Rap Music

[Mirdath]

Originally Posted by Public Enemy
“I try to tell my people
There should not be any hatred
For a brother or a sister
Whose opposite race they’ve mated
No man is God
And God put us all here (yeah)
But this system has no wisdom
The devil split us in pairs
And taught us White is good, Black is bad
And Black and White is still too bad
That’s why everytime I turn around
All the people in my neighborhood
Look mad and sing…”
That most certainly is offensive. “Opposite race they’ve mated.”
Is that implying interracial fornication? “No man is God.” Is that denying the incarnation of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? “The devil split us in pairs.” Is that suggesting that Genesis 11:1-9 is erroneous? The word “in” should be, “into,” by the way. “And taught us White is good, Black is bad.” Oh, cry me a river! “And Black and White is still too bad.” In and of itself, it is not bad. It can be bad, however, if it is a result of a naive teenage white bimbo dating a gangster thug black guy (as opposed to a dignified black person), just because MTV tells her it is the “in” thing to do to be “popular.” This song seems to be trying to send a message that white people need to “tolerate,” watching their daughters, sisters, and white female friends get beaten, cheated on, impregnated, and dumped by black thugs and gangsters, and that failure to do so makes us “racist.” Personally, I feel that failure to object to secular rap music makes someone a racist, because there has never been anything that has portrayed black America in a more deplorable manner. Not slavery, not segregation, not even the Ku Klux Klan can compete with the damage that secular rap music has caused to black America. It’s wonderful that prominent black Americans such as Bill Cosby and Reverend Al Sharpton are speaking out against rap music and the culture that surrounds it. Raping, bullying, joining gangs, murdering, taking drugs, disrespecting authority, cheating on girlfriends and wives, using profanity, talking as if you’ve never received an education, objectifying women, encouraging children to do things that will get them thrown in jail, and then calling whitey “racist” when he objects to such behaviors are certainly NOT elements of “African American culture.” Yet, secular rap music and MTV want to say that those things ARE African American culture. If we don’t stand up and speak out against this, young African American children are going to start thinking that such things actually are African American culture, to the point where when they grow up, such abominable evil will BECOME African American culture. The elimination of secular rap music from American society should be a secular national priority second only to the elimination of pornography.

Actually no, the message of the song is ‘interracial marriage is okay, guys’. Nothing about fornication, nothing about abuse, nothing about cheating, nothing about dumping.

Of course, since you seem to enjoy thinking of rap lyrics in the worst possible way you can, I don’t think I can stop you from doing so. Unfortunately, you’re doing more harm to yourself than you are to anyone else.

 

[FrankLawrence]

Actually no, the message of the song is ‘interracial marriage is okay, guys’. Nothing about fornication, nothing about abuse, nothing about cheating, nothing about dumping.

Of course, since you seem to enjoy thinking of rap lyrics in the worst possible way you can, I don’t think I can stop you from doing so. Unfortunately, you’re doing more harm to yourself than you are to anyone else.

Why are you defending evil? Even if I am wrong about the intentions of this particular song, which I may be, that doesn’t change the underlying culture behind secular rap music, the demonic perception of romantic relationships that is portrayed through secular rap music, and the fact that these rappers are trying to hide behind both the first amendment, and the, “If you object to me you are a racist” facades. As Catholics we need to protect our children from evil, not glamourize it or water it down for the sake of “tolerance,” or “cultural diversity.” If I was trying to harm ANYONE, I would be at fault. I am trying to protect our children, and protect the black community who has had to struggle so hard for acceptance, and has made such wonderful gains in the 1970s and 1980s, only for rap music to come along and destroy much of the hard work that men like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked so hard to achieve. Not to mention, the culture of secular rap music makes AMERICA look bad on an international basis. In fact, someone from England was telling me that there is a university(college) course in England that is critical of “American culture,” and portrays the culture of secular rap music as AMERICAN culture. It is an international embarassment to our great nation that we have allowed secular rap music to destroy the culture, now of multiple generations of children of all skin colors. As Catholics, as Americans, and as members of the human race, we need to firmly stand against the culture of secular rap music, rather than trying to pull out exceptions and say, “Well, this song has a positive message,” as an excuse to defend evil.

 

[m134e5]

I listen to rap music. I don’t listen to it for what they say (because most of what they say is horrible), but I enjoy it for the beats and the flow of words. Is it wrong to purchase a rap CD knowing that I am encouraging them to have inappropriate lyrics?

I think it would be scandalous to do that. You may like the rhythm, but the lyrics still sound like they came from the wall of a public restroom.

 

[Mirdath]

Why are you defending evil? Even if I am wrong about the intentions of this particular song, which I may be, that doesn’t change the underlying culture behind secular rap music, the demonic perception of romantic relationships that is portrayed through secular rap music, and the fact that these rappers are trying to hide behind both the first amendment, and the, “If you object to me you are a racist” facades. As Catholics we need to protect our children from evil, not glamourize it or water it down for the sake of “tolerance,” or “cultural diversity.” If I was trying to harm ANYONE, I would be at fault. I am trying to protect our children, and protect the black community who has had to struggle so hard for acceptance, and has made such wonderful gains in the 1970s and 1980s, only for rap music to come along and destroy much of the hard work that men like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked so hard to achieve. Not to mention, the culture of secular rap music makes AMERICA look bad on an international basis. In fact, someone from England was telling me that there is a university(college) course in England that is critical of “American culture,” and portrays the culture of secular rap music as AMERICAN culture. It is an international embarassment to our great nation that we have allowed secular rap music to destroy the culture, now of multiple generations of children of all skin colors. As Catholics, as Americans, and as members of the human race, we need to firmly stand against the culture of secular rap music, rather than trying to pull out exceptions and say, “Well, this song has a positive message,” as an excuse to defend evil.

One might just as well dismiss orchestral music because of the Carmina Burana, literature because of the Decameron and Fanny Hill, or stage theater because Shakespeare is shockingly dirty-minded. Sure, a large fraction of rap is trash – Sturgeon’s Law applies just as much there as elsewhere! That doesn’t make the whole thing ‘evil’.

 

[FrankLawrence]

One might just as well dismiss orchestral music because of the Carmina Burana, literature because of the Decameron and Fanny Hill, or stage theater because Shakespeare is shockingly dirty-minded. Sure, a large fraction of rap is trash – Sturgeon’s Law applies just as much there as elsewhere! That doesn’t make the whole thing ‘evil’.

I’m referring specifically to the “culture” that surrounds secular rap music. That culture is evil. Yes, there may be individual secular rap songs that are NOT in and of themselves evil, possibly even some songs from some of the worst offending rap “artists.” Nevertheless, the culture of secular rap music is evil, and to spend money on such “music,” is to fund the devil’s work.

 

[tvdxer]

Not all rap is bad, but a lot of it is. There are countless genres within hip-hop / rap, however, some much worse than others.

“Gangster rap” is a particularly violent form of rap, still produced today, but more popular during the '90s.

Current rap hits from the likes of 50 Cent and Akon are normally less violent, but still full of references to promiscuous sex. Many songs glamorize the “gangsta” lifestyle or something similar to it - certainly not good Christian listening.

Foreign rap from France, Italy, Africa, etc. and less popular American rap music produced by independent artists is sometimes but not always better.

 

[m134e5]

Technically you could make a case for that, since rap doesn’t do anything with melody, but it’s still poetry and it’s still art – when done well

“When done well”…I can accept that. They are not done well, however, if the lyrics sound like they came from a men’s room wall. In that case, they are no more artistic than the writing on the wall itself.