Steve Harvey says rap music needs to quit degrading women

Comedian, entertainer and radio talk show host Steve Harvey recently told MTV News in an interview that while he respects rap music for its potential, he feels the lyrics need to treat women better.

MTV News reported that Harvey applauded hip-hop music for uniting people of all economic backgrounds and said, “Hip-hop is a beautiful thing. I think that the music genre itself has created more millionaires than any other music genre before it, especially in our community.”

But the praise stopped there. Harvey said with the rise in popularity amongst young audiences for rappers like Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and Ludacris, “we have a greater responsibility” to guard the ears of our future generation.

He went on to suggest that the rappers themselves should apply the words they rap to their mothers, sisters and daughters and see if they could better understand the impact they may have.

Harvey is best known for his comedic performances, in addition to a public divorce from ex-wife Mary Harvey in 2005. The couple had one son together, Broderick.