"All Of Us Have Become So Corporate That People Don't Even Feel Like We're A Part Of [Them]"

Southern rapper David Banner has weighed in on the hype surrounding the current Occupy Wall Street protests and explained why a few celebrities may get shunned for wanting to get involved with the cause.

In Banner's opinion, high profile entertainers do not willingly connect with the people.

"One of my only criticisms of hip-hop right now is that we all -- like everybody -- we can't separate ourselves," he explained in an interview. "All of us have become so corporate that people don't even feel like we're a part of the people, especially rappers and punk rockers. People always felt like we were them. We were their voice...When their children are out there is when it becomes a movement. And I used to fight that and be mad at that, but what we got to understand is, in every movement, even in the '60s, young, white, middle-class people were a major part of the movement. We have to stop separating ourselves." (MTV)

Last week, rap mogul Russell Simmons and Kanye West became involved with Occupy Wall Street.

Eyewitnesses described West and Simmons sitting down and talking with protesters around 2:00 pm, with their bodyguards in tow. Ben Fallah, a protester at the Occupy Wall Street site, tells Billboard, "Largely I felt the response was pretty mixed. Some felt [West and Simmons] were being opportunistic as a means to vault their own celebrity. Though in the case of Kanye West, I don't really think that's necessary." (Billboard)

Following their appearance, Simmons jumped on Twitter and gave props for Ye's involvement.

"This morning I applaud @kanyewest for using his celebrity to help others His appearance yesterday mattered!! #occupywallstreet," he tweeted October 11th.

"Its tough being @kanyewest people were climbing on him. it was a huge security risk but he just kept shaking hands #occupywallstreet." (Russell Simmons' Twitter)

The Wall Street protest has lasted for over an entire month.

For 25 days, hundreds of protesters have loudly opposed corporate greed in New York City and Boston. Occupy Wall Street (OWS) describes itself as a "horizontally organized resistance movement employing the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to restore democracy in America." Democrats and Republicans are taking sides in favor and against the infant movement, making comparisons to the Tea Party. The media is taking hold. There is even an Occupy Sesame Street, which parodies the Wall Street movement, maintaining its own Facebook page and receiving recognition on The Colbert Report and Fox News. (Technorati)