Just as Long Way Down is using the art forms of hip-hop and musical theatre to bring light to the complex social issues of gun violence and poverty, hip-hop and rapping have been used for decades as a way to address social issues and bring them into this subculture and to the mainstream. These articles from BET and Associated Press (AP) respectively do an excellent job of summarizing the decades of work and many individuals who have contributed to using hip-hop as part of a social movement:
