This could be considered racist, but it's not how I mean it.

Kizzume

The things that are considered ?evil? or ?bad? in music has changed a great deal over the years.

Rock ?n Roll was ?music of the Devil? back when it was first starting to be heard.

Elvis? dancing was considered totally unacceptable because it somehow encouraged sex.

Then there was evil hippie music that might get everyone addicted to drugs.

Then you had artists who bit the heads of bats.

NONE of those things mean jack sh** now. None of those things encouraged people to be violent. None of those things glorified gangster life.

Imagine in the 40?s, if music was pushed out on the radio (and other places) that was glorifying the gangster life of that period? There would have been an uproar so big!

Because we allowed those other things after a while without thinking about it, we allowed gangster rap to get as big as it has out of the same apathy. The apathy wasn?t bad in the past, but when it allowed gangster rap to get so big, it is VERY bad.

I am starting to go right back to what I thought before. People flipped me around the other way for a while with some lovely guilt trips, but here I am, right back to where I was:

I think gangster rap should be illegal to play over the airwaves, and I think stores should have to carry special licenses that are really really expensive to obtain in order to legally be able to sell it.

Change or leave. I think police should start cracking down on gangs, giving them the opportunity to change their ways?offer protection from those who want to get out of gangster life, even a relocation program?and if they refuse, they should be given two choices?an extended prison sentence for gang activity, or a free one-way ticket to a country where they can glamorize being a savage as freely as they choose--a country where being a savage is the only way to survive.

We need to stop gang life, it?s essential for us to do, flat out, and I think the first step in doing that is--get that crap off the air. A song about your homie?s new hydraulics that he got from illegal money after f**king b**ches shouldn?t be eligible for the billboard charts, no matter whether the bad words are bleeped or not.

For me, it?s not a race issue?it?s an issue of a culture that acts like a cancer to society. It's a culture that may primarily be associated with one race, but it actually extends across all races. It?s a culture that seems hellbent on making this country as uncivilized as possible, with artificial friendships dangling at the ends of gun barrels. If they want to glamorize living like savages (with expensive stupid-looking clothing and bling), they should do great in countries where they only have the opportunity to live like savages.

jq · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 1124

While I agree that gangstar rap has had a very negative impact on society, I think it would be very hard to determine what is considered 'gangstar rap' and not just 'rap.' I mean, is M.I.A. gangster rap? What about saul williams? Pretty soon everything would be getting censored and it wouldn't be long before only Jesus music would be allowed.

I agree with your sentiments, I just don't think it is realistic. I think the backlash would be unreal. And I think the right wing would take this opportunity to promote their religious doctrine on people and turn what we have into even more of a big brother society.

Unfortunately rap sells, so it is going to keep being made. Good luck even trying to make it illegal-- you would have the record industry lobbying so heavily on congress!

As far as racism goes, what you are talking about is in no way racist. The biggest buyer of music is still white kids, and most the people at Interscope who are hiring the gangsters to make music are white guys in suits. It is really just about bottom line.

The only way this can be corrected is, it has to be corrected on its own. What I mean is, when people decide they have had enough, and they want something different, they will start buying something different, and at that point, the record industry will push something different.

Kizzume · Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:25 pm Post subject:

Segep · Joined: 10 Nov 2007 Posts: 222

OK, I can see how you can post that without being racist.

But who is it that really supports the gansta rap genre? Gangsters?

And there were definitely violent ganster movies starting in the 30's and continuing to the present.

I say this as one of those annoying white guys who likes gansta rap. occasionally. Hell, I love Eminem, one of the most homophobic (for OBVIOUS reasons) 'gansta' rappers ever. And Beenie Man. I'm supposed to be boycotting him, but I don't.

Segep · Joined: 10 Nov 2007 Posts: 222

Why, did you get called racist for that?

Kizzume · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:22 am Post subject:

Kizzume · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:24 am Post subject:

jq · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 1124

Kizzume · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:31 am Post subject:

jq · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 1124

I will definitely agree with that. It is a shame that presidential candidates want to talk about terrorism, when terrorism happens every day in LA under a different guise. You know that hundreds of people die in LA every year due to gang violence? Why is nobody talking about this?

I agree. Gangs and gang violence sucks. Of course, I thinkt he best way to treat it is to enrich people's lives and increase prosperity and educational opportunities. I think the reason why people join gangs probably has a lot to do with feeling like they don't have anything else to turn to.

Segep · Joined: 10 Nov 2007 Posts: 222

Kizzume · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:53 am Post subject:

Yeah, you're probably right.

The record and broadcast industry have made quite a problem, haven't they?