Is Virginia Tech Wrong About Nas?
The outcry over Nas' inclusion in the lineup for a free Virginia Tech concert further exposes the social stigma that's been attached to hip-hop. Outraged parents of seven of the deceased students argue that inviting Nas to the concert shows a lack of respect for the massacre's victims. His lyrics, they claim, "are indicative of the moral decay in our society that contributes to acts of violence." A spokesman for the families added that, "For a university official to condone it or to be clueless of what this person's track record is unconscionable beyond belief."
I'm dismayed beyond belief.If the concert's main objective is to promote healing, peace and celebration, then Nas is your man. His track record as a socially conscious MC is unshakable. The man has even been chastised by his peers for "reading too many books" and devoting songs to issues that only a small fraction of music consumers care about. Or as he puts it on "Hip-Hop is Dead," "What influenced my raps? Stickups and killings. Kidnappings, project buildings, drug dealings. Criticize that, why is that? Most intellectuals will only half listen."
It's understandable that the victims' families are still grieving. I also understand why they would categorize some of Nas' lyrics as "violent." After all, we're talking about the same guy whose early albums included songs like "Shoot 'Em Up" and "Silent Murder." But to limit his musical contributions to a few songs that include storytelling about the violence of inner-city life is simply judging a man by a minute fraction of his art. What Virginia Tech doesn't realize is that Nas is a spokesman for change, and he has the songs to back it up. Through his poetic and insightful lyrics, Nas has always advocated remedies to societal ills. The reasoning here seems to be that all hip-hop music is violent and profane. The reality is that Nas has a vast catalog with a gazillion songs about healing and restoration, and the idea that he'll cherry-pick some violence-themed tunes to perform at the event is downright disturbing.
Thank you, Don Imus.So, here's the question: Should Virginia Tech drop Nas from their September 6 concert?
- Yes — His violent lyrics represent the same poison that afflicted the VA Tech gunman
- No — His anti-violence lyrics help shed light on social issues
View Poll Results
Photo © Peter Kramer/Getty
Comments
Henry,
Thank you so so so much for this editorial. I really wish the New York Times would print something substantial about the outcry because what it makes me think of obviously grieving, destroyed families and people who are too eager to pin something like Virginia on Hip Hop, and of all people Nas. You couldn’t find a MORE appropriate representative of Hip Hop than him
Josh
I wrote a piece about how rappers as a whole are judged for the actions of a few in the October ‘06 issue of upscale. People are not listening to lyrical content. They are still using rap as a scapegoat for social ills. The depraved young man who committed the murders at Virginia Tech was severely mentally disturbed, hip-hop didn’t play a role in the what he did.
it is what it is…nas has had songs in the past about guns and bad lyrical content…i see where theyre comin from…is it a huge deal? no…and dont be ridiculous people no one said anything about blaming hip hop for “social ills”…all they said was that the content of some of his songs seemed inappropriate for the occasion which is understandable…go get lupe or common or kanye or anyone like that for it…rappers that have never been known for their gangster rap in the past or present…
when i hear nas’ tracks i feel that he tries to portray his environment in which he lived in. its not his fault for living back in a bad neighborhood. i also see rapstars as leaders. if i had to compare nas to other leading players in the game like weezy and t.i. it would be obvious which one is more ‘appropriate’. I also think they are careless for picking this statement. Nas had made many tracks that will go down in history and a large sum of those tracks don’t involve hatred or violence.Finally, the masses just don’t know. If they were to pin tupac for all those reckless songs he made he would not get the proper respect he really deserves for being a poet.
this is actually like newsworthy stuff, but bottem line these parents never listened to Nas most likely, and they would prolly have said the same thing if Mos Def and Tablib came through
hmmmm, let me get this right, a bunch of WHITE people don’t think it’s a good idea to have a BLACK artist to help whatever they were doing? If it had been James Brown or the Silvers, these people would have fliped out just the same. They are what they are. F’up people have f’uped things happen to them (I.E.) school shootings. You people make me sick. And before you idiots, go off on a tangent, NO I’M NOT SAYING THE PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED DESERVE TO HAVE BEEN KILLED, what i am saying is BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD PEOPLE, AND THEIR LOVE ONES.
atlman i hope you are joking because it is not at all the ppl”s fault there kids got killed it didn”t happen because they were “bad ppl” and it”s not a racist thing it”s a stereotypical thing against rap so next time know what your talking about before u open ur mouth
i second james.
thanx luke
To me what it looks like is know Nas is a rapper and to them them all rappers are the same
BTW Nastradamus did shoot em up and silent murder, NAS did the world is yours, if i ruled the world and more recently the whole hip hop is dead album
Its sad that some pepole can judge hip hop or any kind of music by stereo typing an indivdual
SMH @ atlman19971. Seriously…
I think atlman19971 has an issue with WHITE people. Racism only begets more racism. The parents are only worried about VIOLENT lyrics. They would have been offended if Marilyn Manson or Eminem had been chosen. In addition, not all the parents were WHITE, many different people with different backgrounds were viciously murdered. Therefore, I highly doubt that the concert will only consist of WHITE artists.
atlman19971, your words sicken me.
I think you’d need to experience what the families have gone through in order for you to pass judgement or even know where they’re coming from. And to even claim it’s a black vs. white thing just goes to show how little you understand the entire issue.
You can’t fully blame Altman.
I have to blame the author Henry, somewhat for the emotionally charged article that no TRUE journalist would ever publish (even on the trashpile known as the internet). Come on Henry that type of biased hate-mongering doesn’t help the intellectual hip-hop community. Your vote doesn’t truly capture the “yes” argument. There are other reasons that nas should be dropped (and Nas is easily my fav mainstream MC).
How would you like to hear an mc who has written lyrics about gun related violence so soon after your family was killed by gun related violence? You wouldn’t know until you are in their shoes. and One thing’s for sure: If anybody can say he shouldn’t be there, it’s the families of the deceased…
Def a thought provoking article, though.
Bill O’Reilly is now involved! Please inform Nas or his publicist about this! Bill O’Reilly is known for his hate-mongering, creating riots, public denouncing, and distorting facts. Bill O’Reilly has threatened the president and Nas over the free concert! The commentator is known to get what he wants! I am not saying that having Nas is a bad move, but if the rapper is to inspire people who were affect by the tregedy, then they should allow Nas to perform! The purpose of having him was for a reason! Please don’t let Bill O’Reilly take away a free concert over adistorted message from his programs. Please stop Fox News’ hate on hip-hop!
Correction: it’s the president of Virginia Tech not President Bush!
^I don’t understand. How is Bill O’reilly involved?
So, you rant about cherry picking a few songs from many…then you blame Don Imus for his one comment?
The problem here with the parents is the lyrics of some of Nas’s music. Ever heard of “Shoot um up”? Take it from someone actually IN Blacksburg: Its not about race, not about rap / hip-hop, and any and all stereotypes play no part in the objections. Its simply about some of the violent lyrics. If Nas has half a brain he’ll stay far away from the questionable material during the concert, and no one will care. Most people in Blacksburg and the Tech community will welcome the entire lineup of artists.
One final note: Rap hasn’t been mentioned for a minute as a possible explaination of the killings. Where do some of you people get these ideas?
Bill O’Reilly has his own issues. What about his having to settle the sexual harrassment lawsuit for millions. He also a book “Those Who Trespass” that is filled with sex and violence. He was recently successful in getting the rapper Twista booted from the McDonald’s tour and a couple of years ago was successful in getting Ludacris’ Pepsi commercial canned. I understand he’s supposed to be looking out for us, but who appointed the arbiter of what is decent? It’s funny that he has never called for Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton to have their movies, commercials, songs banned. Justin Timberlake did the digusting “Dyck in a Box” skit at Christmas time on Saturday Night Live and there was little protest. And, of course we all know he ripped off Janet’s top and was not castigated as she was. Hey, didn’t the Dave Matthews band get into a little trouble a few years ago? I’m so sick of rappers being blamed for all the ills in the society when there was violence before rap and always will be though I will acknowledge some of our kids are too inflenced by it. Nas is in the upper echelon of the rap world and should be judged on his entire body of work. RAPPERS are not different that the Quentin Tarrantino’s and Mel Gibson’s who promote violent movies. Hate to bring race into the mix, but it makes me wonder why rappers are targeted so much?
# E says:
August 15, 2007 at 9:45 pm
So, you rant about cherry picking a few songs from many…then you blame Don Imus for his one comment?
—————–
So the reasoning is that rappers should all be held accountable for their art since Don Imus had to catch some heat over his racist remarks? Where’s the common thread?
John, when someone describes rap lyrics as “the moral decay in our society that contributes to acts of violence” they’re essentially saying that those lyrics contribute to violence. I wonder if anyone would ban Arnold Schwazzeneger from a commemorative concert simply because he’s bodied hundreds of people in movies.
The concert is a form of diversification in a sense. You have a mix of artists who mind you waived their fees to perform at this show. From country-Phil Vassar, rock/guitar Dave Matthews and John Mayer, to hip/hop Nas. Nas isn’t there to promote violence from his past lyrics, he just wants to perform for the students. As does every performer slated for the show. Dave Matthews’s bus driver got into trouble a few years back in Chicago when he emptied the bus’s sewer tank over a bridge which landed on some people down below. That is not going to get him booted from the lineup. It’s just a concert, where I doubt Nas’s art is going to imitate life that evening.
Nas style of hip hop is constructed to speak for people who are never herd watching the Bill O’rielly show and how he capitalized on a weapon charge Nas has in the past cleary states his vendetta he has against Hip Hop because for someone you dosn’t like hip hop he sure is doing his research on each artist he goes after. The families who lost love one’s in the V TECH tragic shooting are not going to find closer by turning there hate towards hip hop so I hope they don’t feud O’reilly by giving him the plessure by removing NAS from the concert roster. Hip Hop Artist talk about the ghetto and all the elements that darkens the society they grew up in we know this but it’s not the children in the ghetto who people like O’rielly are offendent by listening to the music it’s children who never been exposed to the type of life style they feel threaten by there child trying to witness reality of the kid across the tracks. I don’t see Hip Hop as a black and white issue I see it as a message some people rather ignore until it’s brought inside there home then it becomes uncivilized do to the influence it has over there child. There are some things that artist say and do in interviews and videos that make hip hop harder to defend T.I for example when he was on B.E.T speaking for hip hop freedom of speech he had some things I agreed with but he concluded his statement with (there are bitchs , hoes , and niggas in america and artist should have the right to say it) that wasn’t good for hip hop not at this time thats what gives people like O’rielly ways to attack the culture of hip hop. You asked me no one promotes more violence than bush and his war on iraq they say hip hop artist do it for the money and don’t care how it affects the youth but if you don’t call bush the goose chasing the golden egg then I guess you can justify hip hop promotion of violence by his actions. who ever want to build on other topics I’m on space URL- http://myspace/tyroid.com PEACE
So Nas says “shoot ‘em up” and “kill kill kill, murder murder murder” in one of his songs, and has been arrested on a gun possession charge, and you think he’s Viriginia Tech’s man for healing after 32 students were shot and killed?
Are you serious? Even the school paper at Va. Tech knows this is a bad idea and wrote an editorial denouncing this guy. Yes, it’s one song, but so what? Don Imus just said “Nappy-headed hos” once. It was just ONE day, right? In how many songs does he have to say “kill kill kill” in a song before it’s over the line to you?
This seems like the absolute worst guy to invite to Va. Tech after the April massacre. How can you condone that? Usually, I can see everyone’s point of view, but I just don’t get this one.
A wealthy, intelligent, outspoken black person. No wonder Bill O’reilly hates him. More evidence that racism is still far too prevalant in our society.
Nas glorigies gun violence and indiscriminate killing. Don’t be fooled by Henry Adaso, Nas has not rejected or recalled his “early” recordings that little gansgters out there still buy and listen to today.
It’s good to see such an intellectual debate. Whether you agree with Henry Adasso or not, you have to give in props for inspiring such strong (and valid) arguments from both camps (pro and con).
Henry, you should be drafting for a lobbyist group from this debate.
Good to see people stating well researched facts and not just opinions…
Props to the group (except for the obviously pre-pubescent atlman19971)
Stay up y’all!
Everyone raised a valid point (yes, even the pro-Imus posters). That said, anyone who insists that rappers should now play by a new set of rules simply because of Imus’ racist remarks has been watching the O’Reilly Factor a little too much. I can’t stress it enough, Imus and hip-hop are not in the same boat. Besides, this issue is about how unfair it is that the Bill O’Reillys of this world are eager to throw Nas under the bus as a way to get back to hip-hop for Imus’ suspension. That’s like saying, “well, if Imus had to go (he’s back and $20 million richer, by the way) for using racist and misogynistic slurs then Nas has to be dropped for rapping about violence. That sentiment not only justifies that racism is still a nasty poison in our society, it keeps us from moving forward onto more pressing issues. It’s truly a sad situation.
I totally agree man. I was watching Bill O’Reilly talk about him on his show. It was evident that he knew nothing about the man from the start of his “talking points.” O’Reilly and his guests couldn’t even pronounce Nas’s one syllable name correctly. O’Reilly has a history of going after rappers and it needs to stop. O’Reilly is responsible for Ludacris and Twista losing endorsement deals.
Can any rap artist make money without bill oreilly getting involved. i saw that in the segment bill was tellin his reasons why Nas should not be welcomed to Virginia
and it was his lyrics.. then after he said its not about rap its his gun conviction like the fact that he was calling Nas- Naaas shows that he obviously is not familiar with Nas in any other song.. he probably paid someone to go search any song that nas made that has relevance to violence
thank you. its obvious that bill oreilly would never have someone as articulate as you on his show.
People like to take opportunities to let us hear them b***h. Parents loose kids in school shooting. Nas is called to perform among others. Nas is like one of Hip Hops biggest representatives. But rather than appreciate the gesture, they want to put down the man. Really, Nas is not going to Virginia tech to perform Shoot em’ up. I still believe the grudge against hip hop violence is uncalled for. I have been a hip hop fan for years and I have never owned a gun. Let alone shoot anyone. Its like the movies. I wouldn’t call Samuel Juckson pro -violence because he shoots people in movies. Really like someone said above, the shooter was who he was. He really did not need any influene. I’ve been through a lot in my life, but I don’t go around looking for school mates to kill. I may be harsh towards the families that lost sons and daughters, but I speak truth.
I think that NAS should be allowed to perform. People refuse to see the world for what it really is. Words are Words and Crazy is Crazy. There will always be a side of life that is not quite understood by the rest of us. Whether NAS attends or not the VA Tech shooting will never be seen for what is really was, just another bad apple in the bunch of many more bad apples. It would be interesting to know how many of the VA Tech victims would have attended his performance.
Lets be honest here, Bill O’Reilly is an Idiot. He is not the pulse of America, and neithe are the parents of the kids who were shot. I feel their pain, but you cannot take 8 bars from a persons’ catalog and make them out to be a gun toting murderer who should be banned from doing his art. You have to look at the context in which the art was performed or done, If NaS is a gansta rapper, then every hip hop artist should be given that moniker. Lets ask the real quesiton. I see him attacking Mike Vick for killing dogs and asking his panel members how much time should mike vick get in prison? He should ask, how much time should George Bush, Dick Cheney etc get for killing human beings. Let be real, the man has somethings against black people and he and his cohorts know it. He is not the pulse of America. Make your own decisons, listen to NaS entire catalog and then make and informed decision for yourself. Johnny Cash, made a song about shooting a man, just to watch him die, is Cash a gangsta artist, Bob Marley made a song about shooting a sherriff, is he a gangsta artist. This is the problem we have, is that me make idiots, like Bill brainwash us instead of making intelligent decisions on our own……..Music is art and art is away of expressing yourself, you should not have to answer to anyone for your art. If you don’t like it dont buy it, or if you think NaS is bad, then don’t go to the concert, but to degrade the realest hip hop artist as if he shot those students is wrong. I am sorry bill, go get another scapegoat.
“you cannot take 8 bars from a persons’ catalog and make them out to be a gun toting murderer who should be banned from doing his art.”
That is not Bill O’Reilly’s position. On his radio show, he clearly stated that Nas is most probably sympathetic to the V-Tech situation, and will probably perform uplifting rather than violent songs.
O’Reilly clearly stated that he is not pushing for a ban on “gangsta rap”.
O’Reilly’s position is that it is inappropriate for someone who traffics in violent content to perform at a commemorative event to promote healing over the murders of students.
O’Reilly clearly stated that he has no real issue with Nas performing violent material in general, or for people to watch him perform in general.
You know it’s real funny let’s look at nas’s good songs what about “one mic”? “One Mic” is the 2nd single from Nas, from his fifth album, Stillmatic. The song uses the slow build-ups from Phil Collins’s In The Air Tonight. After 5 year since it’s release, it’s already been considered one of the greatest hip hop songs of all-time. im only pointing this out to show he’s one of the greatest rappers to ever do it who better to represent hip hop at this concert?
All i have to say about this issue is plan and simple…black folks never ever get the benefit of the doubt. Nas does talk about gun violence but he has 10 Lps each comprising of about 12 tracks that 120 songs. less than a 3rd is about guns. Arnold Swarchenegger was the Terminator and was the villain in many films involving guns and had he been featured to talk at VT nobody would say jack! So yea thats the world we live in
One aspect of multiculturalism appears to be that all citizens are obligated to trust art deriving from a culture they have no personal acquaintance with. That is, V. Tech families who may never listen to hiphop are nevertheless expected to understand that everything in the concert is just peachy — their non-literate doubts not withstanding.
I don’t think it IS everyone’s obligation, in a diverse society, to automatically trust others. Why should it be? In a vanilla WASP suburb, people have to earn each other’s trust despite being culturally on the same page. Why is it that once people are from diverse cultures, there’s a politically correct sense in which mistrusting the other is seen as racist or worse. In other words, one is obligated to trust “different folks” implicitly, though one is allowed to mistrust “one’s own kind of folks” as much as one wishes.
That seems to be the jist of it. And it’s stupid.
Nas Who? just another disposable black rapper, who cares…
I understand Nas performed the same violent lyrics at the September 6th concert as normal which would totally be ignored by 80% of the college students and particularly the college president who don’t have enough sense to get in out of the rain and who are as far left as you can get or will be by the time they graduate from this liberal college.
For the record: I’m a student at Virginia Tech, and I lived in the building where the first shooting took place. I attended the concert.
That being said, I think Nas was a great choice for the people who don’t like Dave Matthews, John Mayer, and Phil Vassar. I mean come on, despite what the general consensus on the board seems to be, there ARE black people that go to Virginia Tech. So, quit calling it a white school. Secondly, black people aren’t the only ones that listen to rap, so I think that should also be put to rest right here and right now. THIRD, people are not hating on Nas just because he’s black. What they’re doing is being close-minded and seeing the few violent and “negative” songs he has produced. So, that’s their problem. There are people that can truly appreciate the musical talent he has and look past the violence that apparently offends so many.
I lost friends; I lost a lot that day. But the fact that Nas is coming to perform has nothing to do with the healing process each one of us has to go through. I mean, give me a break. If Nas singing about violence offends you and interrupts your healing, then wake up. We live in a violent world. If anything, the shootings should have opened our eyes. The shootings shouldn’t be causing another censor and wall to go up around us. We were living in a paradise, where no one thought violence could exist. Well, welcome to the world. Should we shield ourselves from that? I certainly don’t think so. But, that’s just my opinion…
Sorry if this post was in any way offensive to anyone, but I really do think the world should stop babying us just because of the shootings. That’s just going to make healing even tougher. I know that for a fact. We’re a University, and a strong community at that. A rapper that has a few violent songs coming to our school to perform is, in retrospect, the last thing we should be worrying about.
To Sonj: At least you are sincere in your feelings unlike the white liberals I was referring to like the school president. He wouldn’t know rap from crap yet he condons it because he is a wimp and doesn’t deserve to be president of your university espacially the way he handled the whole shooting incident. He should have alerted the entire campus that there were two murders committed already and that an armed gunman could still be on the loose. If he had, you would not have so many friends to mourn. He should not only be fired but should be jailed as an accomplice.
I just think that people should become familiar with a persons lyrical content before they judge a person’s artistic expression. It is unfair to judge a persons moral views based on a few lines heard in a song.