so appealing to their fans around the world. Whether you mention Snoop Dogg, The Game, or YG they all played apart in making it so popular within hip hop music. It has become cool and fashionable to say you are a Blood, Crip, GD, or Vicelord. Is it necessarily a bad thing?  Some would yes, but i disagree as long as it is not influencing or pushing any type of violence it’s ok because gangs are tribes. In America gangs have been around for as long as I can remember whether in government, politics, corporate, or on a street level it has existed. Rappers that are gang affiliated can either have a positive or negative effect on hip hop based on the message they are pushing and their intentions.
Many will make the case that gangs have engraved violence into the hip hop culture. They may even argue that gangs have created a hostile environment of law-breaking listeners. But the truth of the matter is there is a bigger issue that’s driving the violence and just because your favorite rapper is a gang member doesn’t take away that they are a talented individual who are trying to make a better way for themselves away from the streets.