Paging Mr. Palumbo

From the latest issue of the Journal of Popular Culture:

"Based on what we found, we argue that the success of white rappers depends, at least in some part, on their ability to make their audience believe that they have lived through the experiences about which they rap and really believe in the messages put forth in their music. The industry and the audiences accept those talented rappers who are able to do this. Those who are unable to do this, or who lie about their past, are not accepted and quickly disappear."
-- PAUL J. OLSON AND BENNIE SHOBE, Jr., "White Rappers and Black Epistemology," Journal of Popular Culture Vol. 41, No. 6 (December 2008), pp. 994-1011