U.S. Congress to Hold Hearing on Hip-Hop
Americans are not happy with the United States congress. Last month's Gallup poll showed that Congress' approval rating had dipped as low as 18%, the lowest since the Gallup Poll began surveying the public in 1974. So, what is congress doing to regain faith in the public? No, it has nothing to do with the Iraq war. Believe it or not, a war on hip-hop is next on Congress' agenda as they return from summer recess. The House sub-committee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection plans to hold a hearing on stereotypes and misogyny in hip-hop and other media forms this month.
Tentatively scheduled for Sept 25th, the hearing titled From Imus to Industry: The Business of Stereotypes and Degradation will zoom in on misogynistic content in some hip-hop lyrics. Chairman of the House sub-committee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill), claims that hip-hop is not his primary focus. "I want to engage not just the music industry but the entertainment industry at large to be a part of a solution."
No Limit founder Master P is expected to make an appearance at the hearing. Other witnesses include Universal Music CEO Doug Morris, Warner Music chief Edgar Bronfman Jr., and Philippe Dauman of Viacom.
Comments
here’s the deal: Congress is wasting time pretending it can regulate free speech. It’s a joke, and frankly, I’d say there’s more corruption and bad role models in D.C. than anywhere else on the planet. And this rant isn’t coming from some apathetic, apolitical thug. This is coming from a college-educated white-collar poindexter in the Midwest. I think both parties need to wise up and get back to doing what we put them in office to do, which was not wasting time talking about radio show hosts and musical entertainers.
Personaly i do not think hip hop contributes to today’s violence but America needs someone or something to blame it on, in this case it is hip hop music. I agree that alot of rap musicians are sending out a bad message to our youth but Congress is only looking at the bad side of this whole situation. Artist like Common, Kanye West,and Lupe Fiasco are putting out some really great music that is not degrading or create wrong stereotypes.
To all who live and practice Hip-Hop; this is one of many assaults on our culture focused on undermining a certain people. Everyone else should know better than to be distracted by “old” “news”, the term itself makes no sense for good reason. There are more important concerns that they would love for all of us to forget about while we cry and play victim over their probes, hearings and investigations. Still this is only one persons opinion but in closing I’d like to say that I’m a little disappointed that the blogger was disappointed that one of the people that would attend to represent the artist, music, and really the culture would be Master P. He shouldn’t be judged for his lyrical content, (if you’d dare call it that lol), any more than Stephen King should be considered an deranged closet murderer for the content of his books.
Name the musical genre from which these lyrics came:
“Someday I might go crazy, slay my wife and kill my baby, nobody’s business if I do!”
“Went out last night to take a little round, saw little Sadie and I blew her down, run right home and went to bed, a .44 smokeless under my head.”
“He stabbed her through the heart and her heart’s blood did flow, and into the grave Pretty Polly did go.”
“My black-eyed Susie went berry pickin’, came home late and took a lickin’.”
If you guessed bluegrass and old-time music, you’re right! All of these songs are pretty standard in the folk repertoire. So… let’s drag all of the members of the Grand Ole Opry to Congress to talk about murder ballads and misogynistic lyrics.
Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure killin’ and cheatin’ and robbin’ have been a hot topic for lyrical inspiration for… um… pretty much forever. Does that make those things right? No. And I’m not one to frequently throw the “race card” on the table, but to me, this just reeks of racial discrimination. I mean… c’mon. This joker wants “the entertainment industry at large to be part of a solution”… uh huh. How about do something to combat poverty for a damn change!?
Congress rooted out all the Communists in the government and film industries in the 50’s, successfully plotted the Vietnam War in the 60’s and 70’s, proved sterling moral and fiscal leaders in the 80’s, indicted the President over shocking fellatio-related, world crisis-inducing matters in the 90’s, and ended the use of steroids in professional sports in the 00’s. I have full faith that these hearings will prove insightful, conducive, and will get straight to the heart of the problem–
–that problem, of course, being Congress.
c’mon…these are all just dumb stereotypes….hip hop if anything is against violence exept for sum of the hardcore hip hop in the 90’s.
can u realise that all these idiot wit there nursery rhymes bout cash hoes nd clothes…arent hip hop!!!
nd nw ppl point the finger at us…but they dnt knw dat we hate these commercial artists that glorify guns nd violence even more than they do!!!!
all just cuz sum fool wit a grill nd a dick/ gets a number 1 hit!!!!
feedback welcome…:)
Wait a second, Congress is wasting our time and money and not doing what it was supposed to do? No way!?
Paul, please believe! As mind-boggling as it may be!
Interesting that Rush is to chair when he was guilty of using “language against fred Hampton J and his mother. and it was filmed