One of the main differences between hip-hop street and cyber societies is the way it is used to frame legitimacy and authenticity. Although there are a variety of views on the role of whites in hip-hop, it is generally agreed that they have to prove themselves more. Because of the historical appropriation of black musical and cultural forms, whites, and most particularly, wealthy whites, are treated with great skepticism (The distinctions between race and class on the internet are greatly altered by the fact that this community is being constructed on a medium that presumes technological access. The white man has a tendency to exercise race privilege by jumping get on the black bandwagon to be "cool" and then leaving it when ever it suites him. Thus, many black hip-hop headz, who are most often raised relating to hip-hop and other black cultural forms, try to guard their cultural integrity by requiring Caucasian fans to prove a higher degree of dedication. Because of this, when one examines hip-hop racial dynamics in the urban environment , one often finds that whites are repeatedly tested on their hip-hop knowledge and loyalty. They are questioned on their background and must earn a peer acceptance into the predominately black culture. On the internet, however, race is not the initial factor for determining one's legitimacy. Because the screen allows for members to participate without disclosing their race, different dynamics develop. The most major of these differences is that rather than entering the community as an obvious outsider who has to earn respect, a white rap fan can enter on an equal status without being confronted on his race. This makes for a much more inviting environment for newcomers.

This easy entrance into the internet newgroups does not however mean automatic acceptance. Much like other cyber and non-cyber societies, there are different social values and hierarchies constructed in this space that help to determine the "true headz" from the "fronts" . But because they cannot be initially based on race and its cultural stereotypes that go along with it, instead they are based primarily on knowledge of rap groups and history. I believe this type of knowledge is valued in any type of hip-hop community, but since it is the only part of hip-hop that can be really be expressed on the internet, it becomes the core tool for judging others' hip-hop status. Thus, those who know only the most commercial artists or who do not have a sense of rap's historical and cultural significance are continually discredited as not belonging to the hip-hop community. It is at this point that race reenters the picture because when people are being "flamed" for their lack of knowledge, many times the race of the writer is called into question. Their lack of knowledge is assumed to be a result of their recent (read commercial) draw into hip-hop which in turn assumes they were not raised within the community that creates rap. References to whiteness, wealth, and suburban lifestyles are common in criticisms and are used to stress the writer's role as an outsider. Thus, the use of race functions not as initial exclusionary factor but as a later disqualifier.

Although I have presented many of the racial relations on the internet as relatively unimportant, the fact that race is brought up to discredit headz does suggest a relationship between street and cyber societies that needs exploration. I have seen several instances in which black headz call out for other blacks to identify themselves and there are always two or more threads on race issues going at one time. Despite the internet's potential to operate blind, these references to race repeatedly remind the member of the physical body that is at the core of hip-hop's expressions. Thus, although the medium of the newsgroups de-emphasizes a members racial identity and increases accessibility for white rap fans, the internet community's repeated debate over white claims to hip-hop show that a colorless computer screen cannot make the politics of hip-hop irrelevant. This tension between technology and the body is made even more obvious when we examine the other dimensions of the hip-hop body that the internet obscures. For even if these newsgroups do change the role of race in relation to identification and hip-hop dedication, it still serves a purpose of grounding these groups in street hip-hop's physical body.

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