Who’s ready for a trip down memory lane? (Indeed I’ve recently been going through some older files and writings looking for overlooked gems.)
[Note- This whole situation came about in the wake of Don Imus’s ‘nappy-headed hoes’ comment made about the Rutgers women’s basketball team.]
On Wednesday April 18th, 2007 this mini-editorial was published on the front page of the Sioux City Journal:
"Although I'm not a fan of Don Imus, I do believe some are carrying this whole thing too far. The man has apologized and hopefully he has learned something from this ordeal. To lambaste him for one ill-chosen remark is overboard compared to what our young people are exposed to when they listen to the rap "artists" who use foul language, encourage violence, and debase women."
--Konnie Post, Sioux City.
My initial response, “You done did it now Konnie!” Yeah, I figured it was solely my duty to defend Hip-Hop in the press.
So I pretty much immediately put pen to ink (more like fingers to keys) and cooked up a response.
It was reprinted and published by the Sioux City Journal on Sunday, April 22nd, 2007 as a mini-editorial on page 1.
"To constantly lambaste and scapegoat a whole genre of music founded upon the spreading of knowledge is going overboard. Pigeonholing every Hip-Hop artist as a money-hungry, female-degrading, non-talent puts you in the same boat as Don Imus and his unfounded remarks. Hip-Hop is broader than what kids are bombarded with in fickle pop culture."
BAM!!
Where do you stand? Did my words serve Hip-Hop well?
[Note- This whole situation came about in the wake of Don Imus’s ‘nappy-headed hoes’ comment made about the Rutgers women’s basketball team.]
On Wednesday April 18th, 2007 this mini-editorial was published on the front page of the Sioux City Journal:
"Although I'm not a fan of Don Imus, I do believe some are carrying this whole thing too far. The man has apologized and hopefully he has learned something from this ordeal. To lambaste him for one ill-chosen remark is overboard compared to what our young people are exposed to when they listen to the rap "artists" who use foul language, encourage violence, and debase women."
--Konnie Post, Sioux City.
My initial response, “You done did it now Konnie!” Yeah, I figured it was solely my duty to defend Hip-Hop in the press.
So I pretty much immediately put pen to ink (more like fingers to keys) and cooked up a response.
It was reprinted and published by the Sioux City Journal on Sunday, April 22nd, 2007 as a mini-editorial on page 1.
"To constantly lambaste and scapegoat a whole genre of music founded upon the spreading of knowledge is going overboard. Pigeonholing every Hip-Hop artist as a money-hungry, female-degrading, non-talent puts you in the same boat as Don Imus and his unfounded remarks. Hip-Hop is broader than what kids are bombarded with in fickle pop culture."
BAM!!
Where do you stand? Did my words serve Hip-Hop well?
~~~~~~
ReplyDeleteOn April 22, 2007 at 8:16 PM Katy Knight said (via Myspace):
”I think both sides possess their strengths. While Konnie was in the wrong to point the finger at the vast hip-hop community as a whole, she does have a poorly-worded point. I think discussing the particular people who are attacking Imus is a more effective way to go about it. Snoop [Dogg], for example, was one of the first people to say that he hopes that Imus never gets back on the air. When I think of a conscious musician or lyricist, Snoop-a-loop isn't exactly at the top of my list, or anywhere on it for that matter.
I support free speech, and I think that is the key issue at hand. I don't like all of Snoop's music, for example (let’s face it, Doggystyle was the top of his game, and that was some time ago), but if I don't like it, I turn it. People are so easily offended that everyone feels the need to walk around on eggshells. There are a good handful of radio talk show hosts that make my blood boil, and I could very easily get offended by much of what they say because of my being female, liberal, non-Christian, or any other given number of qualities. But, I just turn the dial. I appreciate my right to boast about what I believe, so I support the right of others to do the same, no matter how I feel about their views.
I do agree with Konnie that people have gone overboard with their attacks on Imus. I also think that to attempt to censor or berate any lyricist would be a major step backward, and acts only as a hinderance to artistic expression.
There is a pretty obvious generation gap in those who typically enjoy the messages that hip-hop music has to share with us. The older generations tend to flip past MTV and see some rapper with half-naked strippers singing about why he's hot or how big his rims are, and they chalk it up to garbage. They hear foul language coming from their children's stereos and dismiss the entire genre as artistically devoid shock value.
These things will never change. As long as there are major differences in society, there are going to be vastly differing views on what is and is not acceptable and what we are allowed to say about our differences. There are double standards everywhere. It’s okay to say that blondes are stupid, but not anybody else. Wal-Mart will sell rated R movies, but won't sell any unedited rap albums. Silly examples, but I think they get the jist of my point across. People are going to attack other people for their race, their sexuality, even the music they listen to. Perhaps the most important thing we that we can do is acknowledge how imperative it is to discuss these issues. It's our responsibility as humans to discuss our ethics, and discuss the essential role that art plays in the human experience. Without such, we would never appreciate the real values that our passions and our qualities possess, and we would never learn from mistakes of the past.
Anyway...since I basically think both sides have very good points, I probably didn't help much. Just thought I'd chime in with my two cents.”