Geraldo Rivera Believes Hip Hop Is More Damaging Than Racism

The reporter says he is saddened by the effects of Hip Hop culture.

Geraldo Rivera made some bold claims in a recent Huffington Post Live segment.

After describing himself as a "militant moderate" Rivera went on to say “Hip Hop has done more damage to black and brown people than racism in the last 10 years."

The Fox News contributor stated that not everybody can be successful in the music industry and urban trends like sagging pants and tattoos prevent young people from having a career in other avenues of life.

Rivera – the recent runner up on Celebrity Apprentice – blamed cultural leaders like Russell Simmons for creating such an outlying lifestyle.

“I love Russell Simmons, he's a dear friend of mine,” Rivera says. “I admire his business acumen. At some point, those guys have to cop to the fact that by encouraging this distinctive culture that is removed from the mainstream, they have encouraged people to be so different from the mainstream that they can't participate other than the racks in the garment center, those entry-level jobs. And I lament it, I really do. I think that it has been really destructive culturally.”