It Must Be The Music

It Must Be The Music

Rap Continues To Get A Bad Wrap

“We don’t get to blame music for the existence of violence or criminal activity. That’s a problem with the world around us. Let music be music.” 

I’m sure when DJ Kool Herc introduced an old Jamaican tradition to New York he had no idea what an impact it would have. This style, which was originally dubbed MC’ing, was adapted from an old Jamaican custom known as “toasting,” where artists would freestyle over the instrumental portion of records. Herc took it a step further, spinning records on two turntables and switching back and forth between them to create a continuous beat. With the incorporation of a microphone, and call and response chants to the crowd, he gave birth to what is now known as rapping. With its fascinating new sound, the art of rap spread like wildfire throughout the five boroughs of New York. Rap took the streets by storm and pioneers like Kool Herc, Grand Master Flash and Afrika Bambaata began a trend in the inner city that would change the world of music forever. Not only did this new art form open the doors of the music industry for young black street poets, it brought along an entire culture and it’s called hip-hop. 

Some 40 years after that first time “Throw your hands in the air and wave 'em like you just don’t care” was heard in a park, in the Bronx, lyrics of rap songs have become comparatively different to say the least.  A large portion of rap songs now are about cars, cash, good times and hoe’s. Since its inception, rap has gone through a course of transformations. The one most prevalent seems to be that style given the name gangsta rap.    

Murder, drugs and guns existed in the world way before the first verse of any rap song was ever even conceived, let alone recorded. With that being the case, why is it that rap music gets such a bad rap these days? Granted that from as far back as NWA, all the way up to present day rappers like 50 Cent, The Game, Snoop Dogg and others--whose music is labeled as gangsta rap--have lyrics which are explicit. But is foul language really the root or cause of society’s troubles? Rappers make music about their lives and the things that surround them.  They didn’t create these situations.

In 1988, Compton based rap group NWA, aka “The Worlds Most Dangerous Group,” consisting of founding member Ice Cube, along with Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella, released their critically acclaimed hit song “F@#k The Police.” It was a song about police brutality and racial profiling, both of which NWA boldly spoke out against. The single enraged the FBI. They accused the group of agitating violence and revulsion against the police. NWA stated that they were merely relaying the truth about what was really taking place on the streets of LA. The single, which went gold in six weeks brought the reality of life in the hood to the attention of the general public.

Rev. Calvin Butts set out on a crusade against rap music. He preached against it and even went as far as piling up CD's, music videos, and cassettes produced by rap artists, and running over them with a truck. Though he might have made a visual statement with his actions, how effective was his ploy? The good reverend still had purchased these products in order to destroy them.

In the 1990's, C. Delores Tucker led a national campaign against rap music with violent lyrics. In 1997, she filed a lawsuit against the estate of the late Tupac Shakur over lyrics in the song "How Do You Want It." Her lawsuit was later denied, as well as several appeals.

While it is true that several rappers have been indicted for unlawful activity, is that necessarily proof that rap music and inexcusable behavior go hand in hand?  I’d have to say no. In most cases, where rappers have found themselves facing the judicial system, it has had no direct connection to their music. Guilty sometimes of bad judgement, ignorance and in some cases just plain old acting irresponsibly? Yes, but the words and music of any song, being directly responsible for anyone’s actions is invalid. We, as able-minded human beings have to take a realistic approach to these accusations. Where in history has a case been sighted where music has literally lifted an arm, leg or controlled any other body part or action? Though I have heard tales about the music of Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross being responsible for the birth of many babies, we as people are responsible for what we do.

Let's face it, music is a form of entertainment, and rap is a large part of that multi-billion dollar a year industry. Record Companies sign artists because they choose to use words in their songs like bitch, hoe, and nigga, while speaking on topics like the streets, drugs, guns and life in the hood. It generates capitol, bottom line, and music is a business. Rap music is a sizeable portion of that business, and though some still refuse to believe it, rap is no doubt here to stay. 

The problem in our society today is not the music being made or the lyrics stated in them. The problem is that somewhere along the line, between working two jobs or hustling and grinding to make ends meet, or just trying to survive in an ever-changing world, we raised a generation of latch-key children who were left home to basically raise themselves. Children in their pre-teen years have left to become independent and self-sufficient at a much earlier age then required decades ago. Today’s youth have been left unsupervised, to be raised by the world around them with television celebrities as role models.

Neither hip-hop nor any other genre of music can be held responsible for the actions of a generation of seemingly troubled youth. As a society we need to bridge the gap between ourselves and the youth of today. Many parents, in an attempt to understand this dilemma, have chosen to take on the roles of friends to their children, rather than figures of authority. To place the blame on recording artists because someone happened to be listening to a particular rapper's music prior to committing an act of wrongdoing is irresponsible. Hip-hop is simply art imitating life. The problem is not rappers referring to females as bitches and hoe’s as much as it is females accepting it. And as far as the drugs, sex, guns and violence, it’s all around us. And how do you tell a young brother from the hood, who’s now making millions for telling stories about the world around him, to stop? Hip-hop has gone from the Hood to Hollywood. How far has the world around it come?

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This article was originally published in Flossin Magazine. This article is edited by Edna Waters. This article is optimized for web by Steven Christian (Artist | Author | Podcaster).