The Message of the Music

On a typical day for me, a 20-year old who is a longtime hip-hop fan, I’ll flick through the TV channels searching for something related to hip-hop music. I flick through the channels and land on BET’s 106^th and Park video countdown hoping to be updated on the new hot hip-hop songs.

While watching, I notice a startling trend in the videos. I see that nearly all of the songs have either violent or sexual content in their lyrics and in their videos. What is alarming about this realization is that a great deal of 106’s and Park’s viewers are young teens.

Now don’t get me wrong I enjoy seeing videos with beautiful women, flashy cars, and not to mention a catchy song. However, when only these types of videos and songs become the majority of what’s played on the radio and TV, that can be a problem.

Within the last 25 years there has been a great deal of discussion of the content of hip-hop music. We’ve all heard the negative words which people commonly associate with hip-hop music and its culture. The words “violent” and “misogynistic” seem to be two of the most commonly used terms when describing the content of the music.

There have been numerous efforts to address and condemn the negative themes in hip-hop throughout its history. One of the most memorable efforts was that of former Vice-President Dan Quayle who spoke against artists such as Ice-T and Tupac Shakur, whose lyrics he perceived to promote violence against police.

Ironically, even people who once considered themselves freedom fighters for African-Americans through the civil rights movement have been vocal in speaking against hip-hop, which is considered one of the treasures of African-American culture. Figures like C. Delores Tucker, Rev. Calvin Butts, and Rev. Jesse Jackson have all at one time or another have publicly criticized hip-hop music for its content

Even some hip-hop artists and fans themselves criticize the music which they perceive to have grown more commercialized, being less about the art and more about the money. Many of these types of hip fans believe that artists should show more complex lyricism, speak on social issues and try to uplift their communities with more positive messages.

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Posted by:

Marvin DeBose Jr

Glenn Beck taunts Malia Obama on air

I was trying to find the right words to illustrate this vicious, creepy, pointless, moronic, undignified attack on a child who happens to be the youngest daughter of the President of the United States by Glenn Beck, when I realized that no words were necessary. Just listen up:

Just listen to this clip, to two grown men chuckling and bullying and delighting in their verbal mockery of a young child, and then go do something nice for someone who deserves it. There’s no better way to combat Beck’s crassness then by ignoring it and acting like a freaking decent human being. If only Beck’s family, friends, and producers encouraged the same behavior in him. Soapbox out.

Posted by:

Sam Patton

We’ve Come So…Far?

Check out this smart video that shows how far we’ve come since the Bechdel Test was created in 1985 (I was around two year old then btw).

“The Bechdel Test is a simple way to gauge the active presence of female characters in Hollywood films and just how well rounded and complete those roles are. It was created by Allison Bechdel in her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For in 1985. It is astonishing the number of popular movies that can’t pass this simple test. It demonstrates how little women’s complex and interesting lives are underrepresented or non existent in the film industry. We have jobs, creative projects, friendships and struggles among many other things that are actually interesting in our lives… so Hollywood, start writing about it.”

Posted by:

Moni'ca Brown

We Do Read The Newspaper, Obama. Thanks.

Big shout out to a former LYVEF employee! Last night, Kip Williams, co-founder of the gay rights group GetEqual, called out on Obama on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell during a fundraising speech for Barbara Boxer.

The President’s response was disappointing, at best. He told Kip that he should “buy a ticket to a guy who doesn’t support his point of view, and then you can yell as much as you want there”, and that he must “not be reading the newspapers”.

There’s no point in yelling at “a guy who doesn’t support” repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell when there’s a guy who does and has the power to make it happen but just isn’t doing it.

Check out Kip’s letter about the exchange and join the call for Obama to issue an Executive Order repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell!

Posted by:

Rachel Bishop

What A Difference A Year Makes

Posted by:

Kwesi Low