Essay about Rap And Censorship

Not one thing in this world is so perfect to the point in which someone would not find something offensive about it. I mean itís really bad when Wal-mart decides that Eminemís cds are so controversial and vulgar that even the censored versions canít be sold there.

Rap and Hip-Hop originated in the 1970’s in New York City's South Bronx neighborhood as a street-born cultural movement which is known for DJ-ing (using a turntable as an instrument by manipulating songs and creating sounds while spinning vinyl records on the turntable), MC-ing (Rhyming and lyrics spoken at a fast pace), breakdancing or b-boying (athletic style of street dancing), and graffiti art. By the 1980’s, hip-hop was the primary cultural movement of the African American and Hispanic communities. Rap and Hip Hop has been known to be the voice of the poor youth. Mainstream white consumers quickly accepted hip-hop through movies, music videos, radio, and media coverage. Rap, in particular, found a wide multicultural audience and emerged

Hip-hop culture began to develop in the south Bronx area of New York City during the 1970s. It had a significant influence in the music industry. Hip-hop music generally includes rapping, but other elements such as sampling and beatboxing also play important roles. Rapping, as a key part in the hip-hop music, takes different forms, which including signifying, dozen, toast and jazz poetry. Initially, hip-hop music was a voice of people living in low-income areas, reflecting social, economic and political phenomenon in their life [1]. As time moves on, hip-hop music reached its “golden age”, where it became a mainstream music, featuring diversity, quality, innovation and influence [2]. Gangsta rap, one of the most significant innovations in

Hip-Hop emerged in the 1970’s upon the arrival of a one Kool DJ Herc. Kool DJ Herc migrated to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica and settled in the West Bronx of New York. Kool DJ Herc was a disc jockey that attempted to incorporate his Jamaica style of disc jockeying, which involved reciting improvised rhymes over reggae records. Unfortunately for Kool DJ Herc New York seemed

It covers a broad range of ideas, styling and techniques that are unique to specific demographic areas, geographic regions and territories and locales. The following comprises some of the hallmarks of early rap music: * Simple yet dominant percussive patterns * Limited reliance on traditional musical systems of chord, verse, chorus and other formal and/or traditional methods of Western musical structure * Non-traditional utilisation of musical instruments including

This labeling of albums is not the first attempt and success at censoring music. For 50 years radio stations have been censoring songs deemed inappropriate. In 1940 NBC banned 147 songs. The Supreme Court upheld the FCC's authority to regulate music in 1978 (Winfield pg. 14). The rock and roll community could only expect some sort of limited censorship. Initially the ban was only in effect from 6 am until midnight but in 1988 president Reagan made the ban all day. The FCC in an attempt to let radio stations know what types of songs were unacceptable sent a list of 22

Rap music officially started in 1978 in the Bronx, New York. According to the author, most Americans

The rap subculture is widely agreed to have been established in the Bronx, New York during the 1970’s. At a time when block parties became popular, especially among African-American youths, hip-hop music was a means of expressing opinions and values and as a new source of communication. At these gatherings, DJs would play percussive breaks from popular songs, often on two turntables to enable them to extend these breaks. This new culture defined itself by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, scratching/DJing, graffiti writing and break dancing. As this style of music became more established, an evolution began, as sampling technology and drum machines became more affordable and widely available.

The teens would spend time at neighborhood block parties where they would play funk and disco tracks and have some friends MC the event. The MC would introduce the DJ in addition to hyping the songs up as they are played and getting crowd involvement. They would talk in sync with the beat of the music, rhyme with the music and this is how rapping began.

Consequently, approximately 1,400 stores dropped the album. Many major retailers such as Woolworth's and K-mart will not purchase, and therefore not display, an album with any kind of parental advisory sticker on it. While it is true that legally these labels do not prohibit sales to anyone, the labels "amount to an elegant form of censorship, elegant because it is censorship made to look like consumer information." (1) As controversial as records like Ice T and other artists who use either swears or sexually explicit material are, artistic pieces no matter what kink of message they send, or however unpopular they may be, are still protected by the first amendment to the constitution. The people who vote for and pass the laws prohibiting free speech are taking it upon themselves what they think is moral and right for the rest of the country. I feel I can make up my own mind about what type of music I listen to, how about you? One organization claiming to protect the children is the Parents Music Resource Center. At the center of the music labeling controversy, the P.M.R.C., "feels that current levels of violence, racism, brutality towards women, drug and alcohol glamorization in music, lyrics, videos and stage shows need to be addressed through public discussion and debate"(Hull 23). "The P.M.R.C. hopes to prohibit the sale of records to minors that contain lyrics about sex, drugs and alcohol, murder or suicide"(Weinfeld 46). If that were the case, even the bible may be

Rap originated within the early Nineteen Seventies within the South borough, where DJs riffs from their favorite dance records at house parties, making new sounds by scratching over them or adding drum synthesizers. A partner, the MC, would add an assonant, spoken vocal (a rap) over the combination, typically victimization clever plays on words. Most rap songs were boasting, the aural equivalent of street gangs' strut and swagger. Self-praise regarding their physical superior skill and coolness, rappers used fight with rival males because the motivation for power. Some early rap songs promoted world and interracial harmony, as well as The Sugar Hill Gang's Rapper's Delight (1980) and Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock (1982), that became a crossover

Since gangsta rap was first introduced by the group N.W.A., this type of rap music has sold more albums than any other form of rap. Gangsta rap in some ways glorifies violence, drugs, and easy money. N.W.A. wrote a song about killing cops that created a firestorm of controversy. As a result of several such controversies, the Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics labeling system was enacted in 1985 (Lommel 68). This system required the music industry to label songs that have explicit language and limit the sale of these albums to adults.

Most popular music today is driven by violence and sex. These musicians put out albums that glorify violence and promote causal sex. When the albums are being produced, the artist does not think of how it will affect the perspective merchant. When

Others believe that music should not be censored because it would infringe on the artist’s right to freedom of speech, but music containing explicit lyrics should be criticized for their negative content. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas delivered a speech to the City Club of Cleveland. In his speech he discusses how music has a major affect on youth, and how crimes among teenagers have increased greatly, since music with explicit lyrics have been out on the market. He also expresses that music should not be censored, because the artist have the right to say what they want in their lyrics, but society also had the right to criticize the explicit lyrics in their music. (1-9) The right to freedom of speech is given to all people under the bill of rights. If people weren’t allowed to speak what they felt this country would not be where it is today.

Young people should not have to listen to violent lyrics and vulgar music being produced by musicians and record producers. That modest warning label on the corner of the CD cover is not as effective as one would think. If the musicians would cut those offensive lyrics out of the music, young people would not have the idea of running into a school and shooting random people just to feel better about themselves. They would not get the idea to kill themselves from their favorite band. They would not be bombarded with ideas and mental pictures of raping women. Vulgar lyrics are all around in all types of music genres, from country, to rap, to rock n’ roll, to alternative. Musicians should not have to write music about drugs and alcohol, and sex, and violence to sell their albums. Violent lyrics are a major problem in today’s society. Solving this problem will be very difficult but according to American Academy of Pediatrics there are a few ways to help control the problem: