It’s about time. Someone in the national spotlight and within the African-American community is stepping up and speaking out. Finally someone has gotten some sense and mustered the courage to voice his outrage at the current state of the Rap and Hip-Hop culture so many urban youths emulate. But is it enough? Who else will step up and demand change? Sharpton? Jackson? I doubt it. That would, in the words of Cam’ron (see article below), damage their street cred.
Russell Simmons has called for a moratorium on the use of three particularly derogatory terms as reported on The Independent today:
Yesterday, he called for a voluntary ban on the three words he considers the most unacceptable, and among the most common, describing "bitch", "ho" and "nigger" as "extreme curse words" that were inconsistent with any sense of social responsibility by rap artists or their record companies.
"The words 'bitch' and 'ho' are utterly derogatory and disrespectful of the painful, hurtful, misogyny that, in particular, African American women have experienced in the United States," Simmons' organisation, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, said in a statement.
"The word 'nigger' is a racially derogatory term that disrespects the pain, suffering, history of racial oppression and multiple forms of racism against African Americans and other people of colour," it added.
As far as I am concerned these are bold and gutsy words. While many will fault him, calling this a hollow attempt, I say: at least he is making an attempt! What have the rest of you done?
Cam’ron, a rapper from New York, spouts anti-social drivel such as his refusal to call police even if he lived next to a mass-murder is exactly what’s wrong with society. He is not a man; he is a spoiled child who is so morally bankrupt he condones violence as the answer to all disputes even to the point of killing another. He and his like express themselves in the basest of language which only serves to glamorize the worst elements of society. They perpetuate the stereotypes and degrade their own race by doing so, all in the name of the almighty dollar.
Record companies must follow the lead that Simmons has taken. They must stop producing recordings laced with expletives and hate. Merchants need to stop selling CDs and related merchandise. Radio stations must refuse to play songs with lyrics glorifying violence and hate. And parent must stop allowing their children to listen to this filth. Its time to take back your neighborhoods. And it must start from within.
Simmons has opened the door, who has the courage to follow?
Russell Simmons has called for a moratorium on the use of three particularly derogatory terms as reported on The Independent today:
Yesterday, he called for a voluntary ban on the three words he considers the most unacceptable, and among the most common, describing "bitch", "ho" and "nigger" as "extreme curse words" that were inconsistent with any sense of social responsibility by rap artists or their record companies.
"The words 'bitch' and 'ho' are utterly derogatory and disrespectful of the painful, hurtful, misogyny that, in particular, African American women have experienced in the United States," Simmons' organisation, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, said in a statement.
"The word 'nigger' is a racially derogatory term that disrespects the pain, suffering, history of racial oppression and multiple forms of racism against African Americans and other people of colour," it added.
As far as I am concerned these are bold and gutsy words. While many will fault him, calling this a hollow attempt, I say: at least he is making an attempt! What have the rest of you done?
Cam’ron, a rapper from New York, spouts anti-social drivel such as his refusal to call police even if he lived next to a mass-murder is exactly what’s wrong with society. He is not a man; he is a spoiled child who is so morally bankrupt he condones violence as the answer to all disputes even to the point of killing another. He and his like express themselves in the basest of language which only serves to glamorize the worst elements of society. They perpetuate the stereotypes and degrade their own race by doing so, all in the name of the almighty dollar.
Record companies must follow the lead that Simmons has taken. They must stop producing recordings laced with expletives and hate. Merchants need to stop selling CDs and related merchandise. Radio stations must refuse to play songs with lyrics glorifying violence and hate. And parent must stop allowing their children to listen to this filth. Its time to take back your neighborhoods. And it must start from within.
Simmons has opened the door, who has the courage to follow?
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