Censorship of rap music
Music has thrived in America since its establishment over two centuries ago. In those two centuries people have enjoyed listening to music ranging from classical to rap music. However, in recent decades the lyrics in modern rock, rap, hip-hop, and nearly all other music genres, have come to be seen as obscene and vulgar to today's society. All around the country rap songs have been banned from the air by radio stations. "WBLS/New York announced it will no longer play songs it feels encourage violence, misogyny, or vulgarity; WPGC/Washington, D.C. reaffirmed a bleep-and-ban policy; BET unveiled a ban on 'violent' rap videos; and WCKZ/Charlotte exiled gangsta rap to late night airplay" (Rock 1). Are rap lyrics too harsh? Should music be censored? Musicians have always used music as a way to deliver a message or a belief. If rap artists and rock groups are censored they will lose what drives them the most; their freedom to write and perform what they choose. Many rap artists grow up in tough neighborhoods where their families struggle to survive. These musicians work their way out of the violence and poverty of their childhood to become famous and successful, and most importantly a role model to aspiring rap artists. "Th
Rap does have a dark side though. The violence and obscenities in rap lyrics do at times seem to serve no purpose at all. "Violence is glamorized, and the debasement of women is celebrated, often in the most graphic and obscene terms . . ." (United 2). These are the only terms that many young rap artists know; which is why they write such cruel words. e power and promise of rap music rests in the bosom of urban America; an environment where one out of twenty-two black males will be killed by violent crimes, where the black high-school dropout rate is high as 72 percent and where 86 percent of black children grow up in poverty" (Berry 614). If censored, rap will lose the harsh reality depicted in its lyrics. The reality that rap artists illustrate for the world in Censorship violates one of the most treasured ideals in American society; the freedom of speech. By censoring the lyrics in musician's songs the true words of the musician is changed. Politicians say only what they believe the public wants to hear. Rap artists and rock groups have the courage to say what other people are thinking, but don't say. Katz and Smith state, "Hip-hop is the fundamental matrix of self-expression for this whole generation" (Krohn 1). Censorship will mean the death of self-expression for all music genres. A final controversial issue in rap music is racism. Despite what most people say, racism is still a major part of American society. Rap artists grow up surrounded by prejudice. As a result rap artists often write raps telling about the injustices that have been done to them. "Cultural rap is so direct and angry that it can be frightening to th
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Approximate Word count = 1118
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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