I am elated that this discussion took place tonight and I don't think that it is right for America to blame hip hop for the problems that Black people have.  However, I do think that entertainers should be aware of the influence that they have on their audience.  I understand that for some "rappers" it is apart of their culture because they are a product of their environment, but at some point you should want better for yourself and to have a more positive impact on the lives of others.  Rap about more inspiring stuff.  If you are a seasoned veteran, you should be able to rap about anything and sell a record.  R. Kelly wrote about cooking in the kitchen and makes a hit!

At the same time parents need to censor their children and not purchase music with questionable lyrics as well as talk to your children about how to be good men and women.  If the young girls would not be auditioning for these videos, they could not be portrayed as *58*, sluts, and b******. (Rappers can rap in the videos by themselves.) 

Finally, It's ridiculous to say that hip hop has no influence at all.  For example, when Nelly rapped about his grill everyone wanted a grill including other rappers like Bow Wow (looking crazy). 

Man hip-hop isn't misunderstood, it promotes a lifestyle of "mostly" drugs, sex, and violence. Rappers need to take responcibility of what they say and promote; music is a powerful force and we the people should use it wisely, instead of to intoxicate and pollute the minds of our future. (the young people of today) There must be a consiousness in our voice; we get mad at Mr. Imos for degrading comments but rappers sing about hos and b's etc. We are killing ourselves; white and black alike.....

Young brother you are right you can't blame hip hop for aids and things of that nature but you can blame hip hop for not addressing our issues with this government...Since Pac died no one has done it...not one cowardly rapper....not one bro.....Aids is man made......Things like is what rappers should rap about...Its violates blacks and people of colors HUMAN RIGHTS For more on human rights please look up in google Dr. Charles Mann.   Here is a short history for you lil bro

In 1969 a doctor Robert MacMahan of the Department of Defense asked Congress for $10 million dollars to develope with 5 - 10 years a synthectic biological agent to which no natural immunity exist.

1970 Funding for the synthetic biologicakl agent is obtained under H.R. 15090. The project, under the supervision of the CIA, is carried out by the Special Operations Unit.....Later in 1970 The United States intensifies its development of "ethnic wqeapons" {military review, Nov. 1970}, designed to selectively target and eliminate specific ethnic groups who are susceptible due to genetic differences and variations in DNA.

1978 Experimentl hepatitis B vaccine trials, conducted by the CDC, begin in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Ads for research subjects specifically ask for promoscuous homosexual men

 

1978  The World Health orginizationconducts small pocs vaccinations in Africa giving this supposedly vaccination to some 14, 000 Hatians o9n US secondment in Central Africa and a countless number of Africans.

1981 First cases of Aids are confirmed in homosexual men in New York, Los Angeles, and San francisco....also in Africa...triggering the speculation that Aids may have been introduced via the Hepatitis B vaccination and small pox vaccination.........

 

As you see lil bro there is much more these rappers should be rapping about...Human rights Is one of them!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace & Blessings

Raghee Asad

Well I’m glad that we as black people finally got portrayed in a positive light, where we could have a civil conversation w/o anything negative happening. First off I’d really like to say that the guests for this show were great, however i really don't think that TI and Nelly really represent that "dark side" of hip hop that we are so horribly stereotyped against. I would've loved to see 50 cent or Camron or someone like that to come and debate..... I wanted to also touch on a few points made in the show. 1.) Nelly said that he didn't understand why he and hip hop are being judged for just "4 mins" of one video when he does all this non profit work and so on...The problem is that no matter how much non-profit work that he and other artists do, none of it is broadcasted or publicized the way that music videos are. When you go to the other countries that are not as fortunate as we are, the majority of the time, they are only exposed to the music and the videos. How often do we see a commercial for any hip hop artist’s non profit work? Is Nelly, or any hip hop artist for that matter, going out and broadcasting his non profit work on tv the same way he does his videos? In sports, the NBA and NFL you always see these quick promos about how the NBA cares or NFL cares and they show you the players doing actual good in the community. Not with Hip hop…the record labels won’t show that because it may tarnish the artist’s image and lose money…or whatever reason. The artists need to realize that even thought it’s just 4 mins, it’s a very influential 4 mins. Which leads me to my other point…. 2.) Most hip hop artists do not really grasp or realize the great influence that their music and videos have on people and society. I think that's when artists need to just understand that with great power, comes great responsibility. They should know that even though they have the power or ability to do, or portray certain things, they will have a farther reach and affect on society than they think. Here’s the issue…the artists and record labels spoon feed us their videos and music, but when it comes to the good stuff they do, they expect us to get up and go get it ourselves. Please… that’s like saying “just read the fine print”…no one really reads the fine print. For them to just say that or even believe it is just a cheap cop-out excuse so they can sleep at night. It’s garbage. 3.) I agree with what someone said previously in this forum that we do need solutions…what are they? Parents need to teach their children what to listen for in music like TI said…Artists need to understand and be responsible for what they are putting out. If you are an artist and you have a video that’s degrading women for whatever reason, you DO share in degradation of women in our culture…..Communities need to stand together to break down certain stereotypes so that the next generation can still distinguish what’s “just TV” and what’s reality. The reason why hip hop wasn’t that bad in the beginning was because people came from better moral values, but somewhere down the line it just got washed away with money and materialism. To sum up, I don’t think that hip hop is the complete blame for the problems our society faces. Like TI said, it is an easy target…however, Hip hop must still acknowledge that it does play a significant role in society…unfortunately certain aspects of hip hop are dictating how life should be imitated (this to Nelly’s surprise). Young kids are basing their lives on the images that the artists portray regardless of what the artist’s true intentions are.

this usa cultural critic is against all forms of asethetic censorship: that aaid... black hip-hop/rap trash is the waste material of a black redneck *6* intellectual existence that worships... cheating. fighting, lying, stealing & wh0ring! what are educated people on the panel thinking... that these low-life gutter trash black *5*rs are going to produce the asethetic genius of a mozart, armstrong, ellington, homer, balazc, mann, etc... gutter trash *5*r art only impress those with 'sub-human, sub-literated, sub-modern' intellectual tool development!

this usa cultural critic is against all forms of asethetic censorship: that aaid... black hip-hop/rap trash is the waste material of a black redneck n i g g a intellectual existence that worships... cheating. fighting, lying, stealing & wh0ring! what are educated people on the panel thinking... that these low-life gutter trash black n 1 g g ers are going to produce the asethetic genius of a mozart, armstrong, ellington, homer, balazc, mann, etc... gutter trash n 1 g g a art only impress those with 'sub-human, sub-literated, sub-modern' intellectual tool development!

Ok firstly I don't understand why everyone keeps saying that hip-hop is being blamed for all of America's problems.  I never got that as the message, but what the problem is is the fact that our community as blacks needs to be rebuilt, and hip-hop is just one of the factors that needs to be addressed and changed in order to start to turn that around.  Now no I'm not saying that rappers have a direct link to why most urban black communities are depleted, torn down, or what have you, but music is so strong, and is such a powerful tool, that as an artist it is completely absurd to not think that you have some personal right to do your part to make that change.  What the source of the problem is, I don't know, but I can tell you that it is feeding into a culture of despondent youth who feel that outside of sports the only way to make it big is to be rapper.  All children, no, but a lot I think so feel that they have to immulate these rappers, think all women are *58* who only have credibility as objects of sexual pleasure, sell drugs, and carry a demeanor of an unapproachable person with a hardened heart.  Thusly both young black girls and boys fall in line with these perceived notions, girls dressing scantily, boys just acting a down right fool, and they get it from hip-hipdireclty, NOT AT ALL, but if the community is not feeding them anything, and they are looking for a way out, they turn to music.  Hip-hop was created to be a culture.  More than the music, it was a style of dress, it was dance, it was art, it was community.  It is still the same way.  Not talking about the whites, or the surburbia that purchase the music, I mean in terms of the urban youth, the way children are acting out, is a cry to be heard, and it's being channeled and funnled through a source that was created for them that has now been depleted of its richness and meaning, and exploited, and turned every way but loose.  When you think about it like that, how can it not be partly the music's fault.  Many comments were made on the show tonight, some I agreed with, some I didn't.  Nelly's comment (loosely quoted) when he said when did music become the lifeline for black people I felt was totally ignorant.  Music has been our lifeline since slavery with negro spirituals.  Those songs provided hope and strength to our ancestors when they thought there was none left.  Also they contained secret messages about escape routes, and the locations of the underground.  To make comment like that as an artist says to me that you don't deserve that platform.  Also to all the people that say that the parents should raise their children better, please know that it takes a village to raise a child.  Even the best parent can't censor all of technology, nor can they mediate the interactions their children have with their peers, or protect them from the things other people do in the street.  We have to know we're all responsible.

Let me say that there is black america and white america if you don't think so ask the jena 6. Moving on I'm a black woman i feel we should not seperate oursleves from one another, but does seperation exsist diffently. You in my book are the very irresponable mother that this debate is over and so are your children. Most of these rappers don't allow  there children to listen to certain  music because they know that certain things are to graphic for children to endure. But according to you , your raising your innocent children to hear such things , all becasue you wanna be down. Not seeing and hearing the true pain behind  that life stlye. And might I add that your children are not capable of getting the underline  message :   THIS IS WHAT I DID TO MAKE IT USE MY MISTAKES AS YOUR LESSON FOR A BETTER ROUTE FOR SUCCESS FOR YOURSLEF.   When debates  like this come up ask  yourslef what role do i play in this mess?

 

Don't hate me i'm  just keeping you honest.

@DYERBOY=>FINALLY SOME1 SAID SOMETHING...I WAS WATCHING THE SHOW AND SAYING TO MYSELF TEH SAME THING...HIP-HOP IS A LIFESTYLE...IT IS TEH WAY ALOT OF US WEAR OUR HAIR...THE JEANS WE WEAR...HOW WE MOVE AND TALK...ETC...IT'S NOT JUST THE "MUSIC"...I FEEL LIKE THAT I AM TIRED OF HEARING OVER AND OVER THAT ..."IM FROM THE HOOD...IM FROM THE HOOD...THIS IS WHAT IVE BEEN THRU"...YADA YADA YADA...TRUE...TRUST I HAVE BEEN THRU SOME RUFF TIMES IN MY LIFE AS WELL...IVE LIVED IN THE APT BUILDING WITH THE DUDES IN FRONT SELLING...IVE BEEN THRU HEARING THE GUN SHOTS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT...OR NOT HAVING N3THING IN THE FIDGE TO EAT...BUT I FEEL LIKE...SO WHAT...WHAT ARE U GOING TO DO FROM THAT POINT...I FEEL LIKE THE "HIP-HOP" WORLD IS SOOOOO STUCK ON THIS "HOOD" THING..THAT IF U AIN'T FROM THE HOOD...U AIN'T BLACK ENOUGH...IF U AIN'T WEARINF THESE KIND OF JEANS OR TALKING A CERTAIN KIND OF WAY....THEN UR PROBABLY NOT A CANDIDATE OF BECOMING A "RAP" STAR...WHEN U HAVE KIDS NOT WANTING TO BE CONSIDERED SMART B/C IT'S NOT COOL...AND THEY WANT TO BE LIKE THE COOL KID...WHAT IS THE DEFINATION OF THE COOL "BLACK KID"...TEH KID THAT IMMULATES HIP-HOP...OR EVEN FOR WHITE KIDS...IVE SEEN THIS SOOOOO MANY TIMES...WITH THE "COOL" WHITE BOY IS THE WHITE KID THAT IMMULATES HIP-HOP...THE RAP GAME HAS TO TAKE RESPONSIBLITY FOR ITS SELF...U CAN SAY IS IT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DROP OUT RATE...NO...WELL...WHEN KIDS ARE OUT IN THE WORLD SLANGING B/C IT FEELS GOOD TO BE ABLE TO BUY THIER OWN JORDANS B/C IT WANTS TO LIVE UP TO THE "HIP-HOP" LIFESTYLE...THEY DROP OUT OF SCHOOL B/C THEY FEEL SCHOOL IS A WASTE OF TIME...AND THAT HAPPENS MORE THAN IT SHOULD...HIP HIP ITSELF MIGHT NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING THE GUNS IN2 THE COMMUNTIES..BUT MAN DO TEHY USE IT...DRUGS...DIDN'T BRING IT...BUT THEY SURE AS HELL DON'T MIND USING IT...A.K.A THE SNOWMAN...ANOTHER...SNITCHING...WE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ORIGINAL WITH IT...BUT BOY DO WE ACTAULLY LIVE BY IT************THE WAY I SEE IT IS THAT IN THE BEGINING WITH WHEN HIP HOP STARTED TO LET AMERICA INTO ITS COMMUNITIES IT WAS GOOD...LET EM KNOW...PPL DIDN'T WANT THEIR COMMUNTIES LIKE THAT N3MORE...BUT WHEB SUCH THINGS B-COME A BADGE OF HONOR...THEN IT IS TRULY A PROBLEM FOR OUR COMMUNTIES

---

There's only 1 GOD...who sent his word...which became flesh as his begotten son and was named JESUS...who is the savior of the world

I think that the special was much overdue. There were many crucial points made by the panel. I would like to formally express my opinion, being a young latina who grew up on hip hop among other genres of music, and also as an educator of middle school students. I do feel that hip hop is blamed as a whole for the violence and the degradation of women portrayed by a few. However, I think what artists don't realize is that yes, they do have the right and the freedom to express themselves in the manner they wish. However, children are young and impressionable. Nowadays MTV Cribs portrays rappers as owning lavish material things and living luxuriously and there is nothing wrong with that. We should be proud that they have the intelligence to obtain that level of celebrity. However, what young children see and hear does in deed influence them to a degree. With the economy being in the state that it is, the institution of the family has begun to break down within our society. Many children are being left to be educated and socialized by what they observe around them. Children rarely take the time to investigate other ways to attain those same lifestyles. Children are simplistic in their thought processes and need to be taught by their parents that the entertainment industry is a profitable one but what you choose to do with your life should have significance. If they want to be a rapper or entertainer of sorts then there must be an emphasis on the importance of an EDUCATION in that field. A child who aspires to emulate rappers should treat it as a profession as such that they should learn about hip hop's past first; about the pioneers, about it's evolution, and about marketing to ensure they will be successful in that profession if they should choose it. As the saying goes if you do not learn about history it is doomed to repeat itself. In the 1980's the crack/cocaine epidemic plagued the African American AND Latino communities. Many messages that were spread in hip hop were meant to inspire, uplift, and connect others to take our communities into our own hands and make progress. Queen Latifah's song UNITY is a prime example of that. The problem with hip hop today is that people are targeting it for it's content. It is understandable that many of these more violent and degrading songs are testimonials of what certain rappers experience in their communities. What we need to do as an intergenerational group is come together to rectify some of the social problems that exist within our communities that are being reflected in the music. If we gather together and address the socially founded inequities that are rampant within our communities I beleive there would be less negativity reflected in the music. I don't believe that we should curb the aspects of our culture, be that musically or ethnically, but rather realize that images of members within our communities should leave a mostly positive reflection of our community on other people. I don't believe we should "care" per say what other communities think of us but rather what impressions we are leaving for our children to see and how are we portraying ourselves worldwide. I just feel that hip hop today doesn't inspire it just influences people. Creativity and self-expression are key factors to the longevity to an entertainers careers but a positive evolution of each individual should occur. I also feel that rappers should be held accountable for their songs. Lyrics and videos that are glorifying violence or the degredatiion of women should be boycotted. It's the same thing as President Bush firmly pushing the country into an unjustified war without allowing his own children to fight in it. It's hypocritical for rappers to be writing songs that they themselves would never do or have the members of their families do. We as the members within the African American and Latino communities should be well aware of these truths and hold ourselves in high regard to maintain the morals and values our ancestors upheld.

I watched the first installment of Hip Hop v. America and I must say I was so happy that this program was aired. It gives some of the industry's most popular yet scrutinized artist a chance to voice their opinion on the state of Hip Hop. Firstly, Nelly and T. I. are very articulate and were able to voice thier opinions clearly. My general feelings toward the situation is based off of what Nelly said (paraphrasing), music is not the determining factor of American society or African Americans...Education Is! Those that are educated can use music as entertainment and a voice for expression but the uneducated deem it a way of life or one's personal saviour. Those that are not educated and choose not to be, glorify the negative aspects of the Hip Hop culture and perpetuate the negative cycle. Understand when i say "those who are uneducated"..i dont mean higher academia. I mean those who choose to be ignorant and dont believe in bettering themselves through education. Everyone will not have the opportunity to attend a Ivy League school or a 4 year university but seeking out information for themselves IS education. On the other hand, everyone is accountable for their own actions. If i choose to view hardcore videos and listen to hardcore, degrading, ignorant music then I must understand that in some way it will have an effect on me. For myself, things of that nature force me to look deeper into the lyrics, the artist, and the lifestyle for which they glorify. I enjoy debates and conversations which will educate me on why things are perceived and appreciated the way they are. Everything both negative and positive can be used as a learning tool. So, as far as Hip Hop is concerned, will you use it as a learning tool or merely use it as the soundtrack for your life? You Decide.....Peace and Love or as my father would say "Solid...whats solid Education...Education is Solid"

I don't really think this is about who I agree with. The panel is made up of black people, as a black person I am  concerned with this entire issue. I don’t think this was about bashing rap or rappers (TI, Nelly). It’s bigger than that, and I think that if we allow little discrepancies to get in the way we are missing the big picture.

As a community, a culture, a people, black folks are wounded, fragmented and we no longer make up a unit. Too busy competing or haten’ on each other. The white man of slavery set us up to fight one another and today he still prevails, because we are still fighting. I think it is important that we are accountable for one another.

 

One other point, I think that rappers can’t evolve they aren’t allowed to. They are confined within the image they entered the scene with and if they prevail and leave the thug gansta life behind, they are labeled as a sell out. The audience that once looked up to that artist is gone. Seems as if we buy the pain and the struggle of black people, but we don’t appreciate them surviving and conquering  a dangerous lifestyle.

The media's images have a huge impact within our culture.

 

The media replays sterotypes that we internalize and  they begin to become a part of who we are. It's way bigger than just us. Spike Lee speaks alot about this, his movie Baboozled. bell hooks is an author that writes specifically about medias represenation of black people, in which she calls the current representation "racial genocide".

 

I challenge my brothers and sisters to stand up and be counted, don’t allow anyone to judge you for who you aren’t. I am a black woman and I can’t begin to understand my own situation within this world, but I am trying to better understand my people, hopefully in the end I will better understand myself.

I am done for today, I hope someone comments. I would love to here what everyone else is thinking.

 

I get the feelin’ that BET as a corporation is really playin’ games with the black community.

 

To try and address an issue of such importance (especially, in light of the fact that this issue was brought before those on Capitol Hill today), part 1 was only one hour long??

Fa’ Real?

 

To whom it may concern at BET:

First I must state that this issue is far beyond the blame game (whose responsible or whatever).

Our goal as a community must be education, (in which at least this had time to get conveyed during the program), but it’s hard to believe that education was the goal of “your” show.

 

Even though “you” addressed the issue, the ball was dropped in giving it the proper light and attention it deserves. In which this was the second time “you’ve” done this recently. Hypin’ up the “Read A Book” video to bring attention to some issues but really having no plan of action after getting that attention. Was there any real outreach to different communities to spark conversation, or was it an assumption that the community would come to “you”, or maybe the issue really didn’t mean that much – similar to this segment.

 

I view BET as having a monopolized hold on the black TV industry- whether its caused by buy-outs or nobody else wanting to invest. For whatever reason, black people are going to watch regardless, “you” all we got.

Truth is no other network has the ability to address the issue like BET. Of all the revenue "you" make off shows of more entertainment value and less educational value, more time could have been allocated for this show especially since this is just a two part mini-series. Where’s the charity- lawyers work pro bono?

 

A minimum of two hours per segment should have been given, atleast...

 Ideas can not be fully developed or considered if not given the proper attention. That’s similar to me responding in this comment by just saying “Your program should have been longer!” That’s Basic! And I’m terrible when it comes to grammar.

My apologizes for being so harsh but “you” clearly could have done better.

 

-Marcus D.    Reno, NV

hip hop has nothin to do wit how america is! america has no dicsipline at all. put me on the show an i will out talk any and every body.

I really like this debate, because it explains both points of views in a mature way.I agree with Nelly and T.I. when they say hip hop does not raise your children you do.They admit that some rappers glorify obscene behavior and go too far.Also there are alot of rappers doing positive things. Things that can only influence you if you allow it. They said it best when did hip hop become a parent? We all know right from wrong, I think Hip hop is being blamed as a scapegoat for the lack of proper parenting skills.The media should not be setting children's morale the parents should.Don't just single hip hop out what about video games.tv, computers? Rock music is just as violent. I really think hip hop is being singled out.Master P said it right we don't glorify the positive enough. Media influences without hip hop is still negative, the media entertains; it does not instill character that is up to the parents.Besides they are giving testimonies about the negative they have turn into positive.Parents complain about the violence,sex,and vulgarity,but it’s there money who is supplying it.As a whole we should all set better examples.The majority of the responsibility lies within the parental unit.Parents control what their children watch, listen, and allow in their home. Parents should indeed be teaching their children right from wrong. Sheltering their children is not going to help. If a parent doesn't allow something in their home, the child will simply go elsewhere. I'm not saying that the parent has to condon it but restrictions and complete abolishment are two totally different things. Restricting a child to certain artist, content, etc. gives a better result than deminishing the entire subject from recognition. People need to take responsibility for what their kids are exposed to and stop blaming media for the disasters they are creating. America is under siege for more reasons than we have the ability to fathom at this time.. and I seriously doubt it is based upon the influence of hip hop music. WITH THAT SAID: Parents shouldn’t try to place full blame on hip hop for the way their children act. It’s both the parents,and hip-hops fault. . Everything around a child effects their outcome. It can't be blamed solely on the parent nor can the blame rest solely in the media. Everyone must accept their own contributation to the problem then work as a whole to fix it. To sum it all up, everyone is to blame. No one can simply brush the blame over to someone else and we all know it doesn't take one to fix a problem,but the entire nation. And: Just to comment on the *55* and whores thing. That actually doesn't bother me. I refer to women using those same terms. If you ask me, you are what you present and if a women is acting a certain way she deserves what she is called. And not to cause any enemies but if you take offense to the things you hear, it most likely is because you identify yourself that way. That is a personal issue that needs to be fixed within yourself. None of that blaming ' rap music' for all your down falls.