How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back

City-Journal.org ^ | Summer, 2003 | John H. McWhorter

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

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[technochick99]

The lyrics HOTG used in his example would incite someone to be a criminal, a gunslinger and to hate.

What about punk music?

[Smogger]

To me music is a matter of personal tastes.

The point of rap music is rebellion and to offend "adults."

If people over the age of say 40 don't find in loud and offensive then they are doing something wrong. Personally, I listen to it all day long most of it is commercial crap (everything that gets radio play), but some of it is original, imaginative, and humorous (if offensive).

I didn't read the entire long winded article but IMHO the author demonstrates his ignorance of the subject by overlooking one key point (often overlooked by people who don't listen to it)

In rap music the lyrics are secondary to the music itself. Which is to say the beat. I listen to rap all day every day and I even I can't understand the 3/4 of the lyrics to these songs. Your lucky if you can make out the hook (chorus.)

[dfwgator]

I think a lot of punk rock railed against the hyprocrisy of the boomers and the "peace and love" hippies. In fact, probably the most strong statement against abortion came from none other than the Sex Pistols in the song "Bodies."

[rockfish59]

White punks on dope!

Mom and Dad live in Hollywood
Hang myself WHEN I GET ENOUGH ROPE!

[rockfish59]

Or.....White dopes on punk!

[Fraulein]

No parents and a world without any real role models for kids...

[OPS4]

Bull, If it is gangster rap in downtown Detroit, or
downtown Oakland, you will not find that to be true.

If the Eminem crowd shows up it is in clubs that are allready white bread.

And the view of the world when seeing 50 cent on T.V.,
is not what mainstream blacks wish to be viewed as.

Ops4 God BLess America!

[smith288]

Too much money to be made to have a conscience about making gangsta rap.

[rockfish59]

The latest idiot!

[bk1000]

'Are you kidding? You could get thrown in jail for a hate crime if you tried to do something like that! /sarcasm'

sarcasm tag not needed here. It is (sadly) the truth!

[Clemenza]

So completely was rap ingrained in their consciousness that every so often, one or another of them would break into cocky, expletive-laden rap lyrics, accompanied by the angular, bellicose gestures typical of rap performance. A couple of his buddies would then join him. Rap was a running decoration in their conversation.

Yeah, Rap "retards" alright. I see these morons on the subways and in the streets all the time. Even many of the Arab kids in my nabe walk around "rhymin' and stealin'" (I'm OLD SCHOOL here), which in my circles, would be evidence of severe retardation.

[bk1000]

Kids don't listen to Johnny Cash. Adults are not as impressionable. Sure, we had questionable lyrics in the
'70s, but benign compared to the violence and total lack
of respect for any aspect of society present in rap.
I think a lot of it is intended simply to intimidate
whitey. Those thugs aren't nearly so tough acting when
alone.

[wbill]

Punk? Let me throw my 2c in here.

I've been listening to ska and punk for a loooooong time....started in H.S. Still enjoy it, 15 years later.

Like a lot of kids, I started listening to p*ss my father off. It worked.

I like it because it's a good outlet. I like a lot of the people that are in the culture because of their individualism. The people in it that I know run from the ultra-conservative to the ultra liberal, but I think that most would feel very much at home here on FR because they are thinkers that can't stand the herd mentality.

Finally, I'd like to put in two qualifiers here......1) there are two types of punk. The pre-washed, bland, pop, MTV variety and the underground variety. I'd include myself in the latter. 2)The pictures of punk fans with spiked hairdos and safety pins in their noses, largely just make good press. Yes, these people exist - you see them at every show - but most of the fans look like Joe and Jane average. You'd also be surprised at the number of people that take out the earrings and hairspikes after the show, get in their Lexus, and go to their professional job. I'm in IT management, guy that I see shows with is VP in a large bank. Go figure! :-)

[Clemenza]

The biggest cause of decline in civility in America has been because the average man is now afraid to do his part to enforce "the code".

That's because there are now two types of people in New York: Spineless yuppies from places like California and thugs such as those in this article.

[honeygrl]

good point.

[Clemenza]

White punks on dope?

When I was 15, I was a white dope on punk!

[sasafras]

You are right on the mark - most of rap is centered around hate and putting down the "man" (whites). Democrats and Republicans know it but liberals wont say anything because part of their power is to keep their base stupid. Republicans are just whimps afraid of the media and putting money and power ahead of morals and truth.

Name one RAP star that can play a musical instrument? Idiots all of them.

[ICX]

LMFAO!!!

Did you do that yourself or did you find that somewhere? That is one of the funniest things I've ever read!

[B Knotts]

ROFL

Hilarious!

And accurate!