Hip-hop culture and controversy have always made for familiar bedfellows. Yet, in a year when the genre’s sales have tumbled, hip-hop finds itself under an exceptional amount of scrutiny and pressure — and the stakes have never been higher. BET NEWS takes a powerful and compelling look at the state of hip-hop today in a three-part series titled HIP HOP vs. AMERICA. Hosted by BET’s own Toure and Jeff Johnson, this special showcases a candid, heated forum that will allow audiences to hear the opinions of prominent leaders in the hip-hop industry, the political realm, academia and the Black church.

Don’t miss Part two.