RAP MUSIC

Above is the iconic rapper Ice-T, the first of many hip-hop/rap artists to stir up controversy among the people of America. In 1992, with his rock band Body Count, they released their self-titled debut album. Its eighteenth and final track, 'Cop Killer', provoked an outcry among the American public, due to its gratuitous portrayal of the opinion that killing police officers is morally acceptible. U.S. Senators and many other pressure groups made threats against Body Count's record company, Waner Brothers, and its parent company, Time Warner. Eventually, by Ice-T's request, the song was dropped from the album.

The page is devoted to outlining the main incidents of where rap and regulators have got at each others' throats. As a supporter of rap music, expect some abstract views. Due to the American public's misunderstandings of rap music, a music that was born from the mistakes of society, rappers are portrayed as pistol-toting maniacs who just want to fuck and take drugs. Take some time, and get to know the men (or women, incidently) before you vilify them.

For nearly twenty-five years now, rap has been a prominent reminder of the limits to which music can be pushed. Ever since the likes of Run DMC and Public Enemy were on the hip-hop scene, rappers alike have been rapping about guns and gun-related violence. It has also been a scapegoat for eveything that is wrong in today's society. For example, many American people believe that rap is responsible for escalating crime. Let's analyse it. Where do the listeners get it from? The rap artists. Where do the rap artists get it from? Their experience. Where did that stem from? The Government. The prime reason why gun crime and murder are such problems in the States is that their Government allows people to carry handguns, provided that they are registered. In 2001, there were 11, 127 gun-related deaths in America, compared to 68 in Britain. Lapsing controls on guns led to the Washington Sniper crisis last year, which ended with the deaths of thirteen people. There is a reason that rappers "preach" about guns - and that's because they can. With this availability, it is perfectly possible for a teenager to buy a gun, walk in and slaughter his entire class. Think about what's behind the music before you blame the music - they're not breaking any laws.

About a year-and-a-half or so ago, I read about a teenage girl, living here in Britain, who committed suicide because of, according to her mother, the violent, masochistic rap lyrics that she listened to. She had Eminem and Dr. Dre albums in her possession, which were supposedly responsible for her death. Sadly, music can have this effect, as it is a universal medium that appeals to everyone, in all its different forms. Although some Eminem lyrics I have seen do contain references to suicide, I don't think it's strong enough for anyone to acrually do it. Who knows, maybe the girl was going through a stressful period at that time, or maybe things at school weren't working out? I don't know for sure, and it is wrong to speculate, but I am quite sure that the lyrics alone are not to blame for this young girl's death, tragic though it is. The same thing happened with Judas Priest and other heavy metal bands, due to the alleged presence of subliminal messaging in the records. By all means, mourn for the girl, but don't target the rappers simply because of a few lyrics. They're never serious, anyway.

In the summer, while reading The Telegraph on holiday (I am ashamed to admit this, but there was no Guardian), I was surprised and appalled to find that Eminem was in trouble again, over another set of lyrics. This time, there was outrage over a skit on his phenomenal The Marshall Mathers LP, entitled Ken Kaniff (skit). Those of you who have heard (of) it will be able to recall what transpires without too much difficulty, but what disgusted me was that some perverted little shit, about fifteen to seventeen, forced a younger boy to imitate the skit on him. No joke. Sometimes, there are just some sick fucks who take the lyrics too literally and too far. It's not the same as with the suicides, those are understandable, but acts of this nature are just obscene. But I still don't blame the rappers. It's not their fault that there's some kid with a fucked-up mind out there who likes their music, but takes it all too seriously.