Ganster Rap And Violence Essay, Research Paper

Ganster blame and force go manus in manus by John Beddows

Gangsta Rap and Violence Go Hand in Hand & # 8220 ; Mr. Officer, I want to see you layin & # 8217 ; in a casket, sir, & # 8221 ; from The Chronic and & # 8220 ; F & # 8212 ; the constabulary, & # 8221 ; from N.W.A. , are few wordss from the music genre & # 8220 ; gangsta rap. & # 8221 ; This sort of music is being sold to immature kids without any idea of concern. When many kids listen to this sort of music they think that was being said in the vocals is non incorrect or against the jurisprudence. The wordss in many vocals contain violent and expressed wordss that normally talk about killing person along with sounds of gunfires in the background. It is besides music that refers to adult females as & # 8220 ; bitches, & # 8221 ; & # 8220 ; whores & # 8221 ; and sex-dispensing & # 8220 ; hos & # 8221 ; ( Saunders B29 ) . & # 8220 ; Gangsta blame & # 8221 ; has been criticized and debated over for its in writing sexual content, violent imagination and misogynism.

When rappers were asked why they refer to adult females as bitches and hos their answers were similar. & # 8220 ; Snoop & # 8221 ; says, & # 8220 ; that it is merely for the adult females who are like that and if you & # 8217 ; re a existent adult females, you & # 8217 ; re classy and elegant. Those wordss wouldn t needfully affect you. You d merely groove to the music & # 8221 ; ( Farley 78 ) . Richard Shaw, Bushwick Bill, says: & # 8220 ; I call adult females bitches and Ho because all the adult females I & # 8217 ; ve met since I & # 8217 ; ve been out here are bitches and hos. & # 8221 ; When asked, at the [ National Association of Black Journalists ] convention, what he calls his female parent he says, & # 8220 ; I call her a & # 8216 ; adult female & # 8217 ; , but I & # 8217 ; m non f & # 8212 ; ing my female parent. If I was f & # 8212 ; ing you, you & # 8217 ; vitamin D be a bitch. & # 8221 ; He so apologized for what he said to the newsman. ( Raspberry A21 ) & # 8220 ; If you don & # 8217 ; t give a degree Fahrenheit & # 8212 ; about a bitch/ Then you & # 8217 ; re turn overing with the row & # 8221 ; , are wordss from Doggystyle. If all people were to believe like this what regard would adult females hold. Some say, & # 8220 ; if we don & # 8217 ; Ts have regard for our adult females, why should anyone else? & # 8221 ; ( Raspberry A21 ) . Make these rappers think that they own adult females and can handle them any manner they want to. If this is the manner some people think, that the ain adult females and can dis esteem them so what footfalls are the kids traveling to follow in. Young kids and grownups, 14, 15 and 16 old ages of age, who listen and memorise these rap vocals think that it is acceptable behaviour. & # 8220 ; Gangsta blame & # 8221 ; is barely the lone beginning of force, but it is a powerful one. Not merely is the music violent but the rappers lifestyle is besides. Many rappers have rap sheets and immature people see that and state, & # 8220 ; hey, their rich and money talks. & # 8221 ; Today most immature people think that if a individual is rich and celebrated they can acquire away with anything. Not all rappers have quarrels with the jurisprudence, but the 1s that do are really good known. Tupac Shakur, who late was murdered this twelvemonth, has had many quarrels with the jurisprudence. Shakur was arrested for aggravated assault, charged with hiting two off responsibility constabulary officers in Atlanta in 1993, but the charges were subsequently dropped. He was accused of crushing a limousine driver in Los Angeles and found guilty of endangering a fellow rapper with a baseball chiropteran in Michigan. He was besides found guilty of sexual maltreatment in 1994 and was functioning clip up to 4 + old ages in prison ( Sims E3 ) . In some blames he glamorized the life of a mobster and merriment gunfight. He lived the life tattooed on his tummy, & # 8220 ; Thug Life, & # 8221 ; and died making it. Gangsta Rap & # 8221 ; has attracted a high-profile of enemies and no 1 may of all time cognize who truly killed Tupak. The constabulary are still non certain of who shot and killed Tupak, but they think that it may hold been linked to Death Row Record & # 8217 ; s ties with rival packs. There are no informants who can place the driver or taw in the Cadillac that pulled up following to Tupak and driver, Marion Knight. Calvin Broadus, better known as Snoop Doggy Dogg, was arrested in 1993 on murder-conspiracy charges. He pleaded non guilty and was acquitted. He besides has a constabulary file that Hawkins 3 identifies him as a member of Long Beach Insane Crips, a ill-famed street pack ( Cheevers A1 ) . He was besides a drug trader and user. His music besides glorifies force and demeans adult females. Andre Young, a.k.a. Dr. Dre, served five months in a halfway house in 1993 for go againsting his probation for interrupting another blame manufacturers jaw in 1992. He was besides convicted of hitting a New Orleans police officer in a hotel bash and of banging a Television talk-show host into a wall at a Hollywood nine in 1991 ( Sims E3 ) . His music demeans adult females and generates bad vibraphones against constabulary functionaries. The Chronic, an album by Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg, has many expressed wordss and unneeded foulmouthing. In one vocal they say, & # 8220 ; that if f & # 8212 ; with Dre you f & # 8212 ; with decease row & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; , more or less stating that if anyone messes with them they will hold to worry about everyone that is with Death Row Records. In the same vocal they tell a adult female, mentioning to her as a bitch, to yell-187 ( police codification for person that has been killed ) . In another vocal they ask anther black adult male why he has been speaking dirt about them, he says it was non he. Then they put a gun in his oral cavity inquiring him, & # 8220 ; what & # 8217 ; s incorrect can & # 8217 ; t speak with a gun in your oral cavity? & # 8230 ; Do you cognize Lucifer? & # 8221 ; , he replies, & # 8221 ; no & # 8221 ; , and they tell him, & # 8220 ; good you & # 8217 ; re about to run into him & # 8221 ; ( Rap ) . All of the vocals on this album contain foulmouth linguistic communication, violent and sexually expressed wordss, drugs and misogynism. Is this the sort of music that immature kids should be able to listen to? William Drayton, Flavor Flav of the group Public Enemy, was arrested for attempted slaying. The constabulary were lead to his place after a beginning told them that shootings were fired at a neighbour during an statement. The constabulary found a laden 38-caliber semiautomatic pistol with one unit of ammunition losing. His music besides glorifies force. Hawkins 4 Eric Wright, known as Easy-E, has besides generated bad vibraphones against constabulary functionaries. This album He died at 31 old ages of age after uncovering that he had the virus AIDS. From his deathbed he urged immature people to larn about the disease. His music besides talked about holding the life style of being promiscuous and that life style killed him. All of these rappers criminal records depict their life styles. They say that their music depicts the rough world of life in the goon. To these rappers, people deceasing immature and traveling to imprison is an mundane thing ( Marriott 75 ) . Tupak says that force is all we know and stating it like it is is a manner of acquiring the people to listen to what is truly traveling on. Ice-T & # 8217 ; s controversial album Body Count, produced by Warner Bros. Records, had provoked a crisp argument in 1992 when the album foremost came out. The vocal & # 8220 ; Cop Killer, & # 8221 ; with obscene and violent wordss, forced Time Warner to halt selling the album with the vocal on it. The wordss on the vocal said it was dedicated to the L.A.P.D. It besides talked about & # 8220 ; dusting some bulls off, & # 8221 ; with sounds of gun fire he so asks the hearer to sing along for their freedom- & # 8221 ; cop killer & # 8221 ; ( Ice Body ) . & # 8220 ; Cop Killer & # 8221 ; is non the on vocal on the album that glorifies force. Even though the vocal was cut from the album the other vocals on it were merely as bad. Another vocal negotiations about killing his female parent by puting her on fire, hitting her with a & # 8220 ; louieville slugger & # 8221 ; and so cutting her up with a carving knife, all because she was racialist. Is this world and was is truly traveling on in the universe today? In other vocals the wordss talk about being promiscuous ( giving really expressed sex wordss ) and yet the album was still being sold to immature kids. Foulmouthed rubbish like this has been debated on whether or non it should be censored. Many think it should and are seeking to make something about. Delores Tucker denounced Hawkins 5 companies that & # 8220 ; pimped porno blame & # 8221 ; to kids. She asks, & # 8220 ; What would Martin Luther King say about these rappers that demean adult females and laud hoods, drug traders and rapers? & # 8221 ; , and & # 8220 ; What sort of function theoretical accounts are those for immature kids populating in the ghetto? & # 8221 ; ( Philips A18 ) . U.S. Representative Cardiss Collins, a presidents of the congressional panel, complained that little was being done by the industry executive to cut out vulgar and violent wordss. She said that & # 8220 ; a spine is non adequate & # 8221 ; ( Congesswomen 7 ) . Some censoring has been incorporated in the wireless industry. Inner City Broadcasting has put a halt to playing hard-core blame and other misogynistic and violent blame. It hopes to be a theoretical account for other wireless Stationss to follow ( Cleaning 22 ) . Most radio Stationss now do non let that sort of music on the air. Even though the wireless has stopped playing hard-core blame, record companies are still bring forthing this sort of music. Death Row Records, the top manufacturer of blame music, has been under a batch of fire non merely by Dolores Tucker, but by Bob Dole and others besides. Death Row Records has late had its ain wake-up call. The companies CEO, Marion & # 8220 ; Suge & # 8221 ; Knight, has late been arrested for violated his probation and is in gaol. He was charged with assault with a deathly arm in 1992 and was sentenced to five old ages probation plus 30 yearss in a halfway house. A hearing subsequently will make up one’s mind on what sort of sentence he will have. Knight could confront up to five to nine old ages in prison if convicted. The company may endure a great loss because no concern actions or even phone calls are allowed from prison. Before he began his luck as CEO he was an All-American defensive terminal and was on the dean & # 8217 ; s list at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He the played pro-football for the Los Angeles Rams but subsequently quit to go a concert booster. Soon Hawkins 6 after this his quarrels with the jurisprudence started with his apprehension for trafficking guns. After other quarrels with the jurisprudence Knight began entering & # 8220 ; The Chronic, & # 8221 ; which refers or a type of marihuana, with Dr. Dre. He so was approached by Interscope Records, who wanted him to bring forth records. He negotiated a $ 10 million trade to get down up Death Row Records ( Cheevers A1 ) . Now Death Row Records is known as the lone label that can make whatever they want. To some hearers Death Row & # 8217 ; s music is powerful and is besides world, but to others their music celebrates drugs, liquidators and misogynism. The FBI says that this blame label has ties to packs and drugs. They are still seeking to find wether the company was involved in cocaine-trafficking, money laundering and racketeering ( Leeds B1 ) . The FBI has been look intoing Death Row Records and the single members. Death Row Records is non the lone record company to advance blame, Time Warner has besides been bring forthing blame records. Time Warner has pledged to make something about obscene and rude wordss in blame music. The new president of Warner Music Group, Michael J. Fuchs, was asked to speak with critics of blame wordss and to work with other record companies to come up with some ordinances for warning labels ( Landler D2 ) . Warning labels have been placed on albums with provocative wordss, but these warnings do little to forestall the wordss from making kids. The president and main executive claims that & # 8220 ; music is non the cause of society & # 8217 ; s ills. & # 8221 ; That may be true but do they hold an influence on the people that listen to the music. Many say yes and many say no. An experiment done by James D. Johnson shows that violent blame tends to perpetuate the credence of the usage of force and an anti-education mentality. He thinks that this sort of music should hold some ordinance. He refers to knap music being like nicotine- it is habit-forming ; it is mood Hawkynss 7 neutering and it is available with some strains ( Raspberry, & # 8220 ; Does & # 8221 ; A27 ) . A individual has to be 18 old ages old to purchase coffin nails, rent X-rated films, or acquire into a strip bar/nightclub and has to be 21 old ages old to imbibe or purchase intoxicant. There are age bounds on these things that can jeopardize immature people and there should besides be a age bound on purchasing Al

bums with explicit lyrics on them. Even though there is a warning label on the albums young children can still buy them because there is no law to prohibit sale. There are a lot of people who agree something should be done about the explicit lyrics on albums. Stanley Crouch, a music critic and writer, says that rappers are “a bunch of opportunists who are appealing to an appetite that America has for vulgarity, violence and anarchy inside Afro America” (Sims 3). Kevin Powell, a writer for Vibe magazine, believes that rap music is a legitimate art form, but thinks that the genre has gone too far and the music industry is to blame for not exercising some degree of control (Sims 3). He also thinks that it has made black children think that being hard is the definition for being black in the 1990’s. There are many people who feel this way, but many rappers and defenders of rap disagree. Most rappers do not think that their music causes violence and that they have no influence on their listeners. Before Easy-E died his lawyer read a letter from the rapper that said, “anyone could get AIDS, that it does not discriminate” (Marriot 74). After the letter was read the Minority AIDS Project in South-Central Los Angeles reported a 80 percent increase in requests for AIDS testing. This was more of an increase than when Magic Johnson made his announcement (Marriot 74). His influence was seen in warning people about the AIDS virus just as Magic did when he found out he had HIV. “Snoop” says that he hopes that listeners will see that any black man out Hawkins 8 of the ghetto can do something positive with his life if he is dedicated (Farley 78). He also says that if parents were as strict as his that there would not be as much violence nowadays, yet he was in a gang, a drug dealer and user and he arrested for murder-conspiracy charges. Rapper Juice, half of the duo of Juice with Soul, says that listeners should realize that these rappers do not hang around the hard street life, they go home to their fancy cars and houses. Another rapper, Masta Ace, agreed with Juice, say that listeners should realize that rappers are creating characters to sell records. Biz Markie says that critics take it to seriously and it is strictly entertainment (Marriott, “Hard-core” A1+). Joseph Simmons, known as Run of Run D.M.C., says that he has seen a rise in disrespect to women lately. But he thinks that it has more to do with the parents rather than the rappers. M.C. Lyte, a pioneer among female rappers agrees that parents need to take more responsibility for how their children act and behave. She also thinks that rap should not be the blame for what young people are doing today because movies also show violence, rapes, and people being killed (Marroitt, “Hard-core” A1+). Russell Simmons, CEO of Def Jam Recordings, says that no truly in-touch person believes that the state of society is the result of rap music. He goes on to say that each type of music that comes later seems more violent than before. There was a time when everyone thought that rock and roll was the “devils’ music”. He says that many of these songs are like horror films and cannot be taken literally (Proffitt M2). He also points out the good views of rap–that it is so diverse and there is a lot of positive messages in the songs. Simmons thinks that rap is just expressing the outrage of there community. His most important point would be that when kids in Beverly Hills Hawkins 9 listen to rap they will know a little bit better how the kids in the ghettos think (Profitt M3). Other rap experts point out the genre turning points. In the 1990’s the messages about black empowerment that started national slogans and the wearing of African pride medallions were replaced by messages of drug selling and survival in inner-city neighborhoods. The marketing strategy of the record companies began to promote label with images of black swaggering men carrying guns and drinking beer. This resulted the new “gangsta” look. This made young rappers that were hungry for fame and fortune take on the look of being thugs themselves. The move of raps’ homeland, New York, to the West Coast caused a dramatic change to the sound. People tend to miss the true skill rather that all the violence and how many people that get killed. Rap’s image is being tainted by all the scandals of the top rappers shakled in the courtrooms. The inspiration and energy from rap reflects what goes on in the streets and in black life in America (Williams B1+). Maxine Waters also agrees that “gansta rap” is a new art form to describe the pains, fear and frustations that young people express to adults. She also thinks that just because some people do not like the way the rappers use lyrics should not be a cause for censorship (Jet 7). A professor of black studies thinks that many rappers have distorted what black life really is and that white record companies are eager to sell black stereotypes. Rappers have distorted and divided black life and tried to incorporate it into street life. Now people are doing what they hear and they want to shoot people and be rich (Marroitt, “Hard-core” A1+). If this is true should not there be a warning label prohibiting sale to minors. Rap music that pimps pornography and violence to young children and that has messages of violence should have some kind of censorship. Defenders of rap say that censorship is taking Hawkins 10 away their right to free speech stated in The First Amendment. The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances”(McNally 29). Censoring music would be taking the right of free speech away. Most of the lyrics are protected by The First Amendment and cannot be censored on the albums or records. Censorship has been made in the radio industry so that the songs with explicit lyrics cannot be heard. Even though these rappers say that they are reflecting what really happen on the streets rappers before them do not have these explicit lyrics in their messages. Rappers such as Afrika Bambataa, Kurtis Blow, MC Shan and the Fat Boys used music for fun and release to show good-hearted territorial rivals. Now it is about guns, treating women like trash and drinking malt liquor. Rap has changed for the worse taking the art form and transforming it into trash with some positive messages that are hard to grasp from the music. If the whole album is about death, violence, misogyny and drugs except for one or two songs, what kind of message is going to be placed first. If what can be heard on a porno film can be heard on a rap album, then the album should have a age limit for sale. Since there is no age limit on T.V., today many inventions are being made to prevent children from viewing violence and nudity. Is this not some form of censorship for children. If there is enough concern to censor programs on T.V. that contain violence and harsh language should there not be concern for children that listen to hard-core gangsta rap. Parents should take more responsibility for what there children listen to and view. Hawkins 11 Parents can take charge of what there children view on T.V. and listen to on the radio while they are in the house, but what kind of authority can they take when their children are not home. Parent cannot control the kind of music their children buy on their own. That is when it is left up to the law. Not taking away the rappers’ right to free speech, but rather prohibiting sale to minors just as cigarettes. There is only so much that parents can do to keep their children out of harm. Violence is a reality , but should it be preached about like it is okay and make it sound like fun and games. The answer is no and something should be done about it. Works Cited Cheevers, Jack, Phillips, Chuck and Willian ,Frank B. “Violence Top the Charts.” L.A. Times 3 April 1995: A1+. “Cleaning Up Violence on Radio.” The New York Times 11 December 1993: 22. “Congresswomen Square Off ON Issue Of ‘Gangsta Rap’.” Jet 7 March 1994: 6-7. 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Staples, Brent “How Long Can Rap Survive.” The New York Times 22 September 1996: E12. Tate, Greg “Above and Beyond Rap’s Decibels.” The New York Times 6 March 1994: 1+. Trachtenberg, Jeffrey A. “Time Warner Sells Its 50[percent] Interest in Record Label Under Fire For Rap.” Wall Street Journal 17 September 1996: A19. “The United States Of Violence.” USA Today May 1994: vol. 122, 22-42+. “Women and “Gangsta” Rap.” Glamour June 1994: vol. 92, 93. Zoglin, Richard “A Company Under Fire.” Time 12 June 1995: vol. 145, 37-9.