Since early in its history, rap music has come under fire for its inflammatory, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, blatantly racist, and thoroughly ignorant lyrics. And why not? After all, 90% of all rap lyrics involve inflammatory, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, blatantly racist, and thoroughly ignorant lyrics which don't so much fly under the radar as in everyone's face under the guise of "freedom of speech."
This freedom of speech only applies to rappers and minorities and we've seen this several dozen times on a national level, several hundred on smaller levels, and most of us have endured it countless times in our own personal lives which rarely get reported.
Al Sharpton decided not to honor some record executive of the Def-Jam label this week because he didn't want to send a 'mixed message' (pun fully intended; Sharpton's words were more carefully metered: he said, "inconsistent"). Sharpton was among Don Imus' most vocal (shock and awe!) dissenters who demanded the radio DJ be fired for calling some female basketball players "nappy-headed hos." Nevermind that it was a joke. Nevermind that the very joke is in his using such street slang to describe them (see, Imus is an old white guy and that slang is used primarily in rap songs written and performed by minorities). Nevermind that Al Sharpton walked all over Imus' freedom of speech like it was a rally for Tijuana Brawley. Nevermind the fact that those basketball players were, in fact, some "nappy-headed hos" - well, I mean, if a rapper or minority member were to have commented on them they would have been. Excuse me, "they'd a done been." Shee-it, you know!? I'm sayin.
At any rate, that poetry-slam guy called a bunch of rap record execs into a meeting today to discuss whether or not the genre needed to clean up its language - but that's a whitewash (tongue in cheek? - no, it's just a coincidence) to step around the real issue: should they practice what they preach or possibly shut the eff up? The meeting came to no conclusions (shock and awe!) and was historic only because none of them shot the other...
Simmons did take time to insist something in English, which I will now translate for rap fans:
"Day be talkin bout stuff day be seein on duh skreet, right? Cuz day ignernt. Day be bashin on fags an shit, right? Day be dissin dem bitches, yo? But yo, dat be like duh way day be livin, you know? Right? You know what I'm sayin? Shee-it."
Apparently, Simmons is still insisting that only street-level minorities have the right to freedom of speech.
Stay proud.
Al Sharpton decided not to honor some record executive of the Def-Jam label this week because he didn't want to send a 'mixed message' (pun fully intended; Sharpton's words were more carefully metered: he said, "inconsistent"). Sharpton was among Don Imus' most vocal (shock and awe!) dissenters who demanded the radio DJ be fired for calling some female basketball players "nappy-headed hos." Nevermind that it was a joke. Nevermind that the very joke is in his using such street slang to describe them (see, Imus is an old white guy and that slang is used primarily in rap songs written and performed by minorities). Nevermind that Al Sharpton walked all over Imus' freedom of speech like it was a rally for Tijuana Brawley. Nevermind the fact that those basketball players were, in fact, some "nappy-headed hos" - well, I mean, if a rapper or minority member were to have commented on them they would have been. Excuse me, "they'd a done been." Shee-it, you know!? I'm sayin.
At any rate, that poetry-slam guy called a bunch of rap record execs into a meeting today to discuss whether or not the genre needed to clean up its language - but that's a whitewash (tongue in cheek? - no, it's just a coincidence) to step around the real issue: should they practice what they preach or possibly shut the eff up? The meeting came to no conclusions (shock and awe!) and was historic only because none of them shot the other...
Simmons did take time to insist something in English, which I will now translate for rap fans:
"Day be talkin bout stuff day be seein on duh skreet, right? Cuz day ignernt. Day be bashin on fags an shit, right? Day be dissin dem bitches, yo? But yo, dat be like duh way day be livin, you know? Right? You know what I'm sayin? Shee-it."
Apparently, Simmons is still insisting that only street-level minorities have the right to freedom of speech.
Stay proud.
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Tawana Brawley*
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