Of the many possible reasons why Britain’s Glastonbury Festival has suffered less-than-stellar ticket sales this year, Oasis vocalist/master shit-talker Noel Gallagher thinks he has the answer. No it’s not the declining economy, wealth of competitor fests or rising gas prices preventing people from traveling from afar — Nope, it’s all Jay-Z’s fault.

“I’m sorry, but Jay-Z? … No chance,” said Gallagher in an interview posted to BBC’s Web site this week. “I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. No way. No. It’s wrong.”

Though this is just a snippet of what Gallagher said, the gist of his argument is all too clear: That hip-hop acts like Jay-Z don’t belong in the traditionally guitar-centric Glastonbury fest.

Readers of Guardian blogger Zoe Williams’ post on the issue respond by saying the problem isn’t with hip-hop, but with Jay-Z, because of his blatant commercialism. Hmmm. I seem to remember seeing Kylie Minogue on the bill in a previous year. She doesn’t play the guitar and she is a U.S. and U.K chart-topping pop singer. Hip-hop acts like Cypress Hill, De La Soul and The Roots have played the fest in the past, but they are at best a notable minority.

In an article published Tuesday in The Independent, festival co-organizer Emily Eavis made a revealing statement about the perceived underlying racism and classicism behind the uproar.

“There is also an interesting undercurrent in the suggestion that a black, U.S. hip-hop artist shouldn’t be playing in front of what many perceive to be a white, middle-class audience,” she said. “I’m not sure what to call it, at least not in public, but this is something that causes me some disquiet.”

Without hanging on every ignorant and subjective word Gallagher spewed, his rant does uncover an interesting truth about the lack of hip-hop at large music festivals in general.

Of course it is impossible to equally represent every single genre of music in the world at a festival like Glastonbury or the upcoming Indio-based Coachella. However, to lack a significant number of hip-hop or traditionally black music is to alienate a large number of people and deny those who aren’t yet fans from discovering new acts.

It just doesn’t make sense, financially or logistically. It is the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, a seemingly all-inclusive title with no mention of anything “rock” that would preclude all other genres.

I would actually argue that there is no popular genre more contemporary than rap or hip-hop. It reached mainstream popularity and acceptance in the 1980s, nearly a decade after electronica. Both Glastonbury and Coachella don’t seem to have a problem with electronic acts: At Coachella, there is an entire tent devoted to the genre. Financially, hip-hop and rap groups are insanely successful worldwide and boast millions of fans. It seems backwards that festival organizers haven’t made more of an effort to embrace the genre.

I usually take pride in that fact that Coachella, Southern California’s biggest music and arts fest, is so inclusive in its lineup. In past years there have been an impressive mix of acts from experimental Icelanders like Sigur Ros to commercial rappers like Kanye West. But this year’s line up is an unfortunate exception. Of the more than 100 bands at Coachella this year, a mere handful could be considered hip-hop or rap. Of those, not one is close to being a headliner. Murs and Aesop Rock receive the highest billing of any hip-hop act. Not exactly Billboard Top 40 regulars.

So, what’s the reason for this trend? In Britain, a lingering racial undercurrent against the U.S.’s most significant cultural export of the past two decades may be to blame, as suggested above. As far as domestically, where the degree to which hip-hop has been embraced across class and race lines is unquestioned, it’s a bit harder to even suggest a reason. Perhaps it is a scheduling issue, or maybe, where Coachella is concerned, they just aren’t interested in performing in the sweltering Palm Desert heat. Even in the hip-hop heavy years, almost all acts were relegated to daytime slots.

Either way I sure would like to know. Sadly, I imagine close-mindedness and a fear of the evolving cultural and musical landscapes are the true culprits.