Hip Hop Censership

Hip-hop music like all other forms of music is a form of art. It is a unique type of music based on a beat and lyrics flowing along with the b

In this quote there is a message that shows the disgust of how the freedoms in our country aren’t respected. Relating all of this to the hip hops industry, censorship of the music and video’s is going to “suffocate” or hide the culture. Censorship puts limits on the artists like an animal in a cage and this will not allow the culture to “come out” along with the music. The songs have to be totally changed to fit the standards of the radio and television stations, this destroys the integrity of the artist along with the song itself. Imposing a rating system on the music and video’s would give parents and their children an idea on the lyrical content of the music and warn them before they buy or listen to it, but the destruction or censorship of the hip hop music and culture must stop.

Along with the music, there is more to the hip-hop culture. This includes the DJ mixing skills on the turntables, break dancing, tagging or graffiti, the fashion known as “street wear”, and other ways to represent and express hip-hop. At a conference held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “Hip Hop: A Cultural Expression”, a sold out auditorium watched and listened to speakers and performers express the meaning of hip-hop and the culture it has created. Among the many speakers KRS One is one that is well known for his knowledge of the hip-hop culture. He said, “You cannot study us to know us," he said. "We are not an artifact. ... We are art in effect." Going along with this, Grandmaster Caz said, “We needed an outlet for our creative expression” and “Everybody wasn't into the gang thing. Everybody wasn't into disco dancing, stuff like that”. These quotes from powerful people in the hip hop industry show how hip hop music and the whole culture is a way for people to express who they are and what the believe. All the bad things that are blamed on this music give the music a bad image and does not allow these people they way to express themselves the way they deserve. Freedom of speech is supposed to allow people to say what they want as long as it doesn’t harm someone else. Does the content in hip-hop music really harm other people or make the listeners harm other people? In an essay by Plato, he says, “ We must also rid of all that terrifying language, the very sound of which is enough to make one shiver….” This was him criticizing the poems of another poet Homer. This is the same principle as censorship of music, and both cases take away from the message of the authors. Are the words in the poems or in the music of hip hop offensive to the reader or listener, if they are then the person shouldn’t listen to or read them, and not complain and ruin the work of the artist.

Some topics in this essay:
Donald Kennedy, , Jimi Hendrix, Grandmaster Caz, Memory Of”, Guru Tons, Stuart Mill, Gang Starr, Hass Orange, Gang Starr’s, hip hop, hip-hop music, hop music, hip hop music, o' guns, tons o' guns, tons o', hip hop industry, hip-hop culture, -gang starr, gang starr’s, hip-hop industry, integrity artist, gang starr’s songs, truth…” -gang starr,