Ah, I see Halcyon Days is working on getting banned a second time.
I think you're both right. They are looking for 'characters' more than people. They want 'characters' that are going to act like black, thuggish rappers. It gets ratings and attention.
At the same time, we are talking about a 'rap group' here, not upstanding black citizens. So the entire purpose of the show is predicated towards this and we should expect nothing less.