Spike and the Dangers of Gangsta Rap Music
I guess I'm on a roll today (read - I don't feel like working).
Quote from Spike Lee: “I’ve always felt you can feel the progress of African Americans by listening to their music,” Lee said. “Some of this ‘gangsta rap’ stuff, it’s not doing anybody any good. This stuff is really dangerous.”
I gotta say (in my opinion) he's on point on this one. I remember in the mid to late 90s there was a resurgence of Black consciousness. Groups like Public Enemy, KRS 1, etc. were popular and blasting on the airwaves. Then another form of rap began - Gangsta Rap - with NWA leading the charge. Now I don't know if any of this is fact, but in my opinion, white folks got nervous and seeing that NWA was saying the stuff that went along with their stereotypes of Black America (ie., gangs, drugs, misogeny, etc.), music moguls promoted it in lieu of Black conscious rap. Now of course WE bought into it, and more importantly, bought it en masse.
What is the course of action? When do we say enough is enough? How do we go about brining our Neo-soul, Black conscious music back to the front and going away from the denigrating music that is over crowding our airwaves? If Spike's assessment is true that the progress of our community is demonstrated by our music - we are in a sad state of affairs.
Of course - all opinions and comments are welcomed. Any comments?
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