IMUS AND HIP HOP
(*This is not a real magazine cover)
What's going on Grown Folks? Let us first start off by sending our condolences and prayers out the the families of the people that were murdered on the campus of Virginia Tech University on Monday. As a father with a daughter on her way to college in the fall, this definitely hit home. No parent should have to worry about their child getting shot to death in a classroom, but sadly, that is the world we live in. 33 people dead and nobody knows why. Whatever note the gunman left still won't explain why such a tragedy happened because there is no justification for killing innocent people at all. Let's all hope that those effected by this will be able to move on someday.
Now back to the Hip-Hop.
By now everyone has heard, or heard about, the comments that cost Hall of Fame broadcaster Don Imus his job. Predictably, the mainstream media again bought up the supposed double-standard of hip-hop artists being allowed to call women "bitches" and "hoes" (and call men niggas), but when someone outside of the race does it, there is an uproar. This is a similar argument used by folks after Michael "Kramer" Richards use if the word "nigger" during his stand-up act. While speaking to different folks over the past 2 weeks, I've heard a wide array of opinions on both Imus' comments and whether or not his comments were harsh enough for him to be taken off of the air (of course they were). Oprah devoted the the last two days of her show to the topic. Good Morning America and The Today Show devoted morning segments to the same topic bringing different folks (or experts) on the show to speak their opinions. It seems that EVERYBODY, even folks who have no connection at all to the culture, had something to say about it. My question is, "What did what Imus said have to do with music, let alone Hip-Hop." Don Imus is a news radio personality. He's not a DJ or Artist. He barely plays background music when he goes to commercial. But 80% of the mainstream media chose to raise the "why can rappers say it" flag once again.
During these debates, I never heard anyone (until Russell Simmons on Oprah) say that there are different types of rap music out there. Not ALL hip-hop artists use the words bitch or hoe. And for the ones that do, Dr. Todd Boyd, author and contributor to ESPN.com, said something that made a lot of sense, "Rappers are in essence characters performing a fictional life. Though the culture is rooted in the notion and style of authenticity, it is decidedly fictional...so we should be judging hip-hop the same way we judge a novel, a movie, or a television show, and to do so means we have to afford hip-hop the same latitude we afford any form of artistic expression." Chuurch!!! I know I couldn't have said it any better than that so I won't try. Dr. Boyd raises an excellent question. Why aren't the other artistic art forms (especially music and movies) held to the same standard that hip-hop seems to be? Martin Scorsese (director o one of my favorite movies of all time - Goodfellas) won his first Oscar recently for "The Departed", a movie about crooked cops and organized crime. There is tons of gratuitous violence in that flick, dudes getting shot in the head left and right, guys getting dumped off of the top of buildings, blood splattering all over the place, etc. I haven't heard anybody blaming mob movies or the Sopranos for glorifying violence or the continued disrespect of women. So why blame hip-hop? Is it base on race? Class? People that are ignorant of the culture? Should hip-hip be blamed for allowing this type of climate to permeate through the industry?
Let us know.
One thing we do know is that the civil rights generation is woefully unaware of the different facets of hip-hop culture. After seeing what has been said over the past 2 weeks I wonder if they even care. Black Radio and TV (that means you BET and MTV) have done a great job messing their heads up and making them think all we do have sex, drink, do drugs, go to jail, shoot each other, wear our pants below our asses and throw dough at strippers. In order for us to ever make things better they need understand that they have to work with the hip-hop generation and not against it.
Please go to the links we provided to get to very different (and interesting) views on this subject. One from Dr. Todd Boyd, and another from Jason Whitlock a columnist for the Kansas City Star an contributor to AOL.com, who we'll say isn't the biggest fan of hip-hop. We're sure you'll find both views interesting and as always we'd like to hear what you think. Especially the women.
Now back to the Hip-Hop.
By now everyone has heard, or heard about, the comments that cost Hall of Fame broadcaster Don Imus his job. Predictably, the mainstream media again bought up the supposed double-standard of hip-hop artists being allowed to call women "bitches" and "hoes" (and call men niggas), but when someone outside of the race does it, there is an uproar. This is a similar argument used by folks after Michael "Kramer" Richards use if the word "nigger" during his stand-up act. While speaking to different folks over the past 2 weeks, I've heard a wide array of opinions on both Imus' comments and whether or not his comments were harsh enough for him to be taken off of the air (of course they were). Oprah devoted the the last two days of her show to the topic. Good Morning America and The Today Show devoted morning segments to the same topic bringing different folks (or experts) on the show to speak their opinions. It seems that EVERYBODY, even folks who have no connection at all to the culture, had something to say about it. My question is, "What did what Imus said have to do with music, let alone Hip-Hop." Don Imus is a news radio personality. He's not a DJ or Artist. He barely plays background music when he goes to commercial. But 80% of the mainstream media chose to raise the "why can rappers say it" flag once again.
During these debates, I never heard anyone (until Russell Simmons on Oprah) say that there are different types of rap music out there. Not ALL hip-hop artists use the words bitch or hoe. And for the ones that do, Dr. Todd Boyd, author and contributor to ESPN.com, said something that made a lot of sense, "Rappers are in essence characters performing a fictional life. Though the culture is rooted in the notion and style of authenticity, it is decidedly fictional...so we should be judging hip-hop the same way we judge a novel, a movie, or a television show, and to do so means we have to afford hip-hop the same latitude we afford any form of artistic expression." Chuurch!!! I know I couldn't have said it any better than that so I won't try. Dr. Boyd raises an excellent question. Why aren't the other artistic art forms (especially music and movies) held to the same standard that hip-hop seems to be? Martin Scorsese (director o one of my favorite movies of all time - Goodfellas) won his first Oscar recently for "The Departed", a movie about crooked cops and organized crime. There is tons of gratuitous violence in that flick, dudes getting shot in the head left and right, guys getting dumped off of the top of buildings, blood splattering all over the place, etc. I haven't heard anybody blaming mob movies or the Sopranos for glorifying violence or the continued disrespect of women. So why blame hip-hop? Is it base on race? Class? People that are ignorant of the culture? Should hip-hip be blamed for allowing this type of climate to permeate through the industry?
Let us know.
One thing we do know is that the civil rights generation is woefully unaware of the different facets of hip-hop culture. After seeing what has been said over the past 2 weeks I wonder if they even care. Black Radio and TV (that means you BET and MTV) have done a great job messing their heads up and making them think all we do have sex, drink, do drugs, go to jail, shoot each other, wear our pants below our asses and throw dough at strippers. In order for us to ever make things better they need understand that they have to work with the hip-hop generation and not against it.
Please go to the links we provided to get to very different (and interesting) views on this subject. One from Dr. Todd Boyd, and another from Jason Whitlock a columnist for the Kansas City Star an contributor to AOL.com, who we'll say isn't the biggest fan of hip-hop. We're sure you'll find both views interesting and as always we'd like to hear what you think. Especially the women.
On a lighter note, there are times when rappers actually profess their love for the women in their lives. Not only do these songs show another side of the artist, but in many cases it becomes classic material. We've posted some of our favorite songs where the artists shows his softer side.
As the big homie Don Cornelius would say, "We wish you Love, Peace and SOOOOOOOUL!!!!!"
As the big homie Don Cornelius would say, "We wish you Love, Peace and SOOOOOOOUL!!!!!"
Jason Whitlock - http://www.kansascity.com/182/story/66339.html
5 comments:
Outrage is an understatement for what I felt when I heard Don Imus' comments; however, I took a step back and began to wonder were his "Nappy Headed Hoe" comments any different than Issaih Washington's "Fagot" comments. Well initially I would say yes, until Issaiah went on national television using the term. At the end of the day I believe people who are placed in the public eye, who disseminate public messages have a responsibility to refrain from using degrading and hateful language - that goes from actor to rapper and or radio personality. Unfortunately its always hard to tell someone what they did was wrong when they can turn around and say "well you do it" - it doesn't work when parents do it with their children and it doesn't work in this situation. So connecting Imus to hip-hop is an attempt at justification - it maybe ill placed but we leave the door open.
Young hip-hop artists get a pass because of their youth but as you get older and more mature you just can't keep running around calling women bitches and hoes; and no I don't believe they have the ability to distinguish a WOMAN from a bitch/ hoe as they usually say they can - in some way shape or form you will treat all women like the average bitch or hoe if that's where your mind is. Snoop - Ice T sure aint walking around calling women bitches and hoes but separating their wives from that mix, please at the end of the day their wife - will still be a bitch or a hoe when she steps out of line.
Finally I read Snoop's comments on the issue and I ask who gave him the authority to speak for Black America on this issue - I sure don't want him speaking for me - he's not even smart enough not to take drugs on a plane.
This really ties into your last topic for me - so i'll say - No I haven't outgrown hip-hop, but I've out grown the lyrics that speak ill of women - promote drug dealing/using and glorify random acts of violence.
I knew you cats were gonna touch on this. Good topic. The site is nice too.
Ok time to go in......I knew when Imus said what he said, hip hop was going to get dragged into the mix. I have a couple of issues with this. First, The other day I heard some family members of mine talking about it of course going at hip hop mentioning Jay-z and 50 cent etc, the "popular" names in this game. And I as I listened to them they kinda of sounded like folks almost like your Bill orielly's and other people that are not part of the culture attacking it. I'm talking about people who have never bought a Jay-Z, 50 or Nelly CD. And of course they are going to say they don't need to because from what they and hear they are spewing that disrespectful venom. Ok so you don't own their Cd's. I can understand that. Then they must have a Talib Kweli, The Roots, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Pharoahe Monch Cd then right? the ones that are more "conscious" with what they say...and I'm sure their answers will still be NO as well. There for why would I even have this conversation with you when you generalize these artists as doing the same thing??? It's not right....Because they only go by whats being played on MTV and BET and on the radio...and there are many of our other artists that don't do what is seen or heard on these channels and stations. Now another issue is the Major record execs, where are they...I didn't watch the Oprah show, but I knew Kevin Liles, Common, and Russell were on it. But where are the other execs like Jimmy Iovine, Lyor Cohen, Doug Morris (the white ones)????? They head the labels that most of these artist are signed to. Bottom line is..it's too much overkill...Saying Bitch and hoe and nigga is nothing new..and it's over kill now and the balance is gone. That's one of the main thing that is killing this game..There is no balance anymore. Not to say that these other artists are not out there, but they aren't being promoted like the ones that are disrespecting and acting a fool. WE NEED BALANCE!
For me and many others, Hip-Hop is an art form. It also has some truth in the lyrics as well. It
just called artistic expression. However, to my main point,
there would me mass arrest if hip-hop artist actually did what they said
they were going to do on the mic.
Furthermore, since this is an art form of expression it should be
treated like the movies are treated.
For example, BIG had a cut on his album on the Life after Death on
disc 1 where he told this story how he had to go rob these individuals
that were in the apt building. Now this was a terrific story. However,
it was fiction. Does any one actually believe that a Hip-Hop star like
BIG would set a place on fire then shoot a woman in the chest and then
leave with a ton of money and get to live to tell about it and do a song
about it on top of that? I hope the answer would be no.
It's just art. Some take it serious; hip-hop cats that is. The ones that
actually do what they say, are taken to prison or are dead; and those
are a slim few. It's just like with any genre. You have your nuts and
your crazy ones but on the whole everyone is just trying to eat.
I think there is balance in the music, what we need is balance from the media outlets, radio stations, record labels, magazines, etc. Unless the other types of music can be heard by the mainstream, they'll continue to be anonymous.
Excuse me for my late response, but I wanted to make sure I choZe my words correctly b4 I allowed my fingaZ 2 run wild. 2-begin, Imus' comments were unbelievable to my ears in this day & time (Y, I don't know.. I should have expected it). It is amazing to see how things have changed so much, yet, they haven't changed at all. Who would have ever thought that in 2007, in OUR lifetimes, WE would ever have the opportunity to witness an African American man run for Presidency. Yet, at a time when WE should be reveling in this, HIS, OUR accomplishment, WE are forced to be berated not only on a personal level, but nationally and globally as well. The nerve of Imus thinking it was OK to allow that to slip thru his teeth. {We all know that some things u think in ur mind, but don't dare allow them to slip out of ur mouth, esp. when ur livelihood depends on it.} I bet'cha he didn't think this would be the outcome, tho. Or, I wonder if it ever crossed his mind that he had stepped over the line this time ?? Probably not. Apparently, he is accustom to doing and saying anything out of his mouth, & on his show(s). Now, please don't get me wrong, I am NOT in any sense about to condone the stupidity that spewed from his mouth, however, I can't imagine where this "ole kraker-jack" would even know to use the terminology; "Nappy Headed Hoe's", if not for the way WE have allowed OURSELVES to be labeled or the negative ways WE have labeled OURSELVES.. But because some of US seem to glorify the whole BitChes, Hoes & CLothes & showS thing that we see on these videos, and hear on the radio, the way some of these lyRics degrade OUR women, WE should be ashamed of OURSELVES. Unfortunately, it is US, OURSELVES, & WE who have given Mr. Imus a point of reference.
I know that it is going to be a long walk, but WE as blAque people need to make daily efforts to stop the abuse amongst OURSELVES. I challenge each of US: In the morning, after OUR prayers, of coarse {wink..}, make a meticulous choice to take a small step in the direction of what U think U can do to rectify the wayward way of HiP-Hop. I don't think that HiP-HoP artists can be held 100% accountable for the way others regard US, but I absolutely feel that since HiP-HoP Artists seem to be the voices youngNs identify with, and emulate, then by all means THEY need to pioneer this movement.
WE, as a people, a culture, a NAtioN, should be much more conscious of the way WE regard US.
P.S.. Cld we pls touch on the whole CaMron interview?
BrwnEbrwn
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