Preview

Freedom of Speech

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
550 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Speech
Originally rap music has been around since 1926 and was not as popular back then as it is now. Teenagers to adults listen to an average of two point five (2.5) maybe three (3) hours of music per day. Study shown in 1 of 3 of the songs played contains explicit language and reference to drugs alcohol or women. Ice Cube’s album entitled ‘Death Certificate’ sends messages that bluntly and descriptively threatens violence against homosexuals, women, whites who exploit blacks, whites who covet black women, Korean shopkeepers and police officers. Jon Pareles who wrote the article, ‘Should Ice Cube Voice be Chilled? ’argues from several different point of views on why Cube’s album should not be sold. The article also argues that his voice should be chilled because of violent lyrics and threats towards which it addresses.
Jon Pareles made his argument by simply using different responses and groups to show why the album should not be sold and should be edited. For example, the Simon Wiesenthal Center is Jewish human rights group who demanded four major record stores chains to cease in selling the album. The called it ‘cultural Molotov cocktail’. After listening to it, the Center realizes how quickly this album is going to explode in the minds and ears of young and old listeners. Another example was ‘Black Korea’ which according to Ice Cube meant Korean shopkeepers who follow the customer throughout the store to ensure they do not steal. This section of the album did not just scratched below the surface but stirred a nationwide boycott. The Korean- American Coalition did not take this lightly, they condemned and deleted it. In an editorial review, a response by James Bernard favored censoring the lyrics because some people are too thin-skinned. Also, Mr. Bernard knew that these types of issue people are force to face on a day to day basis.
Why did Ice Cube use such blunt and threatening lyrics? Ice Cube was born and raised in an area polluted with crime,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Hip hop culture in general has nurtured a dualism within messages sent by lyrics. Nowhere was this duality more evident than the music of Tupac Shakur. As music reflected his reality and at times he’d reference women with derogatory terms, however he showed a level of responsibility with songs such as “Dear Mama” and “Brenda’s got a baby”. The lack of respect was noticed by many. Stress and the need to make a hit increased, he became a sex symbol along with a flock of “haters” trying to kill him. The flirtation with the materialistic trappings that the RAP game has to offer. “Forced laughter”(Shock-G), it was that Tupac was unhappy and this was speaks through his…

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    McLune wrote about the discrimination of black women throughout hip-hop. The dominate rhetorical appeal used by McLune is pathos, which “is an emotional appeal that involves using language that will stair the feelings of the audience” (Hooper, etal 86). She complains about being a black woman and hearing the excuses for men when they talk about women in hip-hop and how it is just okay with society. McLune is also irate about the fact that Eve, who is a female rapper raps about women in a bad way and doesn’t seem to think that, that is not right. Another type of appeal McLune uses is logos “which demonstrates an effective use of reason and judicious use of evidence” (Hooper, etal 86). Back in the 60s it was wrong and considered unfair to demonize colored men, but yet the men in today’s society are disrespecting colored women. The author explains how record labels exploit this and benefit off of the disrespect artist show black women. The least used appeal by McLune is ethos “which establishes the speaker’s or writer’s credibility” (Hooper, etal 86). Hip-hop owes its success to woman hating. Few artist dare to be different and not speak badly about women and the ones that do, they don’t make it clear that they feel it’s disrespectful for rappers to demoralize women which is not good in…

    • 1266 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    2 Live Crew, Decoded

    • 887 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Many people, even today feel as though morals should be included in everything that people do. Rap music has always had explicit language but 2 Live Crew was never vague and never felt that they had to cover anything up or make it sound more clean than it really was. They felt that the First Amendment backed them up and made it okay for them to say whatever it is they wanted to say. This text focuses on how people interpret the music rather than what it says. Many people interpret things different ways. People make assumptions of what words mean instead of studying these words.…

    • 887 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nowadays, many racist and corrupt words are being used in hip-hop and rap music. Unfortunately, this genre of music is always played on the radio which is the main reason to why kids, in our time, know and use a lot of these inconvenient words. The only sensational conclusion people came up with to stop the use of such lyrics is the banning of corrupt terms from hip-hop and rap music and the prohibition of these inappropriate words is what John H. McWhorter discusses in “Banning Words from Hip-Hop and Rap Music Would Be Beneficial” (2008). McWhorter’s an African American man and the author of many books on languages and on race relations. His previous works show us that he has the capability of writing about the use of language-related topic.…

    • 154 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abba Tha Police Analysis

    • 1843 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Indeed, law enforcement were so frightened of the message in the lyrics that The Federal Bureau of Investigation took action. The Federal Bureau of Investigation sent a letter to Priority Ruthless Records stating that “Advocating violence and assault is wrong, and we in the law enforcement community take no exception to such action…I wanted you to be aware of the FBI’s position relative to the song and its message.” Yet, this letter did not stop N.W.A. from performing the song on stage. The explicit content of the song led many radios to ban it from playing. “Even without any radio play or media coverage the album still managed to become an underground hit” (Cooper, “Hip-Hop &…

    • 1843 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “By 1980s, Hip Hop had become an influential culture throughout United States. Hip Hop artists became signs of the popular culture after releasing successful songs, appearing in several televisions and radio shows, and winning awards. The main artists in this period included Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, Tung Twista, Quincy Jones, Ice-T, and Snoop Dogg,” (Persaud, 631). “During this period, Hip Hop experienced censorship after realize of a song that was seen by the FBI to causes violence and disrespect the police,” (Gordon, 369). Many Hip Hop musicians releasing songs during this period faced numerous lawsuits because some institutions thought the songs were controversial. Recording companies started to be strict with the lyrics included in the songs. Realizing a song in the first half of 1990s was very challenging due to censorship. The 2000s marked the fourth decade of Hip Hop. Hip Hop music…

    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Hip Hop music industry is infamous for being controversial. In the article Hip Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women there’s a debate on whether the exploitation and constant verbal slander of women should be acceptable just because it sales records. It presents the question that why is it that male poverty breeds sexism? Even though women may have lived in the same environment males still see women as the enemy in their music in an effort to sell records.…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The moral focus on music should be about respect. Even tough some individuals doesn't have a problem with not respecting themselves by exploiting their personal lives but, exploiting the individuals that lives in the similar situations is completely wrong. This writer had experienced many biases and ideas from white people that were totally wrong. They believed since the writer is black, he has experiences violence which is depicted in highly publicizes hip hop music. People from other culture listen to hip hop music and has formulated thoughts from the language and actions of the music. At times, many individuals who are black understands that people from other cultures believes that they all from broken homes and know somebody that sells narcotics. Now the black culture is misrepresented and has trouble erasing that…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The release of The Slim Shady LP was the beginning of Eminem’s ride to the hip-hop hall of fame and it was with this album that Eminem was truly able to transcend racial boundaries. Hip-hop as a sub-culture more specifically its product, rap, had set racial boundaries early on with many of the popular artists being of African American decent. Rap music is unique and different from typical pop music because “most rappers write their own lyrics, because the lyrics represent their feelings and true life” (Satriawati 3) and the black artists wrote about the struggles in their lives such as, overcoming race and unequal representation of all black people living in the United States. Eminem, having grown up with similar conditions, but with a different skin color writes about his own struggle and about some of the controversies dealing with white men and women in the 1990’s. Eminem’s “My Name Is” music video explores the realm of controversy surrounding whiteness with clips of Eminem mocking the Clinton scandal, Marylin Manson, homoerotic sexual relations between students and teachers and of course drug abusing mothers along with several others. Eminem uses these controversy generators as ammo for his weapon of whiteness self-realization. (Stubbs 37)…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cited: Krohn, Franklin and Suazo, Frances. “Contemporary urban music: controversial messages in hip-hop and rap lyrics.” 1995.…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Violence In Rap Music

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The association of violence with alcohol also increased, but the relationship was not as pronounced as that with drugs, Explanations for the rise of gangster rap and violence in rap music have tended to focus on two basic themes. Representatives from the music and other media industries have argued that media violence is a reflection of actual social trends. Echoing this perspective, some scholars have focused on the structural conditions – oppressive economic and social conditions, the crack cocaine drug trade and ensuing drug war, and high levels of police brutality – within urban ghettos that promote violent themes in rap music. Within this framework, other writers have focused on the violent lifestyles of major rap artists as an explanation for the rising tide of violence in the…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Music Lyrics being NON-VIOLENT Rap music can be considered a style of art, and a way for the artists to express feelings through their words on paper. However, there are quite a few rap artists that get criticized for their lyrics. In my essay, I want to discuss why rappers use certain lyrics in their music and why people shouldn’t believe that it causes violence among the younger generations. People shouldn’t censor the music just because of violent, vulgar and abusive messages it promotes to the world. I believe in my own mind, that there is a reason for these types of lyrics that rap artists use and I will simply explain those reasons in this essay. Rap has been called one of the most important music forces to emerge in two decades. It’s pounding beats and staccato rhymes exploded on the streets of the urban America in the early 1980s and since have become the theme music and lyrical heart of the vibrant youth culture called hip-hop ( SIRS 1993). There are many different types of rap artist. There are some that talk about money, some talk about righteousness, and the list goes on and on. Every rap artist had their own way of expressing themselves. There are those that talk about sex, drugs, and violence who receive the negative attention( SIRS 1993). People, think this so- called gangster rap is a bad influence on children in the world and that it promotes violence and that it also is abusive to women. Delores Tucker, head of national congress of black women has been among those pressuring different record companies to stop distributing gangster rap music. There were other significant names that participated in this action. Names like Senate Majority leader Bob dole, and former education Secretary William J. Bennett(Surveys, pg. 1). There are some rap artists that have been openly criticized for their lyrics. Rappers like Lil Kim, Too Short, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and a member from “Too Live Crew,” named Luke Skywalker. These rap artists in the past have been…

    • 1708 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Violence in Rap Music

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Rap music has become more of a distinctive music genre over the past few decades. Rap music and hip hop is only good for dance and for parties too. Sources of information that describe people growing oppression, and declining for advancement. Its sounds, images, and attitude consist of the people, races and cultures. There are many rappers in the business who use negative and bad language such as Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, Public Enemy, Ice-T, N.W.A., Ice Cube, Salt 'n' Pepa, Queen Latifah, Wu-Tang Clan, and Snoop Doggy Dog. Most of these rappers are the most influential and controversial groups in the history of African American rap music .The violence largely came from rowdy gangs in the audience. The people of today should encourage them to stay in school and avoid drugs and gangs. The different clothing, jewelry, and hairstyles changed rapidly and often reflected most groups. Violent lyrics cause violent behavior. Rap music is an art form that reflects life. Rap music created a commercial product. Between rap lyrics and violence they are overvalued. Hip hop is form of art and expression just as any of kind of music. When rappers rap they speak upon what happen in their life or what happen in the hood. In today society as black folks we are the most influence people of the race. Why? The beats, rhythms, and lyrics we listen to make us do what others do. The violence in rap music is increasing worldwide and the younger generation is affected by it. The words rappers say make people out here in the world behave a certain way. Such as killing, harassment, bullying, and rape. The music is being criticized by the crime, violence, racism and misogyny. In the news everyday there is something a rapper says that affect the people. It is negative.…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Music Censorship

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages

    I enjoy and love music very much. I feel that music artists should have the right to freely express their work and I feel that I should argue about the censorship attacks on these artists. I’m tired of listening to a good song on the radio with some of the words censored. It ruins the song and I can’t stand it. Some people think that rap is a bad influence and causes the young to behave badly. But I think all this censoring has something to do with racism because it is mostly black people singing the songs. The first website list the good side and bad side of rap censorship. I think half of this site is pretty good to use for my paper. The second website has a lot of information for my readers but the author has no definite side on the issue and can’t be used to persuade my readers. The last two websites are essays about censorship and wouldn’t be good sources of information for my readers because some of the sources might not be trustable. We must stop the censoring of art and let the artists freely express their music because everyone deserves to express him or herself the way they want.…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Gangsta Rap Thesis

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In the 1980s, we saw many different genres of music emerge, genres such as Pop, Rock, and R&B. But a new genre emerged that sparked a lot of controversy: “Gangsta Rap” otherwise known as Hip Hop. Rappers/Rap groups such as NWA, Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, and more changed the industry with catchy tunes and lyrics that talked about hard topics like slavery, violence, and police brutality. These lyrics sometimes caused major conflict, whether between races or with civilians and police. Hip Hop was very controversial in the 80s. “Gangsta rap” has caused a lot of controversy, many people protested this music in the late 80s and 90s due to the message within its lyrics and what those lyrics conveyed. Many accused “Gangsta Rap” for promoting things such as crime, killings, profanity, drugs, sex, racism, and more. But Gangsta rap doesn’t influence this type of lifestyle; it’s telling a story/conveying a message of the individuals who wrote the lyrics.…

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics