Essay about Rap And Censorship - 2102 Words

The beginnings of rap are believed to based on African rhythms which were used as a form of communication by the native peoples. The lyrical component of rap music is thought to have been greatly influenced by Cab Calloway with his repetitive chants and scats, along with his call-and-response technique with the audience. Rap evolved and gained in popularity in the 1960s when a few revolutionary quot;DJs,quot; including Kool DJ Herc, DJ Lovebug Starski, and DJ Hollywood, began to work block parties in the Bronx. They would bring in large speakers, hook them up to a turntable and play two of the same record at the same time, repeating the same section of the vinyl over and over by scratching it. Other performers would chant and yell†¦show more content†¦Zappas idea was dismissed, but the ideas of warning labels and ratings were reviewed, with the eventual recommendation that recording companies label their music based on content. Who determined content, and how, became the issue as demonstrated by the treatment of the 1992 album quot;Death Certificatequot; by the quot;Gangstaquot; rapper, Ice Cube. This album was determined to be so profane that Billboard Magazine asked merchandisers to refuse to sell or advertise it. Ice Cubes British label, Island Records, then edited two of the albums tracks before selling it and without obtaining permission from Ice Cube to alter his recording. In one of these edited songs, quot;No Vaselinequot;, Ice Cube raps about his former N.W.A. bandmates with lyrics such as quot; Yo Dre†¦ you been a dick, Eazy-E saw your ass and went in it quick. quot;Tried to dis Ice Cube but it wasnt worth it, cause the broomstick fits your ass so perfect.quot; The language of these lyrics may be offensive to many, but if a buyer or a retailer is discouraged because of the warning label, listeners might also miss out on a song like quot;Alive on Arrival.quot; In this song Ice Cube describes what its like to seek treatment at South Central L.A.s much under-funded Martin Luther King Hospital. quot;Look at the waiting room, its filled to the brim like the County Jail day-room, nobodys getting help, since were poor the hospital moves slow†¦ then I beginShow MoreRelatedMusic Censorship1016 Words   |  5 PagesKevin Ung Professor Vazquez English 101 October 9, 2007 Music Censorship 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 censoringRead MoreTeen Music And The Music1130 Words   |  5 Pagesviolent lyrics, research has disproven any conspiratorial links between the music and violent behavior. In fact, it can be used resourcefully instead, unless censorship removes that resource. Teen music, specifically hip-hop and rap, should not be censored because the lyrics can be a useful teaching tool; society suffers from all forms of censorship; and no clearly proven link exists between violent teen behavior and urban music. 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There should be no restrictions held against playing of rap music. Music that we listen to constructs the sound track of our lives. The number one killer in creative speech is censorship. Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much