How come hip hop music is tolerated on TV?

Question

It promotes drug use, promiscuity, materialism, foul language, criminal activities, disrespect for the State's authorities, and a general bad way of living. How can this be a good thing?
In my country, it is being broadcasted on MTV at hours that children can watch. Some people fall for what hip hop music promotes. And the others consider it normal.

I know that we should have freedom of speech, I know that rappers defend themselves by saying they impersonate characters, but where are the disclaimers? There should be no excuse for promoting drug use. Nor for solving one's problems by shooting people in the street, "'cause dat's how it is".
In my country we have a regulatory body, that has the power to ban things on TV. And it does so when it is the case. However, why do people in America are so blind? Can't they see the harm it is being done to their children?

Honestly, I just cannot understand this. Someone please explain this attitude to me.

Thank you.

Answer 1

You just don't understand it. These rich people is trying to hide things like when Bush didn't help the people in New Orleans after Katrina ahead of time till this day and when that Rodney King incident happen in '92.Its up to Hip hop to reveal everything to the public what the rich people is trying to hide. Like what some people said Hip hop is my and other streets' CNN because we give it to ya like it is since some of you don't know how it is out here in the real world where some people is not born rich. Plus it is freedom of speech.

Answer 2

Hello, I'm the question poster, with another ID - I'm also new to Yahoo Answers and I don't know about any other way to add comments to your answers, so bear with me.

Back to the point: your answers are welcome, and i find them insightful.

@RaeOfSunShine,Auri D: I'm aware of the various ways people choose to express themselves. I just want to see if there really is a barrier between the legal ways of expressing yourself and the ones that collide with the law. I mean a state enforced line, as in "promoting criminal activities is illegal and should be punished by the law". Is this an offense in America? Or I would be allowed to run amok the streets and scream "kill the fags", because I have the right to free speech? Second answer to RaeOfSunShine's question: I'm from Romania.

@Prytanic_Kitra, supa_fly64: I'm glad you agree with me. I know that parents should keep an eye on their children, but wouldn't it be easier without all the violence in hiphop music? And on the TV? We all know violence is bad, but still we allow others to promote it as a way of living. Don't you find it wrong? There's nothing wrong in promoting homosexual behaviour. Because homosexuality is as legal as it can get. Doing drugs is bad. Doing drugs is illegal. Promoting doing drugs should also be illegal.

@nubianbx: the above answer is for you too, but there's more: from what you say, we live in a jungle where the state allows its citizens to choose their way in life. A passive state. However, why does the state bans selling pornography to minors? Why does the state try to protect its citizens? Because it's the state's duty. To raise healthy, educated men and women, for they are tomorrow's generation. And they will give birth to those after them. So it has to keep an eye on them. Just as a parent does not allow it's teenage child to attend to a rock concert (though the kid finds no obvious reason for this), the state should protect their citizens, even if it's against their will sometimes. You want to listen to music promoting illegal activities? You say it's just music? All right, let's ban it, cause the long term effects are more benefic.

People also say that hiphop music is a moneyspinner. It's unfortunate that some big record company boss' money are more important than the healthy development of a nation's children. Continue to protect their right to make money. In a few years we'll see where it ends.

This is my idea. I am very sorry this is no discussion forum, there's much to say and much to debate. Unfortunately this Yahoo Answers does not seem to have high interaction levels. One just posts a question and then answers.

Sorry for the people I could not answer to.

Answer 3

Haven't you watched or listened to the news lately?
We are living in a society that is comprised of negativity.
Hip Hop music generates money and responses for America.
Yes, this is suppose to be the Land of opportunity but we really aren't that free.
Many people such as Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. have died simply because they portrayed a story through music which showed their creativity while others felt they sung about situations they knew nothing about.
Music is an expression of Art. No one should imitate what is being mentioned in a song. Society exclaims there's always someone to blame.

Answer 4

I don't get it either.

Not all hip hop is like that (Check Kanye West!), but it seems that lately that's all it's about, or sounding off an ego trip.

Some white old rich executive type keeps putting it out there with the likes of the Pussycat Dolls and expects the American public to just eat it up.

It's up to the parents to educate and monitor their children, but sadly, in this particular target audience, single parent homes are common, and the parents simply do not have time for their children's supervision due to demanding work hours.

The term hip hop addressed artists of the 90's who did not want to be represented as rap artists because of all the negative press associated with rap, the whole East Vs West thing. Artists like Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keyes were hip hop.

Now we have Black Eyed Peas sounding off to Misirlou? Ugh!

No, they have a right to be heard, to market their recordings, to sell concert tickets, and make their own clothing line and fragrance...just like everyone else.

It doesn't mean they have to be moral, or good examples or even talented. It doesn't mean they have to be anything, they just have to make money.

The Bottom Line is such a sad thing.

Let the buyer beware!

Answer 5

It's nothing short of a tragedy. Unfortunately it seems that money trumps all as far as the media is concerned. I work with children and I feel I'm fighting an uphill battle everyday. I teach art at an elementary school and a new year begins next week for me. I'm new at this whole question and answer thing but if you want to help me, help the kids then you could send me some music to play while they do their projects. I want the kids to know that art is a way of expressing themselves, their emotions. Art a way to tell stories and it is timeless. My co-worker teaches "Drama",Theater and her goal this year is to teach them how to interpret what they see in the media. We want the kids to take a step back and really look at what is placed before them, and not just except it as "normal". Any suggestions are welcome.

Answer 6

Hip hop is tolerated in this country the same way acid rock,punk,extreme metal,and other 'disturbing forms of music' are. In actuality I'm pretty sure plenty of people find the above listed music just as disturbing, yet I don't see you asking that they be banned also.From videos featuring demonic images,prostitutes.drug overdoses,destruction of property,kids behaving out of control,violence, etc,I have seen it all in rock videos.I've heard rock/metal/ punk lyrics glamorizing drug use,suicide,misogyny,violence, and rebellion,and whatever else the artist felt like expressing.But last time I checked America was all about freedom of speech...wait or is only freedom of expression of things you approve ? But I guess anytime you add Black people it's always going to 'offend and corrupt the masses'.Now go back to your Anne Coutler book .

Answer 7

you make a good point but its not just solely in hip hop music. its in telivision, movies, & basically just about every other form of entertainment. & because it is in things we see & hear everyday, it has become a normal thing. not saying everything here promotes this but it comes up more often than not. but the problems these days rest on shoulders of the parents. if they would teach their kids right from wrong & that there is more to life than what they see on TV, it wouldn't be such a big deal.

Answer 8

well you just don't understand hip hop period and its not all about drug use, your just stereo typing a music genre that is way better than rock, country, metal, so don't even start that crap, your just like the rest of the haters on here always talkin bad about rap/hip hop, so i suggest you don't complain about it b/c its not gonna change anything, so get over it and take a chill pill.

Answer 9

dang am i the only one who doesn't agree? ok well maybe jus a tad bit agreement. not all hip hop music promotes this stuff. i understand the drug use, some promiscuity, materialism, foul language, a lil criminal activities and such. but i think your listening to the wrong kind of hip hop. your probably listening to peopel like 50 cent, chingy, chamillionaire, field mob, bubba sparxxx and other people like that. and i understand, yea they have half naked women, guns, weed, illegal things in their music and videos sometimes. however if you listen to other music artist like missy elliot, ciara, dem franchize boyz, kanye west, cherish, jagged edge and others such music, you'll find that they don't have that stuff on there. for example, kanye west: diamonds of sierra leone...there is nothing in that song about any of those things you jus put up in your question. missy elliot: lose control or we run this, its all about dancing and the music. eminem: toy soldiers is about people who died because what they beleived in hip hop now i don't know what "your" country is, but America does not have the power to ban this kind of music. and the people in America who listen to this kind of music may have nothing else to listen to.
and it cannot harm your children if your children don't actually do the stuff thats on the music they listen too. i mean my 2 yr old cuzin listens to r.kelly, 50 cent and others but he knows whats right frm wrong. if we teach our children what is right frm wrong in the lyrics they listen to, then there won't be a problem, but if you don't want to teach your child that, then the only person to blame is YOU.
but lemme explain somethin, "hip hop is a freedom of expression and a freddom of depression". listen to missy elliot's "Wake Up" and you'll be able to see what hip hop realy is.
i am so tired of people saying stuff like "oh hip hop and rap has too much cussing in it" or " R&B music is too sexual for the community". you need to listen to the REAL hip hop then once you do that, tell me what you think of hip hop.cuz your right, you don't understand it at all.

Answer 10

I agree with you. I hate the genre. It's filthy, crude, and rude among other things. I mean look what it's done to culture. When has it ever been ok for a man to walk around with his rear hanging out?? And since when does talking unintelligibly make you cool? It's making nasty little sheep out of our kids. It's telling them it's ok to be trashy, to treat people like poo, and that whole way of life associated with it is ok. I'm 25, the age that they try to market to, and even I'm offended.