Will the black community use Imus to obliterate rap's sexism?

Question

I found this article interesting:

In 2004, students at Spelman College, a black women's college in Atlanta, became upset over rapper Nelly's video for his song "Tip Drill," in which he cavorts with strippers and swipes a credit card between one woman's buttocks. The rapper wanted to hold a campus bone marrow drive for his ailing sister, but students demanded he first participate in a discussion about the video's troubling images. Nelly declined.

In 2005, Essence magazine launched its "Take Back the Music" campaign. Writers such as Joan Morgan and Kierna Mayo and filmmaker Byron Hurt also have tackled the issue recently. T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting, author of "Pimps Up, Ho's Down: Hip Hop's Hold on Young Black Women" and a professor at Vanderbilt University, said many black women resist rap music and hip-hop culture, but their efforts are largely ignored by mainstream media. As an example, the professor pointed to "Rap Sessions," the 10-city tour in which she's participating.

She said the tour and its central question - does hip-hop hate women? - have gotten very little mainstream media coverage.

"It's only when we interface with a powerful white media personality like Imus that the issue is raised and the question turns to 'Why aren't you as vociferous in your critique of hip-hop?' We have been! You've been listening to the music but you haven't been listening to the protests from us."

Crouch said that change in rap music and entertainment likely won't come fast, because corporations are still profiting from the business - but it's coming.

"I've been on (rappers) for 20 years," Crouch said. "I was in the civil rights movement. I know it takes a long time when you're standing up against extraordinary money and great power. But we're beginning to see a shift."


(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
so what do you think?

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=entertainment&id=5208034

maybe the white community can with this article understand the real significance of why it was necessary to make such a huge thingout of Imus after all.

Answer 1

If you want me to answer the question honestly then I have to say NO.
As of this morning numerous members of the black community ARE defending this music and are accusing the media and the white community of mounting a preposterous and unfounded witch hunt on hip hop musicians.
They are artists
They are singing about what they Know.
%65 of the music is bought by white people.
White people own the record companies it's there fault.
Russell Simmons a label owner says this controversy has nothing to do with Hip Hop community and he is black.
Just some of the talking points being thrown about.
I personally would like to know EXACTLY what protest marches have been organized by Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson in front of these offensive artists record companies?
Which company? When and Where? What Artists?
I have never known either of these two men to protest anything without alerting the media first.
Last week they organized TWO protests one at CBS one at NBC.
They organized numerous,large, women's,religious,etc. groups to call advertisers to pressure them to pull out .
They did this all in one WEEK.
And you are going to tell me that they have been applying the same amount of pressure on the music industry for the past ten years?
I DON' T THINK SO
The media is watching now , We are watching now .The Black community had better make good on this clean up effort.
There will be no excuses if you don't .

Answer 2

I think the first earlier "rappers" were fun, kid-stuff and sometimes sexy" with such as [You Can't Touch This], [Fight For Your Right To Party] & [Big Butts] and others. But over time it just revolved into disgusting lyrics that portrayed women only as sluts or worse.
But... If you limit "Freedom of Speech" -- What do you believe then would happen? How many others would then be worried as to what they might say to offend someone else?
Books, movies, magazines and others. Would either be burned or never published.
Do you believe in "censoring"?
Question:
While driving in your car.. If something comes on the radio that you do not like .. Do you not either tune it to another station or turn it off? The same thing with a TV? If you know before time what movies are playing at a theater? Do you not choose the one you want to view and not the others?
By doing the simple steps above. Does this not have an affect on advertisers?
Young people know that "money" turns this world. Why not make since able choices with what you watch and listen to knowing that advertisers will most certainly move there spots to another station if they are not reaching a big enough audience or selling there services and or products?
I - Myself - Love old late 50's through 60's, 70's & early 80's music.
But as we get further along now -- in years to come. We all need to keep in mind of the choices that we make for every action there’s a ?????

Answer 3

I discover this intriguing. There are such a lot of phrases within the English language that used to be popularized by means of different resources. Yet, we use our typical experience and chorus from utilising the ones phrases. There are vulgarities and profanity, however humans don't use them becauce they recognise that's isn't any correct. So, why is itt that once anybody within the rap enterprise says a phrase, then it's think to be deemed appropriate. In the rap enterprise a few songs inform you to be style to at least one an extra and appreciate the sista, however I don't see humans combating to do this. I marvel are humans browsing for any excuse to make use of racial epitaphs and slurs. So why is it soooooo essential that humans imitate the the poor matters that's in society. Primarilty the usage of a couple of rappers that can say someting deragatory. It turns out that humans are watching for a intent. I am very dubious that Imus listens to rap tune. Plus, who used to be he imitating while he insulted all of the different humans through the years. twenty years of insults of racism and sexism. Only inside the final ten years have rap sunk to this low. I am curious why SOME white humans believe that they ought to consistently blame the whole black neighborhood for a couple of. I don't believe that every one whites are racist in view that of the few which are. The unhappy factor you could now not become aware of is that each and every black character should be the whole race. If one does whatever then the whole neighborhood ought to be that manner. I believe that's unhappy to mention the very least.

Answer 4

See people don't read stuff like that. The Black woman voice is never heard it seems. Its gonna take more than just the educated woman voice to speak up about these issues. I think that the media shows exactly what they want to be heard to the people. Not what needs to be heard. Believe it or not black people are not the only ones who listens to rapp and hip-hop. There is gonna be a lot of pressure on this industry for the next couple of years untill it changes. Then when it changes another issue will occur.

I feel that the issue has been araised but nobody has challanged it until now. Because the media has switched to the tables on it

Answer 5

I am an advocate of free speech. In my mind, anything goes. I prefer to know who the idiots are.

The problem, I think, is cultural. I find it amazing that there is a market for this type of music. Have parents given up on teaching their children morals? What kind of young people are we raising?

Off the subject, the largest consumers of rap music are suburban white kids. And I would guess that white people profit the most also. Why does it seem that black people take all the heat?

Answer 6

The white community will never understand, why was Don Imus fired after he has appologisedd million times. Does it mean that black people don't like to forgive but like to be forgiven, and use Jesus Christ as an excuse for their mistakes. White people should organise their own organisations to protect not only Caucasians, but Asian, Hispanics and others.
They should admitt it, otherwise this is a war between African-Americans and humans.

Answer 7

The only color that matters in any of this is GREEN, nothing will ever change as long as it is making money.

Answer 8

its only a one way street out there. whats good for the goose is not good for the gander as well in this case.

Answer 9

rap sucks