Anti-Gangsta Rap Petition Begun, directed at BET

[Vic Vega]

Co-sign. Variety IS the spice of life an all that.

[D- Ruck]

hahahaha...
the song and the video are just funny.

nothing that would endear it to the "Playaz Club" fanz.

John Stewart: "The more I see, the more I do"

[Wise Son]

Of course we could have a Rap Video program that showed nothing but Bahamidia, Classic Native Tongues, Lupe Fiasco, Pharoe Monch, Dead Prez and Mos Def.

And no one will watch it.

True, but what's wrong with integrating the best of that stuff into the programming that already exists in exchange for dumping some of the worst of what's currently being broadcast?

[Static Froggy]

I was confronted in a parking lot today by a white woman who was very upset that her children heard me blasting a song with the word "nigger" in it. She more or less told me that it was blacks like me that made it hard for the black race. The song? "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey", by Sly & the Family Stone. She couldn't understand why I couldn't stop laughing.

     lmao....that's a pretty funny story my dude



but I like pantherfan's idea, I mean diversity is what seems to be lacking in the 00's

[zeraze]

Moving on, what do you think of this statement:

My solution to all this is not focus on banning things (even through BET has the most stringent rules of ANY network that airs music videos) but to create a wider range of programming that LEADS the culture without LEAVING it.  If art reflects society and we don't like what we see, why don't we focus on fixing the culture, and the cultural expression will follow.

I agree with that.  I don't believe BET or any other media outlet has the power to lead the culture.  They seek to profit from its expression.  There is no gateway power there.  Whatever it is, if people will watch it and advertisers will buy ads, it will get shown.

Actually, I do think that the mass media BET included does influence society, negatively or positively depending on who is behind the scenes.  That's why I think it would be best for BET to expand the range of hip hop it shows.

Otherwise, the network will be reinforcing the image that hip hop is too far gone to be saved and thus must be destroyed.  Read this blog for more:

http://whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com/2007/05/why-we-cant-wait-words-and-images-have.html

zeraze

[Reginald Hudlin]

Essays like this really make me shake my head.  "Should we eradicate hip hop?".  As if they had some choice in the matter.  Questions like that show they don't really understand the issues.

I'm old enough to remember that record labels HATED hip hop.  They had complete contempt for it as music and as a commercial product.  Hip hop literally could not be stopped and those old guys who ignored it are all gone now.

So banning it, whether it be from television or the radio, won't stop it. A little thing called the internet is becoming the dominant form of consumption of hip hop anyway.  And we know that can't be policed.

Here's another had to accept fact:  you can't MAKE a hit.  You really can't.  If you could, the entertainment business would be a lot more profitable than it is.  But most books, movies, TV shows and albums FAIL because they CAN'T convince people to consume it, no matter how much they spend making it or selling it. I don't want to give specific names, but we support those "balance" artists when they come along and they sell...some times a little, some times a lot.  It depends on how appealing their music is. 

At the end of the day, you can't legislate art.  People will buy the "wrong" artist, and people will ignore the "right" artist.  This is not a BET issue, this is a life issue. 

[Curtis Metcalf]

Essays like this really make me shake my head.  "Should we eradicate hip hop?".  As if they had some choice in the matter.  Questions like that show they don't really understand the issues.

This blogger starts out stating that very thing before hurtling into the hip hop must be stopped rant.

Here's the beginning of his blog post:

A few weeks ago, one of my readers e-mailed me and indicated that he was a proponent of the total eradication of Hip Hop. In his mind, it could not be redeemed or saved, but was too destructive to be allowed to continue unchallenged.

At the time I thought his view was extreme. First, it is impossible to eradicate anything (“How‘s that War on Drugs going“). Second, Hip Hop is a broad musical genre and all Hip Hop artists aren’t spewing misogynistic lyrics . Third and most important, at that point in the development of this blog, I didn’t want to get into a debate with people about whether Hip Hop can be redeemed. I would have spent all of my time fighting off indignant Hip Hop apologists.

Points one and two are rock solid.  Three seems like a false debate as it assumes hip hop needs redemption.  The very next word in his piece is "However, ..." and it's as though he forgot his own preceding paragraphs. 

To me, the whole "let's eradicate hip hop" notion is missing the point anyway even if it wasn't impossible.  How about attacking misogyny and supporting women's rights?  Or better, just treat women fairly. 

[Pantherfan]

I seen the essay myself and for the most part hip hop can't be eradicated or banned. For one, it's bigger than one individual to prohibit or legislate it. Hell, it's impossible to regulate art. It leads to censorship.

I also remember when rap wasn't played on the radio at all. If I wanted to hear rap, I would have to tune into college or a community radio station to hear it. In the eighties, they all thought rap was a fad that was going to go the way of the eight track tape.

I know this a whole period where in but a part longs for the days of Yo! MTV Raps and Rap City (circa early nineties) when their playlist was diverse and the debut of music videos had the whole big anticipation to them. The new music videos were almost like new movies coming out at the cinema, but hell, I'm in my thrities and I understand that this is a business and people have to pay bills and they're not doing it just for yours truly.   

[wgreason]

Is it possible for BET to give equally valuable time to Young Joc and Mos Def on a consistent basis? 

[Reginald Hudlin]

Sure.  Will Mos Def put out commercial music on a consistent basis?

[zeraze]

Here's the beginning of his blog post:

A few weeks ago, one of my readers e-mailed me and indicated that he was a proponent of the total eradication of Hip Hop. In his mind, it could not be redeemed or saved, but was too destructive to be allowed to continue unchallenged.

At the time I thought his view was extreme. First, it is impossible to eradicate anything (“How‘s that War on Drugs going“). Second, Hip Hop is a broad musical genre and all Hip Hop artists aren’t spewing misogynistic lyrics . Third and most important, at that point in the development of this blog, I didn’t want to get into a debate with people about whether Hip Hop can be redeemed. I would have spent all of my time fighting off indignant Hip Hop apologists.

Points one and two are rock solid.  Three seems like a false debate as it assumes hip hop needs redemption.  The very next word in his piece is "However, ..." and it's as though he forgot his own preceding paragraphs. 

The blogger adds the "However" because she's forced to rethink her position about reading the following essays:

 http://mirroronamerica.blogspot.com/2007/05/rap-on-culture-why-cosby-was-right.html#links

http://www.policy-bridge.org/PolicyBridge_final_report%20on%20Culture%205-11-07.pdf

So, the blogger isn't being absent minded, but realizing the hard truth that Black people can't afford to make dumb decisions because we don't get 15 chances to get it right.

To me, the whole "let's eradicate hip hop" notion is missing the point anyway even if it wasn't impossible.  How about attacking misogyny and supporting women's rights?  Or better, just treat women fairly. 

To be fair, there are White comic fans who argue that Black comic fans should focus on police brutality or institutional racism rather than comics...which doesn't have a race issue.

Denial is a powerful thing.

zeraze

[wgreason]

Sure.  Will Mos Def put out commercial music on a consistent basis?

I wasn't aware he had stopped.  My wife and I were wondering why "There is a Way" and "Undeniable" wouldn't be considered commercial.

We might be working from a different definition from yours, Reg.

Could you share your definition, so I can improve my suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

[Curtis Metcalf]

The blogger adds the "However" because she's forced to rethink her position about reading the following essays:

 http://mirroronamerica.blogspot.com/2007/05/rap-on-culture-why-cosby-was-right.html#links

http://www.policy-bridge.org/PolicyBridge_final_report%20on%20Culture%205-11-07.pdf

So, the blogger isn't being absent minded, but realizing the hard truth that Black people can't afford to make dumb decisions because we don't get 15 chances to get it right.

I stand corrected, the blogger is indeed a women.  My apologies.  Her switch to advocating the eradication of hip hop still doesn't make any sense to me.  Even in the PolicyBridge report, they aren't trying to blame it all on hip hop.  The line of argument in the report seems to be:

• The achievement gaps observed between black and Hispanic students and white and Asian students are not completely accounted for by economic differences.
• A fall-off in reading scores coincided with the rise of hip hop.  They note that this is merely a correlation, not proof of causation.
• They go on to indict "A Culture of Underachievement" although they do note that disadvantaged students benefit from exposure to middle-class school environments.
• The report concludes that anti-education messages in popular culture, particularly hip hop, constitute one of many issues contributing to the achievement gap.

The blogger claims:

According to this report, Hip Hop isn’t merely reflecting culture, it is driving culture and not in a good way.

By my reading of the report, this is simply not true.  The report makes no claim one way or the other about hip hop leading or reflecting the culture.  That's just not in the scope of the report.  She seems to be extrapolating in a dubious manner.

To me, the whole "let's eradicate hip hop" notion is missing the point anyway even if it wasn't impossible.  How about attacking misogyny and supporting women's rights?  Or better, just treat women fairly. 

To be fair, there are White comic fans who argue that Black comic fans should focus on police brutality or institutional racism rather than comics...which doesn't have a race issue.

Denial is a powerful thing.

Sure.  On the other hand, no one is advocating the eradication of comics.  That would be nearly as silly.  Does anyone really think that banning hip hop (hypothetically since the mind boggles at the absurdity of actually implementing such a ban in reality) would suddenly change the attitudes toward education or toward women?

[Pantherfan]

Sure.  Will Mos Def put out commercial music on a consistent basis?

Commericial music is too broad of a definition, though. I remember a track he had called "Ms Fat Booty". That had potential. As to why no one jumped on this is a mystery to me.

[Mastrmynd]

Whhhaaaaaaaaaa?
Ms. Fat Booty got MUCH play!
thass my joint