After Imus: Rap Deserves a Slap in the Face

I bought Snoop Doggy Dog's album back in the day. It was entertaining, but very degrading and raunchy. So I stopped listening to it. I agree with Ms. Symmonds points. We must learn from this and progress from this. But I often wonder how/when/ or even why Snoop became the ambassador of hip-hop culture to main stream media. Why does he get to speak for people with melanin? Did I miss some sort of election? I suggest we ignore Snoop. I did not appreciate Imus' "why can't I do it too?" argument. But I also do not appreciate the fact that the argument was available for him to make. That argument is only used to divert us from the real issues. We should take that arrow from their quiver. I suggest we withdraw our sponsorship of rap. What would Snoopy Dogg Dogg have to say about that?

Agreed; having melanin does not make one a spokesman for the entire race or culture - black or white. If it is only about gender being a leader in every society (and it is) then I pick Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones. Not the younger "stars" or celebrity nuts looking for more "face time". And I listened to Don Imus as an equal opportunity insulter; he insulted everyone including white males. Losing his job was over-kill, IMHO, the suspension was enough.

I'm a teacher in an inner-city school, and I feel compelled to make an observation here. What Don Imus said was WRONG. And the language most rappers use is WRONG. I am a lover of words; I read voraciously and I even write poems and essays. I have yet to find that a "colloquial" or "slang" term fits the fabric of my thoughts any better than standard English terms. When my students let foul words slide off their tongue as easily as "hey, you", there is something desperately wrong with our self-image and the respect we have for others. Teachers usually blame the parents - and for my part I think they are right. Young people tend to repeat what they hear and make it part of their communication system. Mr. Imus has long been a rabble-rouser, a source of discussion based on his unhampered opinions. I admire that: he can say what he wants and "get our goats" while we're caught unawares. But he has now crossed a line, the line of civility. I cannot respect anyone (radio jock, rapper, or comedian) who can't get their point across without harming someone's peace of mind. I'd rather keep a stack of dictionaries in my classroom so the students can look up the meaning of what I said than wait and worry that the next words out of my mouth will offend them or their families.

My view is very negative. Rap itself has a negative connotation. When rap has lyrics that would be easy on a child's ears, such as some of the music by Will Smith, it is called 'bubblegum music'. The exploitation of women and the use of derogatory terms for black men and women are so prevalent in black music that it's almost an integral part of it. To separate it would be to change what rap is today, a feat that may be too extreme to overcome.