Rap and Violence Go Hand In Hand

Gangsta Rap and Violence Go Hand in Hand

"Mr. Officer, I want to see you layin' in a coffin, sir," from The Chronic and "F--- the police," from N.W.A., are few lyrics from the music genre "Gangsta rap." This kind of music is being sold to young children without any thought of concern. When many children listen to this kind of music they think that was being said in the songs is not wrong or against the law. The lyrics in many songs contain violent and explicit lyrics that usually talk about killing someone along with sounds of gunshots in the background. It is also music that refers to women as "bitches," "whores" and sex-dispensing "hos"(Saunders B29). "Gangsta rap " has been criticized and debated over for its graphic sexual content, violent imagery and misogyny. When rappers were asked why they refer to women as bitches and hos their replies were similar. "Snoop" says, "that it is just for the women who are like that and if you're a real women, you're classy and elegant. Those lyrics wouldn’t necessarily affect you. You’d just groove to the music" (Farley 78). Richard Shaw, Bushwick Bill, says: "I call women bitches and hos because all the women I've met since I've been out here are bitches and hos." When asked, at the [National Association of Black Journalists] convention, what he calls his mother he says, "I call her a 'woman', but I'm not f---ing my mother. If I was f---ing you, you'd be a bitch." He then apologized for what he said to the reporter. (Raspberry A21) "If you don't give a f--- about a bitch/ Then you're rolling with the row", are lyrics from

Hawkins 2

Doggystyle. If all people were to think like this what respect would women have. Some say, "if we don't have respect for our women, why should anyone else?" (Raspberry A21). Do these rappers think that they own women and can treat them any way they want to. If this is the way some people think, that the own women and can dis respect them then what footsteps are the children going to follow in. Young children and adults, 14, 15 and 16 years of age, who listen and memorize these rap songs think that it is acceptable behavior. "Gangsta Rap" is hardly the only source of violence, but it is a potent one. Not only is the music violent but the rappers lifestyle is also. Many rappers have rap sheets and young people see that and say, "hey, their rich and money talks." Today most young people think that if a person is rich and famous they can get away with anything.

Not all rappers have run-ins with the law, but the ones that do are very well known. Tupac Shakur, who recently was murdered this year, has had many run-ins with the law. Shakur was arrested for aggravated assault, charged with shooting two off duty police officers in Atlanta in 1993, but the charges were later dropped. He was accused of beating a limousine driver in Los Angeles and found guilty of threatening a fellow rapper with a baseball bat in Michigan. He was also found guilty of sexual abuse in 1994 and was serving time up to 4 Ѕ years in prison (Sims E3). In some raps he glamorized the life of a gangster and fun gunplay. He lived the life tattooed on his stomach, "Thug Life," and died doing it. “Gangsta Rap" has attracted a high-profile of enemies and no one may ever know who really killed Tupak. The police are still not sure of who shot and killed Tupak, but they think that it may have been linked to Death Row Record's ties with rival gangs. There are no witnesses who can identify the driver or shooter in

Hawkins 3

the Cadillac that pulled up next to Tupak and driver, Marion Knight.

Calvin Broadus, better known as Snoop Doggy Dogg, was arrested in 1993 on murder-conspiracy charges. He pleaded not guilty and was acquitted. He also has a police file that

identifies him as a member of Long Beach