Hip-Hop and Violence
Posted: 07/10/2006 by: Eric Robinson Jr.

By now we can all agree the whole East Coast West Coast thing wasn't what it seemed. Many in hip-hop are comfortable with blaming the media for pumping it up. However, the media may have pumped it, but we lost Tupac and Biggie. Bill O'Reilly can't take all the blame for hip-hops bad rap. Need Proof?

Hip-hop fans have become accustomed to hearing violence on wax as well as seeing it play out in the lives of artists. With the proliferation of crack and glock raps pretty soon fans will be asking each other "how did your favorite rapper die?" Instead of "who is the best rapper of alive?"

"They say my ghetto instrumental, detrimental to kids/
As if they can't see the misery in which they live"

Hip-hop and violence are consistently mentioned in the same sentence. And not just in the United States. In France a civil unrest broke out after two teens died while running from police last October. While searching for a place to hide, the teens were electrocuted by a transformer after jumping the wall of a power substation. The civil unrest held many similarities to the 1992 unrest in Los Angeles. The communities affected had long been afflicted with high unemployment and police harassment and brutality. However lawmakers blamed local rappers for inciting the violence.

In the United States politicians have tried to relate music to the break-down of society's moral values for years. In 1985, Tipper Gore, wife of Al "The Inconvenient Truth" Gore, founded the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). The PMRC aimed to censor music it deemed "detrimental to the nuclear family." When it released its hit list, nicknamed the "Filthy 15,"
rap didn't even make the cut. In fact, Prince was at the top of the list. It was rock music that fueled the PMRC's push for the infamous "Parental Advisory" label. The Recording Industry Association of American folded to demands for the label, before congress could fold to demands for censorship. As the popularity of rock and rap grew the PMRC became irrelevant- money talks.

The decline of the PMRC didn't dissuade C. Delores Tucker. She was next to carry the torch in the crusade against "explicit content" in music- particularly rap music. During a congressional hearing on The Social Impact of Music Violence, Tucker claimed that rap music contained "malicious lyrics that grossly malign black women... and corrupts its vast audience of listeners, white and black, throughout the world." While Tucker received a unanimous middle finger from the hip-hop community for her efforts to ban "explicit rap," it's worth noting that she wasn't alone in her criticisms.
Well respected leaders such as Mrs. Coretta Scott King have weighed in on the subject stating, "Young people often look to performing artists for moral guidance and inspiration as well as entertainment but when these artists glorify guns and beatings they are injecting poison into the veins of America's future."

"Now ask yourself, do you really, know what beef is?"

While hip-hop has grown accustomed to "beef," rappers aren't the only ones who experience it. The public is constantly pitting celebrities against each other. Remember Lindsay Lohan versus Hilary Duff- teenage beef. Denise Richards versus Heather Locklear- beef. Barbara Walters versus Star Jones-beef. However, the stakes are higher when it comes to hip-hop. Ask Ja Rule. He took an L and it all but ended his career.

In Hollywood Heather Locklear can beat Denise Richards senseless and Richards can still make movies. In hip-hop one can lose all creditability which translates into lower sales. Hip-hop historian and journalist Davey D recalls how MC Hammer often had to step-up and make detractors "kiss the ring." Hammer was noted as saying, "people eat off me- I can't afford to have my name damaged."

Violence in music isn't exclusive to rap, however it is the only genre where its stars frequently find themselves in violent situations outside of the studio. Jay-Z and Diddy are in a higher echelon now, but even they have found themselves is precarious situations where they've faced jail time. In 1999 Jay-Z was accused of stabbing record executive Lance "Un" Rivera. Rivera was suspected of bootlegging "Vol 3...Life and Times of S. Carter." Jay-Z denied the incident at first, but later plead guilty as part of a plea bargain. That same year Diddy was arrested and charged with aggravated
assault after an argument with Interscope Records' Steve Stoute over an appearance in a video. Seven years later it seems both Diddy and Jay-Z have learned their lesson. Both were fortunate to walk away without facing jail time and are now at the top of their game.

The violent situations rappers often find themselves usually work in their favor. A prime example is 50 Cent. His first album "Power of a Dollar" was shelved. His second album should have been called "Power of a Bullet." Whoever pumped nine bullets into 50's body endorsed his career. It made for good inspiration as well as street cred. 50 has gone on to sell over 20 million records.

"We live life like death ain't a thing/fear and respect we collect like
kings/
and we all chase money cause we scared to chase dreams."

Ever realize how every up-and-coming rapper feels the need to tell you how rough he had it? Its as if we lack legitimacy or relevance unless we've carried a gun, been shot by one, or sold drugs. In a recent New York Times Op-Ed Orlando Paterson, professor of sociology at Harvard diagnosed young black men with a "poverty of the mind." He attributes this affliction to young black males "complete engagement in a culture, which feeds their pride and self-respect." By "complete engagement" Paterson implies that young black men aren't simply just listening to rap music. It's a well known fact that young white Americans sustain the sales of hip-hop music, however they "know when it is time to turn off 50 Cent and get out the SAT prep book." Attributing young black men's "poverty of the mind" directly to hip-hop is a
bit of a stretch, however something is seriously wrong. Last May, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that employment among African-American teens is at almost 30 percent. Six times the national average. Legal work is getting
harder and harder to find and prison is almost routine- incarceration is up even though crime rates are declining.

Its been ten years sense the release of "Reasonable Doubt" where Jay spit "It gets dangerous, money and power is changing us/ And now we're lethal, infected with D'Evils." We now find ourselves in a blaxploitation type era of hip-hop, where the gangsta, the pimp, and the hustler are at the forefront of hip-hop music. 2005s top selling rap album was 50cent's "The Massacre." And that's just what it is. The album is laced with verses like "They say I'm fuckin' crazy, they think I'm out my mind/Cause I'm down to bust a nigga head all the time." Granted, violence is as American as apple pie. George Bush's pre-emptive strike is as gangsta as it gets. What's the difference between Bush's "pre-emptive strike doctrine and a gang member saying we need to roll on them before they roll on us," says Hip Hop historian Davey D. However, but kids aren't checking for what George Bush has to say every Tuesday.

They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus/
That means guns, sex, lies, video tapes

Radio is saturated with the same caricature of hip-hop. It doesn't begin to speak to the diversity that exists within the culture. At the beginning of the Iraq invasion, Producer Fredwreck gathered a group of unusual suspects to create an anti-war song entitled "Down With Us." The track included west coast elites such as Daz Dillinger, Tray Dee of the Eastsidaz, and WC. "Down With Us" received no radio play. When the subject matter went from thuggin' to protesting record stations weren't trying to hear it. While it would seem that artists are simply suffering from a lack of creativity it is evident that radio has an agenda that doesn't include diversity.

Record labels are also failing to sign fresh new talent. Is the South the only region with bubbling talent right now? Could it be that the spotlight is on the South because that's exactly where record labels focus is? G-Unit South, Bad Boy South... It's sort of how Compton is the only place in the West with talent. There's a formula for what's "hot" and everyone is following.

Artists can not be relived of all responsibility when it comes to the nature of radio. There is a "collective of artist that isn't putting out diverse material," says Davey D. There is a criticism that must happen amongst rappers themselves. "Forget about Tipper Gore, you're not living up to the tradition," says Christopher West, history curator at the California
African-American Museum in Los Angeles. "NWA was saying something. Ridin' Dirty is hot because it says something."

Rappers are just as guilty as record labels and radio when it comes to following formulas. Remember when a mixtape used to actually be a DJ mixing records? After 50 Cent found success by releasing mixtapes prior to "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", the mixtape became a standard practice for building a buzz. However, now instead of a DJ mixing records you have "a rapper talking about how real he is with gun shots and a siren in the back ground," says Davey D.

Fans got a rare look at the complexities and politics of the game when Rakim and Dr. Dre's much hyped collaboration fell through. The God wasn't willing to play Devil's advocate, and therefore a hip-hop fan's dream turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments hip-hop has ever seen. In a recent interview Rakim revealed that "Dre knows what's in the mainstream. But at the same time, picking the guns back up and talking about a lot of the dirt that I've been around and seen is not a smart move for me right now....I do grimy records, but it has to have a purpose."

Rap overshadows every other element in hip-hop. And unfortunately the violence rappers find themselves a part of often times overshadows the music. "Rest in Peace" is a part of our vernacular. During Jay-Z's triumphant going away concert at Madison Square Garden, a significant amount of time was taken to show respect to Tupac and Biggie. "The only way we will continue in hip-hop is to pay respect to the past," Jay-Z said. At the recent BET Awards, Eminem emerged during a Busta Rhymes performance. At the end of his performance Busta shout out D12's Proof and his recently slain bodyguard Israel "Iz" Ramirez. So while Eminem blessed fans with a long overdue appearance, it was in the context of him losing his best friend.

The effect of violence on hip-hop culture is undeniable. In its short life the culture has lost a lot, including two of its most talented icons. Ten years after the deaths of Pac and B.I.G. whole regions are no longer beefing, the money is flowing, and everyone seems to be happy. However, rappers are still dieing.

"We must pay respect to the past." And the greatest show of respect is to
respect the present and the future by not repeating the same mistakes.