LETTER! Don Imus vs Rap artists?
Uncle Roger just won’t leave me alone! Hey, you other people who read this site, email me a little too!
Dear Attack, Can you explain the difference of what Don Imus said and what the top 10 rap records say every day? Are white people the only racists?
Don Imus, radio personality and generally the anti-Howard Stern, is a satirist who I am, admittedly, not familiar with. But he did recently make headlines by, in jest, describing Rutgers University NCAA women’s basketball players “nappy headed hos” and saying they looked “rough”. He apologized four days ago for the comment, calling it “insensitive” and “ill-concieved”.
It was just that, insensitive and ill-concieved, and I don’t really find the humor in insulting a group of college athletes, especially ones who performed so well this last season. Attacking them on two levels - being black (nappy-headed) and being women (hos) - on things that are not a fault nor in their control is just shock ‘humor’ and the mark of a truly unoriginal and unfunny man. I certainly don’t think this remark is worthy of the outrage it has incited. I urge everyone to pity the poor ignorant and idiotic Imus.
As for the rap records, I’m not sure what rap you’re listening to at all. But here are excerpts from some of the top-charting rap songs in recent times:
Now little lisa is only 9 years old
Shes tryin to figure out why the world is so cold
Why shes all all alone and they never met her family
Mamas always gone and she never met her daddy
Part of her is missin and nobody will listenin
Mama is on drugs gettin high up in the kitchen
Bringin home men at different hours of the night
Startin with laughs–usually endin in a fight…
Lisa is stuck up in the world on her own
Forced to think that hell is a place called home
Nothin else to do but some get some clothes and pack
She says shes bout to run away and never come back.
“Runaway Love” by Ludacris, peaked at #2 on charts
Me and your daughter
Got a special thang goin on
You say it’s puppy love
We say it’s full grown
Hope that we feel this
Feel this way forever
You could plan a pretty picnic
But you can’t predict the weather, Ms. Jackson
“Ms Jackson” by Outkast, peaked at #1 on charts
Windmill windmill for the land
Turn forever hand in hand
Take it all it on your stride
It is ticking falling down
Love forever love is free
Let’s turn forever you and me
windmill windmill for the land
Is everybody in?
“Feel Good Inc.” by The Gorillaz, maintained #1 on American charts for 8 weeks
It is a misconception by many that rap is somehow either A) self-destructive as a tool used by minorities and effectively self-oppresses or B) is anti-white. This is most often claimed by those who don’t listen to the music. Many amazing and creative artists - such as the late Tupac Shakur, the very much alive Andre Benjamin, the very mature Del the Funky Homo sapien, and puerile Ludacris - are creating truly beautiful works of art. For the true music lover, I highly recommend the albums “Demon Days” by the Gorillaz and “Stankonia” by Outkast.
Admittedly the current holder of the number one spot on the rap charts, “This Is Why I’m Hot” by Mims, is a shallow piece of work with lyrical content that is just a clone of every damn thing Snoop Dogg ever came out with in the 90s, except without the drug content. It also lacks any musicianship at all. But that’s pop! You get a lot of cruddy clones of something someone made popular a long time ago. Even in this song’s lyrics, however, there’s nothing really racially charged about it, except maybe the use of the word “nigga” to refer to all men - which is an entirely different issue. But as far as making pejorative remarks and singling out a race, this song is harmless.
For more eclectic tastes and adventurous spirit, Uncle Roger, the truly ingenious fusion of rapper Del, and producers Dan the Automater and Kid Koala resulted in one of the most amazing albums ever created. “Deltron 3030″ is a hip-hop album where every sound has been specifically crafted by the hands of Dan and Koala to create a futuristic cityscape of debauchery and governmental decay, and Del the Funky Homo sapien weaves a story through his lyrics of a single man who takes on the mission of restoring democracy to the galactic empire in the year of 3030 AD.
It’s easy to make judgments about that which you know little about.
April 10th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Are the Gorillaz rap? I wouldn’t class them there more like alternative! Also there is alot of rap that ain’t all rainbows and lollipops!
April 10th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Seeing as they are produced almost exclusively by rap producers and each album contains a great deal of actual rapping… yes, they are rap. And alternative is a pop offshoot of grunge, ala American Hi-Fi, Hinder, 3 Doors Down, Vedera, and such. The Gorillaz aren’t even remotely close to Alternative rock.
Yea, there’s a lot of hardcore rap and gangsta rap (I hate you, 50 Cent). But the subject at hand was not the hard stuff in particular, but chart-toppers. And Top 40 Rap hits are generally not the more violent or hate-filled stuff.
April 12th, 2007 at 7:54 am
Don Imus should have been fired, but so should others who openly promote racist to the mass media like the Fly Jock Tom Joyner who has the gumption to speak out about Imus when he is far more hurtful on a daily basis to our American culture. Again, Imus definately should be massacred in whatever way possible for his “apologetic comments” however letting people like Imus and Joyner float thru the system produces more racism on the airwaves!
Call me for more comments: (609)402-2100
May 2nd, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Uh, yeah, not really quite sure if you purposely passed over some of the bigger hits that are actually out this year. Considering this past month is when the Don Imus controversy arose, shouldn’t we use more recent lyrics, and not 3 “soft” songs chosen from a history of violent, degrading rap songs?
Here’s a real list.
“Ima b pimpin
I dont be slippin
When it come down to these hoez
I dont love em
We dont cuff em
Man thats just the way it goes
I pull up in the Phantom
All the ladies think handsome
Jewelry shining, I stay stuntin
Thats why these niggas cant stand em
Ima chick mag-a-net
And anything fine im bag-gin it
And if she got a man, I dont care
10 toes and I wanna be, cause I gotta have it”
(R. Kelly, I’m A Flirt, presently NUMBER ONE on Billboard.com)
“U In Da Club U C A Bad Bitch Point Her Out”
(Young Jeezy ft. R. Kelly, Go Getta)
I don’t have time to go through all the hits these days, but you get the idea. Don’t ever try to make all rappers seem innocent and only preaching advice and such. Please.
May 2nd, 2007 at 4:36 pm
What I also wanted to add is what I heard on a newscast recently, and I have to admit this world has absolutely caused it to be true:
“Everyone has freedom of speech except white people”. And after something like this? Yea, it’s true.
Frankly, I’m embarrassed by our nation.
May 3rd, 2007 at 3:04 am
I think the point here is that all rap music is not offensive and centers around “bling” and “bitches”. There are plenty of socially concious hip hop artists (The Roots, Mos Def, Atmosphere) whos lyrical content center around politics and personal issues. However, when “artists” like Young Jeezy and 50 Cent earn money off of producing this music doesn’t this say more about the people (young rich white kids) who are buying into that garbage? Young Jeezy is not an MC, Young Jeezy is an entertainer. Furthermore, arent the record labels executives the ones who are promoting and making this music accessible in the first place? I find the people who profit off of this music just as disgusting as the ones who support it. I love Bob Dylan. I love Jay-Z. I love hip hop and rock n roll. But to generalize a whole genre of music based on the popularity of particular artists who send negative messages is an unfair way of dealing with the situation, If you want hip-hop to change, dont hate hip-hop, blame the ones bringing it down.
Oh and Colleen…. only white people eh? Ignorant white people should keep their fucking mouths shut and so should anyone else, regardless of race. Black people get their share of heat, maybe not as often in the media, just step inside the home apart of a white suburban community and see how they really feel about their daughter dating an african american boy. Ignorance occurs on both sides and until we as a society accept the problem there will be no resolution
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:33 am
[...] LETTER! Imus revisited May 3rd, 2007 by Bijhan Al-Attack A condescending and flippant series of comments on my article regarding Uncle Roger’s letter to me about Don Imus reached my inbox from a reader known as Colleen. This is one you want to read every letter, period, hyphen, quotation mark, and colon of. Uh, yeah, not really quite sure if you purposely passed over some of the bigger hits that are actually out this year. Considering this past month is when the Don Imus controversy arose, shouldn’t we use more recent lyrics, and not 3 “soft” songs chosen from a history of violent, degrading rap songs? [...]
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