Rap and the portrayal of race

I feel that rap gives people the ability to express themselves in unique and creative ways. Even though rap music has only gained widespread popularity only in the last few decades, there has been much debate on this topic. People have argued over things from lyrics to racial representation in rap. Mainstream rappers over the decades have mostly been black performers with only marginal representation from other races. The lyrics in a great deal of rap music may be considered offensive to some audiences. One of the bigger issues with lyrics has been the use of "the N-word". I feel that some rap music excessively uses racial lyrics without considering who may be offended by the lyrics. The use of the N-word by mainstream rappers may be hurting the portrayal of blacks in society.