A new style of music called rap (also called hip-hop) infiltrated my small southern hometown sometime around 1980. I remember playing The Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” on my stereo before and after school, trying to learn the words. I was a 13-year-old cheerleading, crush-on-the-quarterback-having fan of rap music.
The kids I hung around all listened to rappers like The Sugar Hill Gang and Kurtis Blow, including some of the white kids. I’ll never forget how funny the lyrics of The Sugar Hill Gang’s “Apache” sounded coming from a white guy who sat behind me in math class. Imagine someone with a serious southern drawl chanting, “Apache, jump on it!” Toto, we’re not in Harlem anymore!
But that was 27 years ago. The rap music I grew up with began to evolve as people experimented with the genre and pushed it to the extreme. Throughout the 1980s, new styles of music and dance influenced by rap hit the scene, and it all was still innocent, relatively speaking.
Gangsta rap, supposedly only a subgenre of hip-hop, though gangsta rap is what people associate with hip-hop, became popular in the early 90s. I admit that I used to like the in-your-face, aggressive, heavy sound of Public Enemy, but my taste in music had grown up with me, and I left rap behind. In the knick nick of time. (New York Knicks on the brain…)
During the 90s, I first noticed how overtly sexual rap music and videos had become. The “fun” rap associated with my youth was gone for good. The new rap was not just aggressive; it was downright subversive. Admittedly, music that young people like tends to be somewhat subversive to begin with, but gangsta rap broke the mold. It was dangerously subversive…and nasty. One of its defining elements is the nihilistic, gotta-get-mine-don’t-care-if-I-die, fu**-you, murder-you fixation on instant gratification and thuggishness in pursuit of “females,” who are no more than sexual props, objects thugs use in the most degrading way to get off.
Well, that’s my opinion of gangsta rap, anyway. 
There is no way to separate music from culture, so it’s no surprise that gangsta rap is a subculture. If you can stand it, watch a few disgusting gangsta rap videos on Black Entertainment Television (BET), and you’ll see that everything I wrote is true. Don’t take my word for it.
It must be time to air dirty laundry, because PBS is airing a documentary called (Link warning: some images not appropriate for children) “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” (and here) created by a black filmmaker named Byron Hurt. From Reuters:
[Hurt] goes on a journey of discovery around the United States, challenging hip-hop artists and record producers in the multibillion dollar industry…The documentary, due to be aired on national PBS television on Tuesday, has been screened to dozens of audiences of young people and students, said Sabrina Schmidt-Gordon, the film’s co-producer.
Most critics of hip-hop argue that it shows women as sex objects but the documentary focuses on images of hyper-masculine men and says black youths fall into the trap of trying to emulate the thug life of the videos.
“We are hoping to…challenge that narrow, destructive vision of masculine identity particularly for young men and boys that are the faces of hip-hop,” Schmidt-Gordon said in an interview.
“They are the ones who are dying young from gun violence and women are victim of domestic violence. Our communities have most to lose by buying into violence and sexism,” she said.
I’m no shrink or “social scientist,” but in my lay opinion, gangsta rap took root so strongly in the black subculture because so many of its boys are growing up without fathers. No documentary would be complete without at least mentioning the utter instability of families in the black community, and not just in so-called ghettos. It permeates all socioeconomic classes.
Continuing with my amateur assessment, I’d say there’s an important difference between listening to gangsta rap and becoming completely absorbed in the lifestyle. In other words, if suburban kids from intact families are listening to gangsta rap and are tempted to emulate the lifestyle, a father in the home and a strong community may serve as deterring and stabilizing influences.
I missed the first airing of “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” but I’ll catch it this Saturday. I want to know what “hip-hop artists and record producers” have to say. Well, that’s all I have to say on the topic. I look forward to reading your comments about rap, gangsta rap, and the documentary.
By the way, if you allow your children to watch those nasty, vile, disgusting, and degrading videos on BET, black or white, you’re an unfit parent, in my opinion.
Have a nice day! 
Update: Commenter and blogger MK Anderson reminded me that the group 2 Live Crew started rap’s descent into misogyny, noting that “Today’s rap is not creative; it’s just controversial.”
Unrelated Update II: “OMG!” side note — A group of homosexual black men formed a chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a black sorority of which I’m an inactive member. Not that I care about that stuff anymore, but what goes on here?
Good morning, LaShawn,
I totally agree with you on this gangsta/rap thing. However, here is someone in a quasi leadership position who doesn’t. As Dilbert once said, “Don’t step in the Leadership”.
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20050828-
112906-7718r.htm
Comment by Belle — 02.22.07 @ 9:49 am
Alright, here is a better link regarding my above post.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1471131/posts
Comment by Belle — 02.22.07 @ 9:57 am
La Shawn,
Wow, your information on the Gangsta rap is right on. I worked as a police officer in a 60,000+ size municipality with about a 9% minority population, most of that 9% being black.
Gansta rap does not only infect the black population, but it is working its voodoo on the white population also. We see the same thing in alot of white families, i.e. no father figure, or checked out parents, low-income, as we see in the black families. However, over the last five years this culture of women being ho’s, men being players has permeated white/black middle class, and I don’t see an end anytime soon.
So many families are allowing their children to watch hours of the filth that calls itself music on MTV and BET. This influence is terrifying. Go to any mostly white community and check out the High School Basketball or Football game, and the influences will knock you down. Its in the dress, the lingo, and most importantly in the heart of the kids. Where does it come from….well when you have a 1-3% black minority population, you know the influences are coming from the TV.
I pray that it will end, however, most Christians find it a chore to be on their knees for hours a day, or even hours a week. Even that isn’t what I would call a relationship with our heavenly father. I enjoy talking to my children and playing with them many hours a day, so I pray that I can talk to my father in heaven as I ought to. So maybe we can lift each other up in prayer as we pray that our father will change the hearts of our youth, and the adults who fund and get rich from the filth put out as music.
Sorry for the rant, and I’m not sure if I have a point other than recognizing a problem, few people seem to get.
Alex
Comment by Alex Bash — 02.22.07 @ 9:59 am
Excellent post. We must be around the same age because I remember the days when edgy rap was Doug E. Fresh. But don’t forget that early on, 2 Live Crew laid the groundwork for today’s hip-hop misogyny. Today’s rap is not creative; it’s just controversial. Unlike other musical forms, it doesn’t seem to evolve.
Comment by MK Anderson — 02.22.07 @ 10:13 am
I remember a few years ago working out at the local university. They had rap videos going constantly. My main thought was always why do these women need to look like they are ready to have sex at any minute? Why did they want to put themselves in that position to be so used. And how sad that it seemed to be the only way they had any value.
Comment by adamboysmom — 02.22.07 @ 10:23 am
I completely agree with you La Shawn. My church is in a community that is faced with the fatherless children you are describing and we daily attempt to minister to them, but the influence of this rap upon male and female alike is horrific.
I’ve looked into the eyes of a number of these kids and seen complete darkness and is scares me. And I’m not talking teenagers. I’ve heard preteens spill forth vile language and have witnessed terrible sexualized behavior.
Another element to this rap music is the violent video games that encourage the gangster mentality. In fact I think the video games may be worse because the constant playing and acting out of beating up women and violently murdering people only lowers inhibitions. At least that’s my layman experience.
Comment by Hal — 02.22.07 @ 10:35 am
Continuing with my amateur assessment, I’d say there’s an important difference between listening to gangsta rap and becoming completely absorbed in the lifestyle. In other words, if suburban kids from intact families are listening to gangsta rap and are tempted to emulate the lifestyle, a father in the home and a strong community may serve as deterring and stabilizing influences.
By the way, if you allow your children to watch those nasty, vile, disgusting, and degrading videos on BET, black or white, you’re an unfit parent, in my opinion.
I think that you make contradictory statements here. At this point, I don’t restrict my teenage son from watching mainstream rap videos because he rarely watches them, expresses understanding of how ridiculous many of the images are and has shown absolutely no desire to emulate anything about them. And I consider myself an excellent parent. I respect the fact that he prefers looking at videos on BETJ and is more interested in the underground hip hop movement. As long as he continues to be a gentleman, articulate, and takes care of his business in school, I see no need to totally shelter him from ALL negative images put out there. That just serves to make him naive. My influence supersedes all and as a youth, I was exposed to a whole lot worse than he is, yet the influence of a VERY strong father superseded all of those. My peers who came up in extremely restrictive households due to strict religious practice seem to be the very ones who turned out the most trifling.
And I’m glad that you point out how rap originally was since there are those who insist, for whatever reason, that rap has always been and is always bad. And while Public Enemy was hard hitting, it is far from being a gangsta rap group.
Comment by Shade — 02.22.07 @ 10:47 am
…if you allow your children to watch those nasty, vile, disgusting, and degrading videos on BET, black or white, you’re an unfit parent…
Truer words have never been spoken.
Comment by Don — 02.22.07 @ 10:52 am
Before I begin, I want to make sure everybody knows that there is a definite distinction between “gangsta rap” and hip-hop in general. They’re not one and the same. Also, to respond to MK Anderson’s 10:13 comment, rap definitely has evolved…it’s just that the most simplistic and nihilistic forms of it consistently recieve the most airplay.
As a diehard hip-hop fan myself, I staunchly defended rap, all forms of rap, regardless of how base and destructive it might have been. Sure, my tastes had always favored more creative and intellectual artists such as The Roots, Common, and Wu-Tang, but I never saw the big issue with the misogyny and celebrated ignorance present with other hip-hop acts. In my opinion, the artists had no real responsibility, and anyone who allowed themselves to be negatively influenced by a few convincing verses and choruses was an idiot who wasn’t worth the effort to try and save anyway. I felt this way up until around 2003…when I began teaching high school English. In these classrooms (with a 99 percent black population) I finally witnessed first-hand how influential and destructive music and videos could be to the psyches of young people, especially when many of them recieved more attention and “education” from the television than they ever had from their fathers. It’s downright scary how easily a single image or artist or song can influence a young persons self-esteem, world outlook, and general feeling of self-worth, especially when theres no one in the home to consistently combat it.
Of course, the way to begin to solve this issue in the long-term is to have a renewed focus on the black family, marriage, and healthy relationships between men and women. More positive interactions between people will ultimately lead to more positive music, or, at least, more focus on the positive music already out there. My million dollar question(s), though, are what can be done to speed up this process, and is there any short-term solution that doesnt involve a generational paradigm shift? To put it in a less longwinded way, how do we change the thought process of the kids RIGHT NOW? The millions who are being raised by single mothers and BET right at this present moment? What can be done to get to them?
Comment by dyoung — 02.22.07 @ 10:58 am
“you…you got what i need. but you say he’s just a friend, but you say he’s just a friend. oh baby you…”
Comment by thomas — 02.22.07 @ 10:59 am
I’m an atheist, a liberal and a feminist, and I have to say that I am in total agreement with you on this subject. I, too, grew up with early rap (I’m 33 years old), and today’s rap is disgusting.
There is no defending it as art or talent, and while I hate to admit this, my liberal colleagues are the ones defending this mess.
Comment by Kathy — 02.22.07 @ 11:25 am
La Shawn:
I would have to agree that gangsta rap is vile and degrading to women and men.
But I have doubts about the bad effects on children. Black Democrats LOVE to find reasons other than their own incompetent parenting for their childrens’ bad behavior. Rap, violent video games are easy targets.
Bad parenting is a tougher target - as obvopis frp, targeting Bill Cosby and Juan Williams as “insensitive to poor Blacks”.
Unfortunately, there is a price for free speech. Gangsta rap is one of the prices.
Comment by Frank Zavisca — 02.22.07 @ 11:41 am
I recall the incredibly mean attacks suffered by Winton Marsalis when he questioned gangsta rap, calling it a devolution rather than an evolution of music.
The differences between Marsalis and the gangsta “artists” is crystal clear, beginning with the basic detail of Marsalis being an actual musician.
Comment by RedBeard — 02.22.07 @ 11:42 am
Hey La Shawn. Your post brought back a very powerful, and wonderful, memory for me.
When rappers delight came out I was in sixth grade and my best friends were Matthew and Benjamin. They were brothers, and black. I, a white kid, stood with them in the streets outside of the condos we lived in and sang that song countless times…word for word. At one time, in High School, I went to the “Rapper-tron” concert in Nashville and saw Run DMC, Whodini, LL Cool J and whoever else was there. I was the only white guy in the place.
Had a blast. Oh… and I am still known to have a heavy bass thump present as I roll on by.
At the same time I am sick of what some have done to a wonderful, vibrant art form. I am saddened by the lazy “booty, bling and bounce” approach. I don’t get “thug appeal.” To me it’s immature and exploitive.
I didn’t appreciate NWA for their lyrics all the time but what I loved is that they were honest to their message. They used an art form, very well, to get their message across.
and come on … if their music was on… you had to move something in time with the beat.
I want rap to come back to a serious art form and stop being hijacked by the pop machine. That said, even the pop machine can do a better job.
Comment by Randy — 02.22.07 @ 11:45 am
Facts brought out by this film:
Hip hop is a 10 billion dollar a year industry.
70% of mainstream hip hop is consumed by white men.
90% of record labels, tv and radio stations and retailers disseminating hip hop products are white owned.
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/
Comment by Leon — 02.22.07 @ 11:50 am
dyoung:
“Also, to respond to MK Anderson’s 10:13 comment, rap definitely has evolved…it’s just that the most simplistic and nihilistic forms of it consistently receive the most airplay.”
Point taken. I was using generalities about mainstream rap. In fact, I own 2 CDs by The Roots. But even The Roots are not child-friendly with plenty of “MFs” and “Niggas”. That’s where I personally have conflicts. On one hand, I can appreciate their music, but on the other I don’t think it is far removed from the mainstream. I will admit the nihilism is absent from much of their music.
I still don’t think hip-hop has evolved all that much from basic drum machines and rhyming. I haven’t heard any hip-hop that gives me chills because of excellent musicianship–not like B.B. King’s guitar, Billie Holiday’s voice, or Neil Peart’s drums. Maybe it’s too young, but it seems to me it can’t move ahead when it has become nothing more than exploitation of the worst of young culture. Even the equally as exploitive hair rock of the 80s ran its course and rock and roll moved on.
Comment by MK Anderson — 02.22.07 @ 12:06 pm
By the way, if you allow your children to watch those nasty, vile, disgusting, and degrading videos on BET, black or white, you’re an unfit parent, in my opinion.
Amen to that! In my opinion, it’s harmful enough for clear thinking, intelligent adults to spend any time watching such offensive material. I can’t imagine how harmful it must be to youngsters whose heads are being filled with these degrading images and foul lyrics. Oh wait…
If you’re a parent, especially a black parent whose children are most likely to suffer from emulating such garbage, I implore you to do whatever it takes to keep your child’s exposure to this filth to an extreme minimum (if not banishing completely). Otherwise, I agree with La Shawn, your children definitely deserve better.
Comment by Tami Gill — 02.22.07 @ 12:10 pm
This is such a relevant topic. Lashawn, I definitely agree with your opinion about rap taking an ugly turn in the 90’s. I have always listened to some of the more positive artists like a tribe called quest, common, and de la soul and other similar artists because they infused jazz into their music, and had positive messages in their songs. Now I can only name about ten rap acts ( and all of them are considered old school now) that I listen to because I refuse to listen to the radio, and will not be caught dead watching videos of any kind! (Bring back the days of early videos where there were actual interesting visual concepts and storylines)
Frank, you make a very good point about bad parenting. However, questionable parenting also can mean you let your child sit in front of a tv for 6 hrs a day and never discuss any of the negative imagery, or encourage them to read,let alone help them with the homework they should be doing. It’s insane how some people let tv raise their children (with or without a father in the household)and rarely talk to them about anything at all. If you let your children watch, at least be free to have discussions about the content, (like Shade)instead of leaving them alone to hastily interpret the world they see.
Comment by Reshane — 02.22.07 @ 12:13 pm
Ff you get out to Seattle, the Experience Music Project has an exhibit on early hip-hop for a few more months; I caught it in 2005 and couldn’t believe how much the music changed from its roots.
I wonder if part of the appeal of the “gangsta” music and lifestyle is that the people making the music and videos are soooo wealthy and got that way without the drudgery of finishing high school, working a few years at an entry-level job, getting promoted and more education, etc. Similar to the appeal of the lottery–the promise of having all the material and social perks of success without having to earn it a traditional way.
Rap started in a time of massive unemployment throughout America but especially in the big cities; in the past decade or so we’ve been more or less at statistical full employment. The early rappers wanted to get out of the ghettos but didn’t have the opportunities, the contemporary rappers have the opportunities and don’t want them–it links back to doing well in school is “acting white” and doing well on the street is “being black.”
Hrm.
Are there still Christian rappers? I had some tapes back in the day that drove my mother nuts because she hated the musical style but she couldn’t forbid me from listening to Christian music.
Comment by Radish — 02.22.07 @ 12:16 pm
Hip Hop was such a great outlet for us in the late 70’s and most of the 80’s. Rap was an aspect of Hip-Hop that, much like Jazz, we could call our own. We felt like we finally had a unique voice apart from the “ruling class”. Rap was fun, sometimes politically charged, and also a way of passing on familial folk stories set to music.
Today it’s been largely co-opted by the greedy and criminal, and much of it has become a sonic weapon aimed squarely at brainwashing young people who don’t have someone willing and able to turn off the music and teach them that positive things can be empowering too, as well as a weapon of intimidation toward anyone of any ethnicity who might be of a weaker mental/social constitution.
I listen to a lot of old tapes and let today’s positive rappers (the topic doesn’t have to be sweetness and light to be positive; just not encouraging darkness) know when they’ve done a good job.
Rap has become so compromised that just the mention of the word causes some parties to assume evildoing, and that’s a real shame. A group consisting of some of the best rappers I’ve ever heard, Cross Movement, is not only hot on the mic but their lyrics are more theologically sound than many preachers and CCM singers that are touted as wonderful!
Comment by Mark La Roi — 02.22.07 @ 12:47 pm
Keep in mind that even rap artists are tired of what’s going on. Nas’ new album is titled, “Hip Hop is Dead.” MK, on the Roots…a couple of years back they made a video that turned the genre on its’ ears because it mocked every rap video convention (scantily clad women, huge bottles of champagne, luxury cars). They used Pop-Up Video-style captions to mock every scene. It was brilliant. I’ve shot a few rap videos and what’s the most annoying part of it? Waiting for all the members of the ridiculously large entourage to arrive for the “jumping” scene where the artist is just standing and rapping in front of this crowd for no reason other than to “keep it real.”
My problem with the sub-genre of gangsta rap is that it changed the dynamics of youth culture even in a city like Boston. There’s always been rebellion in music created by and for young people. But, some of this stuff is a celebration of nihilism. It’s too dark. Rap music used to be about having fun and partying. Now all some of it does is wallow in stereotypes. It’s a strange contradiction that white suburban kids like it so much. That type of crossover appeal usually creates a bridge between communities. This stuff has created a chasm.
Comment by Angel — 02.22.07 @ 1:06 pm
Airing Dirty Laundry?
La Shawn Barber writes on a PBS documentary on hip hop and gangsta rap: “There’s an important difference between listening to gangsta rap and becoming completely absorbed in the lifestyle.”…
Trackback by Pajamas Media — 02.22.07 @ 1:18 pm
I agree Lashawn especially with the “unfit parent†statement. I am from the days of Motown and the Beatles. I was 13 when the Supremes had their first hit, and the Temptations’ My Girl and the Beatles’ 8 Days a Week went to #1. I never cared much for rap. There was an exception or two, such as Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (Will Smith). Their Parents Just Don’t Understand was amusing. Today’s rap music is vile. I cannot stomach the justifications for it.
Comment by Bev — 02.22.07 @ 1:20 pm
You can’t spell crap without rap.
Comment by Scott — 02.22.07 @ 1:24 pm
Your sarcasm about “Conservative American blogs” is getting old, John. Find a new refrain. - Admin
Comment by JohnD — 02.22.07 @ 1:47 pm
i mean the macaroni’s soggy the peas are mushed and the chicken tastes like wood
Ah, “Rapper’s Delight”!! Sampled to “Good Times” by Chic, one of my favorite bands of the late 70s. (Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards are musical geniuses, BTW!)
Comment by Hube — 02.22.07 @ 1:58 pm
Even mainstream rap isn’t fit for kids. As much as I like the Black Eyed Peas, I can’t listen to them when my daughter(10)is around. And I thought rock lyrics were bad…
Comment by Greg Laurich — 02.22.07 @ 2:07 pm
But even The Roots are not child-friendly with plenty of “MFs†and “Niggasâ€.
But The Roots privides clean versions of its CDs.
And Reshane
Thanks for your comment. Sometimes people make blanket statements with little thought. So because I sit down and view a rap video show with my teenager who has developed an interest in music and we discuss what we see, I am an unfit parent based on their words. Call CPS.
I can say one thing. I’ve learned something from recently watching various rap videos. They are generally not nearly as bad as folks make them out to be.
Comment by Shade — 02.22.07 @ 3:21 pm
i am a hip-hop baby. always will be. do i approve of everything i see and hear? nope. do i hold the artists responsible for what’s on their albums? yup. do i hold them repsonsible for what’s on the radio? nope.
anyone associated with the music industry knows that there are the major labels/radio stations and then there are the artists. the artists who are signed to major deals HAVE to make the music they are told to make. major labels only want hot beats that people can dance to. do not hold the artists totally responsible for the state of hip-hop because much of the blame lies at the feet of the people with the money and what they think will get radio play.
if you take the time and look for (and it requires looking) artists with positive messages, you can find them. the problem is that major labels won’t give them deals. mos def is one of the best lyricists in the game. he can’t get any radio play because he isn’t talking about bitches and hoes, bling and whips. look at the people with the power before shooting the messengers.
as far as the youth go, as an adult with no children, i’m more than a little tired of hearing about how i can’t enjoy grown-up things because your kid might be watching/listening. hip-hop has evolved into a genre more appropriate for those over 16 (over 18 if you’re especially anal). do the images of half-dressed women hurt the development of young black girls? without a doubt, but so does hearing about the exploits of paris, lindsey and britney. i say that to make the larger point that ALL pop culture is damaging to childre. some of it more than others. to single out hip-hop as the MOST damaging is not true and doesn’t help solve anything.
what should be done? nothing. this is a business and like all businesses it will change on its own as tastes change and shift. for my own opinion, i think the positives of hip-hop far outweigh the negatives. young people from poverty can see people just like them owning businesses and being productive members of society. they can see that their future is larger than the block they live on and can relate in a very real way to the american dream.
my final thought is that hip-hop is now primarily consumed by white teens from “solid” middle-class homes. so if they DON’T start acting like fools, does that mean we can all finally stop blaming the music for choices that individuals make? when does personal responsibility enter this picture?
sorry if this rambles and wanders i had a lot of thoughts. my overall thought is that i’m just tired of musicians (and actors and athletes and anybody beside the person who spawned the child) being responsible for raising a child. role models come from within the child’s sphere. so if you like la shawn are really upset by what you consider the effects of rap music on our youth, then you should get up and spend some time with the child you are concerned about and show them why they should make different choices. don’t attempt to destroy the livelihood (and hope) of an entire industry composed of persons who if they didn’t have hip-hop might be standing on the corner scoping you out:) (jokes, just jokes)
Comment by yd — 02.22.07 @ 4:36 pm
Unrelated Update II: “OMG!†side note — A group of homosexual black men formed a chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a black sorority of which I’m an inactive member. Not that I care about that stuff anymore, but what goes on here?
Unbelievable. And at TSU of all places.
Comment by Shade — 02.22.07 @ 4:38 pm
Ummm, Rap has always been about bragging and boasting. What was that line from the Sugar Hill Gang “Hotel Motel Holiday Inn if your girl is acting up ask her friend” that was from the suppose pure good old days.
Every Genre of music as a extremely negative forms within it.
Well, that’s why I qualified my remarks. Early rap, compared to today’s trash, was innocent, relatively speaking. - Admin
Comment by Uncle Ruckus — 02.22.07 @ 5:08 pm
“anyone associated with the music industry knows that there are the major labels/radio stations and then there are the artists. the artists who are signed to major deals HAVE to make the music they are told to make. major labels only want hot beats that people can dance to. do not hold the artists totally responsible for the state of hip-hop because much of the blame lies at the feet of the people with the money and what they think will get radio play.”
~I gotta disagree. I work in the industry and no, you don’t have to do anything your principles stop you from doing. Everything is a choice.
You make some good points in the rest of your comment.
Comment by Mark La Roi — 02.22.07 @ 10:47 pm
La Shawn. I found this post on a message board about your “unrelated update”.
http://www.swacpage.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=1124127&postcount=35
Comment by Shade — 02.22.07 @ 11:22 pm
La Shawn, I think the distinction needs to be made between so called “gangsta” rap and rap in general. All rap is not gangsta rap. Believe it or not there’s a plethora of sub-genres of rap out there spawned by mainstream rap/hip-hop. We hear so much about the fithly hip-hop to which you’re referring because it’s what tops the charts. There are tons of positive and non-profanity spewing rappers out there but the average person non rap music listener never hears about.
At one point in my life after becoming a Christian, I thought all rap was evil and didn’t want to have anything to do with it. It was only a few years ago I stumbled across Christian rap AKA “Holy Hip Hop”. Basically the premise behind it is to spread the gospel using hip-hop as the vehicle to do it. For more info check out ChristianHipHopper.com or CrossMovement.com
Comment by Eddie — 02.23.07 @ 12:59 am
I turned away from this poison about 16 or 17 years ago. This stuff is destroying Black Youth, and Black Culture. It is one of the main reasons why I despise modern Black Culture. I am personally at war with Rap & the Rap lifestyle, and I am always blogging about the subject (Although politics, esp. George Bush & Co. have been keeping me busy, distracted me from my mission quite a bit over the past few months).
And so-called “gangster rap” isn’t a subculture of Hip Hop. It has long been the dominant part of the culture.
This is another case where we actually agree.
However…you were much too soft on Rap and the degenerate gutter culture that it has spawned.
This is one time when I actually want to see the fire-breathing version of LaShawn come out. lol
You seem to bring out your famous vitriol at the wrong time for the wrong topics, lol.
You let me down on this one a little…but it was still a very good read.
And just so you have the proper BET acronym… it stands for Black Exploitation Television…. or Buffoon Entertainment Television. This network should have been removed from the airwaves a long time ago…and the executives should be arrested for domestic terrorism and genocide charges…among other crimes.
I would venture to say that BET and other “Black” entities of its ilk have done more damage to this country and to Black America than the KKK and Al Qaeda combined.
I have been on this topic for the past few days…. two other blogs- BlackProf and TheStateOf (regarding the NBA) both have good topics on this subject.
Comment by The Angry Independent — 02.23.07 @ 1:56 am
Hi La Shawn,
Two points:
“if you allow your children to watch those nasty, vile, disgusting, and degrading videos on BET, black or white, you’re an unfit parent, in my opinion”
Well, I do not believe in “strong hand” applied gto own children. I would say - if your child feel a need to watch those things, you should start questioning your parenting. And possibly talk to your children and try to understand why do they feel this way.
Second - I am not following gangsta rap (not big things here in Australia), yet know Eminem songs quite well. Once again, a sun of irresponsible farther and unfit mother spit his guts out - if someone feel the need to listen to this again and again, he/she is trying to tell you something about your parenting, yet has no guts to tell this directly. _Both_ things are really bad.
Comment by Terry Crane — 02.23.07 @ 8:34 am
It’s disgusting, don’t get me started on the reverse discrimination via the nword
Blacks can say it back and forward let a non black say it and all the sudden it a civil rights violation. As a conservative black female this crap makes me sick. It totally disrespects everything our ancestors went through so we can live the life we have today.
That crap sickens me
Comment by bella — 02.23.07 @ 9:11 am
So you thought it would end with allowing (FORCING) females into *our* male frats? ;o)
SHOCKING. Yeah right.
On another note, Michael Wilbon called the NBA all-star weekend “Black Thanksgiving” because it represents the black culture or somesuch nonsense.
If so, that is a scary proposition, I understand there were tons of arrests and poor behavior.
What is going on there…I don’t get the excuse makers like Dyson et al who alibi for the terrible behavior of people like Pacman Jones.
Comment by benrand — 02.23.07 @ 9:35 am
Wat to also say.
RIP DJ, one hell of a hoops player. I loved those Celts/Lakers games. I see a lot of that DJ magic in Steve Nash, making the impossible plays, passes that come out of nowhere.
Watched a college game the other day, jumper after jumper, clanging off the rim. It was so awful. The NBA is not any better, it’s why I could care less, it’s as sloppy as ice hockey.
Comment by benrand — 02.23.07 @ 9:37 am
As long as opinions are being given, for me, no comment thus far says it better than The A.I. @ #35.
As a lifetime lover of music (and a 30+ years bass player) most of today’s crap is an oxymoron to music. And it’s not just rap passing off as “music”. Head-bangin’ screeching metal made by guitar distortion (so no one can hear any wrong notes let alone any audible lyrics) is equivelant “crap”. None of this junk has any melodies, much less a bridge, to give what real music needs, dynamics. Just screamin’ or talkin’ into a mic to the thud of a rhythm section.
For me, no one has given us a greater heritage of rich music than the Black culture. Blues, jazz, soul, R&B, beautiful soulful harmonies, etc. etc……………yeah! Now, that’s mostly a memory.
So, folks my age listen either to the oldies or jazz stations and, drive around with our windows rolled up.
My opinion - out.
Comment by Dave in AZ — 02.23.07 @ 11:50 am
This discussion portrays “gangsta-rap” as a sub-genre of hip-hop. Maybe it used to be but it isn’t anymore. Have you seen the kinds of “songs” that are winning awards? Garbage!
I had an interesting conversation a couple of years ago with a group of co-workers of varying races and ages and was firmly told that Will Smith, whom my 14-year-old son likes to listen to, is not a rap artist. Imagine my surprise, remembering the days of the Fresh Prince! When I asked what he was, they said “entertainment”. So in their minds, it’s not rap if it’s not filthy. My eldest son, now almost 21, went through a hard-core rap phase in high school (not allowed in my house). It really is appalling - thank goodness he grew out of it.
Although I’m a classical/jazz person myself (and the old late-70s, early 80s rock), I heartily approve of Will Smith and his music. Very clean and family oriented, as are most of his movies.
Unfortunately, “clean” doesn’t sell.
Comment by Lorraine — 02.23.07 @ 1:27 pm
Lorraine,
I have to disagree with you. Clean does sell. Wal-Mart controls one-third of the music distribution in this country. They will not stock anything explicit. Viacom has controlled BET for the past three years, by the way. I don’t like the content, but “market demand” and all that. BET does have Gospel and Jazz programming, by the way.
Comment by Angel — 02.23.07 @ 7:08 pm
I’ve heard it said that Will Smith would be considered an hip hop artist more than a rap artist.
I remember when Bill Cosby decided to make the Cosby Show. It was after television was bombarded with violent shows such as: Charlie’s Angels, The A-Team, and many others but in addition to those, The Simpson’s (which outlived many many sitcoms). I always believed he wanted the television viewing audience (the youth back then) to have a choice — a better choice, but at least choices. Yet here we are years later, bombarded with more hideous images of violence and sexuality in the media (books too) because it sells. Money. Money. Money. Money. BET and MTV have the same crass shows and commercials. Perhaps if the voices of grandparents and great grandparents who found the music of the 60’s and 70’s had been heard, the rap and rock we hear today would not exist. Or even before then, the blues caught
But in defense of single mothers, I know of three women who raised sons without the assistance of welfare or a father in the home. All three males are black. One graduated Duke University and has started his own business, the other is a Marine and the last is graduating high school this year with a bright future. Perhaps I can find a way to bring those three ladies together and have them write a book, not just for single parents but for two parent homes as well. Because the bottom line is, if you’re not raising / loving / disciplining / praying with and for / teaching and talking to your child you’re not doing your job as a parent(s). There’s more to raising a child than having two adult bodies in a home.
Comment by Lazarus — 02.24.07 @ 12:53 pm
#43
“The A-Team”?
Does not compute!
Comment by JohnD — 02.25.07 @ 5:32 am
I grew up on the black side of my city, so I’ve seen the effects hip hop has on black kids. It disgusts me, because this is a genre (’subgenre’ if I must be PC, though I’m another who isn’t a fan of even the mainstream stuff) that depends upon the continued failure of its fans in order to be successful. You’re not going to identify with 50 Cent if you are running your own business.
It’s a conversation I had many times with my husband when he was in the Navy. There were plenty of lower-enlisted black men blaring rap music, but not a single black chief or officer. A very clear class divide. Likewise I personally know of no successful black people who embrace the ‘music’–it is solely the purview of the lower classes and white liberals who think they’re supporting African American Culture.
One last thing…If Eminem is what passes for mainstream, acceptable rap music, then I officially give up. I’ll huddle over here in the corner with my Cowboy Troy cd and whimper.
Comment by Sabra — 02.25.07 @ 11:55 am
Sabra, you’ve hit on the core issue, I think. Crude music is the property of crude people, regardless of color.
As for Eminem, he is one of the world’s great mysteries, one of the poster children for this degeneration of music. He’s a rude, crude, obnoxious, offensive slug with no discernable talent other than demonstrating a lousy attitude in public, but he has become rich and famous. I don’t get it. And I’m GLAD I don’t get it.
Comment by redbeard — 02.27.07 @ 7:32 am
I really hate to say it, but you’re right LaShawn…
Back in the day, I loved hip hop and still do for the most part. Back when they used to dance in the videos, Heavy D, Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy, old school LL Cool J etc etc…I loved that era of the genre.
I just cant justify most of these guys’ music anymore. The old cats are either gone or trying to be like the new guys. Its a sad case. The thing is, as the actual production and music sound better, the lyrics have gotten worse!
I caught myself watching “Richboy” today, “just bought a cadillac”…hot beat, all about buying a cadillac and hooking it up. Nothing wrong with that and I love Cadillacs, but why is the video full of half-naked women? Just sad…
Today its all about drug money, getting more money, getting with as many girls as possible…
I love the entrepreneurship and business acumen of some of them, but I cant stand alot of what they’re saying today.
Comment by lukeNC — 02.27.07 @ 8:08 am
I would like to know what happened to R&B overall? What is being called R&B to me is just a slow song or a song that could pass for rap.
Music overall now days is sad. I totally agree with Dave in AZ. Most of it is crap. I think however, it all is just a portion of the entertainment industry overall. I mean, really think about it, what popular entertainment today is not overtly sexual, violent, witchcraft or denomic nowdays.
It is next to impossible to sit down a watch a family movie today with your kids. If you find one, you have to contend with the advertisments. I am so sick of seeing ads for “male enhancement” until it makes me long for the days of female hygiene ads. LOL!!!!
Comment by Alexander — 02.27.07 @ 2:00 pm
I think your amateur analysis is pretty spot-on, La Shawn, as usual. And as some other commentators have said, it isn’t just effecting the so called “black” gangsta sub-culture, but many others as well.
Interestingly enough, I recently came across my ex-fiancees kids MySpace sites. Since I like to stay in touch with them, I added them as friends, or whatever they call it.
Her 14 year old daughter said that she is 17, her 11 year old son states that he is 14. He has links to gangsta rap videos, and images with curse words all over it. She has pictures that make her seem much older and give a clear idea what she is looking for.
I sent a message to their mother (my ex) and she said she’s spoken to them a number of times. I also sent a message to their older brother, just stating I’m a little worried. His page has his accurate age.
I get a condescending lecture back from him about how different generations open new doors, including ones that other generations wouldn’t dare open. Now what that has to do with lying about your age, I don’t quite see. Every generation has done that, and for all the similar reasons.
Now, as La Shawn said, there is a certain lure toward subversive music when you are young (I felt that as well) and each generation does push the envelope.
But, I have had too many friends my age that have become grandparents to their 15 and 16 year old daughters children. And the teenager daughters (and the grandchild’s fathers) aren’t very responsible in taking care of their children. And I can see my ex becoming a grandmother someday soon very easy, but I’m dismissed with my concerns.
There isn’t anything else I can do, but it’s nice to see that some people (La Shawn and some of the commenters) at least see some of the same negative behavior that I do.
Comment by Richard — 02.27.07 @ 2:50 pm
Gangster rap USED to be a subculture but now it’s very mainstream. Eminem, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent are pop music. They’re not limited to BET, they’re on MTV and VH1. They’re Top 40 music. It’s sad but that’s the state of things.
Comment by SolShine7 — 02.28.07 @ 11:08 am
“B.E.T.” … a representation of Black America that has done more harm to Black folks than any of the white networks combined… erasing years of progress in the Black Community… As they say, it it the one closest to you that can do the most harm, like family, we are more easily seduced to degradation by BET… we have embraced a network heavily contributing to our own demise.
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In response to Post # 7. Comment by Shade 02.22.07 @ 10:47 am, who wrote:
… I dont restrict my teenage son from watching mainstream rap videos because he rarely watches them, expresses understanding of how ridiculous many of the images are and has shown absolutely no desire to emulate anything about them. And I consider myself an excellent parent. I respect the fact that he prefers looking at videos on BETJ and is more interested in the underground hip hop movement. As long as he continues to be a gentleman, articulate, and takes care of his business in school, I see no need to totally shelter him from ALL negative images put out there. … My peers who came up in extremely restrictive households due to strict religious practice seem to be the very ones who turned out the most trifling.
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This is rhetoric that works for few people… there will always be segments of population that resists role models of celebrity, fashion, sports, and the entertainment world…, but there seems to be a large segment of young people who model their entire lives after rap culture… self-mutilating their looks, their teeth, their bodies, and their future, in the name of being hip.
I didn’t allow my kids to watch BET, and it wasn’t about being naive or sheltering them from the world, because, that, we can never do, as the influences of this life & this world are too powerful, too prevalent…. but as parents we can raise our children to think for themselves, to understand “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”, and to take a stand against what harms the masses, against what may harm their own people. … but when parents are indifferent, it sets a tone for the future generations of parents to be indifferent…. so I ask you, Shade, what if your son turns out alright, but your grandson embraces this craziness and is in & out of jail… your indifference may have mattered, even in the next generations.
Comment by Keith — 02.28.07 @ 9:59 pm