I will admit that I'm not a huge fan of baseball. I was when I was younger (Ken Griffey Jr. was my favorite player back then), but as I got older, basketball and football were the only sports that I tended to pay a great deal of attention to. However, I was very pleased when I heard that Ludacris (along with a "special guest") would be performing during the Civil Rights Game Week that the MLB will have in May.

This pleased me for two reasons: 1) that the MLB is putting this on (I'm not sure if this is the first year or not; like I said I'm not that big on baseball) and 2) that Ludacris has agreed to be a part of this. Ludacris, on several occasions, has tried to prove that hip hop takes interest in serious issues and is much more than what it has been made out to be by many of its detractors. So, when I saw the news about this, I wasn't surprised, but I was happy that hip hop will be a representative of such recognition.

This story may not get posted all over the internet and Ludacris will probably get more praise for his next business venture that he will for this performance, so I felt it was important to at least put it on here. Our artists are never acknowledged for being a part of something of substance. There could be a million reasons why, but it doesn't make it any better. I want to acknowledge Ludacris for his continued efforts to represent hip hop and all of its many facets and thank him for being involved in the MLB's acknowledgement of the struggle that so many went through so that the athletes and entertainers of today could succeed. Let's hope not only that hip hop becomes more involved in these type of activities (meaning any sort of recognition of an important/worthy cause), but that we also do a better job of documenting their involvement.

To see the full story, you can visit AllHipHop.com for details. Let me know what you think about this. Tell us about other causes people in hip hop are supporting. Leave your comments below and you can always send e-mails to straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.

Peace.