Rep. Brings Hammer Down On Lyrics

On September 25th, a Congressional hearing was called by Representative Bobby L. Rush, Democrat of Illinois, about the explicit content of one of the America's most listened to music genre, rap. After having executives from the music industry read out some lyrics of the popular rapper, 50 Cent, the question of has the music industry done all it could to protect younger listeners to this graphic and explicit content was raised. Mr. Rush stated that he was not against rap, but the negative influence that the lyrics enforces, he is totally against. Edgar Bronfman Jr,, chairman of the Warner Music Group, rebutted that the essence of the lyrics is "in the eye of the beholder". After Bronfman and Chairman of Universal Music Group, Doug Morris, were questioned about the explicit content of the music they are putting out, they said that all efforts would be futile due to the easy access of downloading the same content on the internet. Either way the children would hear it. Viacom, the parent company of MTV and Bet, Radio One, and the video game company, Take-Two Interactive Software were questioned over the content they air out to younger viewers and listeners. Rapper David Banner told reporters that there has been gang violence in the U.S even before rap became popular. "I can admit that there are some problems in hip-hop, but it is only a reflection of what is taking place in our society. Hip-hop is sick because America is sick.”



This cracking down on questionable content in music isn't the first time this has occurred in America. Many bands of the 60's, during a time of America's Sexual Revolution, where sex and drugs were a prominent force of the country, were forced to censor many of their lyrics that had to do with getting high or sexual acts. Many blamed juvenile delinquency on bands such as The Doors or Led Zeppelin who sung about sex and drugs. During the mid 70's, bands such as Black Sabbath ruled the airwaves which brought a scare too parents who thought that the bands lead singer, Ozzy Osbourne, was a Satan worshiper to the Gothic way he would dress and his fascination of death and hell.









http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/washington/26rap.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

http://www.noisebetweenstations.com/personal/essays/music_censorship.html