Professor Sabir's Posse

My Rap Against Rap
This article is reflects on the movie called"The GodFather". In the movie there is a lot of violence, gangs, drugs, and rap music being involved. This article talks about how the movie influenced a black boy to commit a crime(mistake, that for the rest of hes life he will regret. Young adults are impressionable and less able to filter fantasy from fact. This young black boy didnt know what he was getting into, and the consequences that he would later face. The boy got spirit and indentified himself with a group that influence him celebrate machismo that elevated the glory and glamour to gang life.
Nowadays, more kids(especaillyboys) are more interested in listening to rap and watching shhows that show graphic videos fo rap, drugs, sex,and violence, all of this contains hatred and influential messages. Like in the article talks about how"it often denigratres women and glorifies guns and gangs". I think that this is a why a lot of mothers dont want to let their kids watch certain types of shows(for example like MTV or VHI). Rap music has always played a monumentak role in what we think and what it can do in out lifes.
Rap music has extended and has become more of a ganster music and it lyrics that talk about women seem to be "bitches and ho". These types of music make a man turn into and become abusive and possive towards the ladies. Rap music was first listen by many black people. Then all the other races continued to listen. Rap became a political issue that addressed the white house. Rappers made their music and didnt hesitate to act on what they were singing about, like Tupac Shakur,Flavor Flav, Snoop Doggy Dog. A lot of their lyrics and messages that they said and gave cause conflict, because young people see their video and they also listen to it on the radio.
Kids cant tell the difference between music and reality. Kids that take the negative rap lyrics, often put it in their own perpective way, and most of the time, they change it to become positive and influential. i believe that a lot of the kids that get influence by rap music is because they either have no one to relate to, problems in (at home,school, streets and etc.) are mistred and or dont have a guidence for their life. It can also be that they are being negleted and not enough attention form their parents. For these reasons otherwise, today their would be way to many kids listening and getting influence by rappers.
 

The music today that is considred to be gangster rap is watered down
at best.I do agree with nathan mccall as far ashow young peoplethat are impressionable and unable to differintiate between reality or fantasy.Personally i feel that in music your suppose to express your side but like most things we himans we abuse them and thats what you see today in music.
If your really dedicated to killing people,taking drugs, ortaking trips, or whatever a gangster does,then how does he have time to make movies,and have fun.Most people do things for money thats what you hear or see when you pay attention to gangster rap.On 50 cents album he has a song on there and on the hook he repeaptedly says that he will kill you when we do things in repitition they become habbit forming so i think its hard for young men or women to filter out the benifits of someones message that there trying to express.
 

Rap music has a high influence on are community, but it has different impact on certain people. I am for rap not against it. There are some things I would like to change in Rap. One thing is Artists who are making certain music and not making any since own their point I can not respect music when the Artists don’t put 100% in there work.

For example Lil John made a song call “to the window to the wall to the sweat drop down my balls, make all these bitches crawl, all sek, sek, sek motherfucka.” This song particularly made millions. The album makes multi platinum on the bill board charts. I believe that this song was love because of the beat. Lil John is a well known gangster rapper and a producer. He as work with artist like, Usher, Missy, Too Short and etc.
I don’t agree with some of his music because I can’t relate to all of it. I am not against it because I have know clue what this man as been through. I don’t know his background. He may have a speech disorder, or a low volume of vocabulary. I think a lot of these artists were abuse in their lifetime. I’ve seen that music or rap gives them a way to express there selves.

An artist by the name of Lil Kim was prostitute when coming up in the streets of Brooklyn. She struggle her teen life to survive. She met a Mc by the name of Biggie small and got her big chance she had been wait on (a record deal).
She explains in an interview that she was tired of men speaking about women all the time, and not having clue what we go through or see. She explains there are thing that need to be a dress. One of her songs she says, “coming from the ghetto was hard from the get go, but I’m gone show the hood the world isn’t just made for rich folks.
Lil Kim has ways that I believe young women on the street can relate to. She a wonderful influence too many, because she is real, she is not afraid to say, what we can’t. Sometimes I hear her and I say, I was thinking that same thing, but I couldn’t put it in the right form.
My favorite song that influences me the most is this song called “Put your litters up”. This song shows me a girl with know educational background, from the rough neighborhoods. Can still elite people on how to be aware.

Put your litters up

Don’t talk to nigga, who try to get at you,
Because in browed daylight they will kidnap you
This is the life of hustler and life of gambles, the dice game kill more
Nigga then cancer, the kids still bang at the cops off the roof,
If you don’t know my town is the truth
Welcome to Brooklyn.
Put your litter up
 

English 201A 1-3pm
My Rap against Rap by Michael Gartner essay was a good one, very eye-opening, but nothing new. We’ve been hearing this for awhile now! My response to that is: IM PRO-CHOICE. I’m for the freedom of choice. People have the right to do, say, and listen to whatever the want. Rap can never be considered good or bad. Rap is for some, and not for others. I, for one, am not a rap lover. Especially the, “non- radio- friendly” version. Growing up I never knew what “gangsta rap” was. It was until I was 13 years old that I begin to know what “gangsta rap” was. My parents grow up listening to, Kool and tha Gang, A Tribe call Quest, and variety of R&B/ Soul music. That’s what I prefer. Bitch this, and “Nigga” that has no place in my IPOD. Nor does it have any place in my mother’s house. My mom doesn’t allow it. “If you want listen to that shit, play it in your own car, with the windows up, or just listen to the radio, that’s fine in my house,” my mom always express. So the radio it is!
Most people, now a day, listen to rap, especially “gangsta rap” for the beat. It’s very catchy and it keeps you dancing. That’s why I listen to it. Boom Bam, Bam Bam Boom is the right beat to get your ass shaking and your body moving.
Like I sated, I’m pro-choice. So I’m for rap music. I’m also for people turning the station if they don’t want to hear it. Rappers have to work also.
 

In our American culture, unfortunately we are attracted to the scene of violence relating to gangs, guns, and drugs. The action that takes place in it all is something that we sit in applaud to. However on the flip side instead of us letting the action remain in the fantasy life of television and behind the lyrics of rappers who may have actually lived it we take it to the next level of letting it influence us. Especially young children who are extremely impressionable and not talented enough to understand that there is a huge difference between the two.
As young people they are not old enough to understand that those who rap, possibly have actually lived this life. Those that act in the movies are only “acting.” Tupac for example rapped about the life that he actually lived the struggles that he went through as a child, and as young adult the anger that he had inside from his drug addicted mother who was never around was the excuse for him making fowl descions in his life. Those young people that are impressionable who come from a wealthy family are not in realization that this is the case. All they see is the respect and fame that comes from these actions, and decide to the same, and end up getting them selves in a lot of trouble.
I feel that rap music is not a bad thing, not a beneficial thing, just something that young minds should not be exposed to. It influences them to be custom to negative actions, and wrong doing. Now I am not saying that rap music influences all bad behavior, but for the mind f a young mind it does.
 

I think that gangster rap is good positive move. Rap to me is a person expression of art or the way you view life. Every body don’t look at life positively, When you come from a hard place, you want people to know your struggle to live eat act. People want to be respected and want the values to be viewed. People make they own choices and decision you can’t blame any for you. Riots, violent mobs and killings we do cause want to not because Master P said so, music is music Violent its self, that’s like me blaming Al Green for people getting HIV. Will smith was a good rapper but he made a song called “you saw my blinker bitch.” You do what you want. But most people do blame rap music.
 

Ashley Dorsett
10/31/2007

My Rap Against Rap
By:Nathan Mccall

As i was reading the paper My Rap Against Rap i found a lot of things to be true like how a lot of the violence we see on the videos or movies really do impact the Black community. As Mccall stated he saw the movie '' The Godfather'' and wanted to do exactly what they were doing. Living in a community where a lot of violence does go on its sad to say that they really dont know what's the difference between reality and fantasy.
I agree with many people when they say rap has changed because they use to send out a powerful message like saying don't use drugs, stop killing, or how wonderful it is to be black, but why know are they sending out that message to go and kill so and so or how you should get high. Like one rapper Guccie Mane all he talks about is being high even in his one song Geeked Up or Fabo one of the rappers from D4L.
On the other hand i dont think its all the rappers fault its also the young people out here having babies so early in age that they get caught up in this ''RAP'' life that and thats the only thing their children can see or understand. It also comes from not having any rolemodels so you have to look up to people like Tupac, Snoop, The Godfather. Etc.
The movie ''American Gangster'' is also a perfect example, i know that so many people who are considered minorities will be there because thats the image that they are portraying to be ''COOL'' everyone wants to be admired for something but then they get admired for the wrong thing.
 

1.Gartner and McCall’s positions in the subject of censorship.

The word ‘censor’ means to examine the information, and remove anything that is offensive, morally harmful, or politically dangerous. ‘Censorship’ means the practice or system of censoring something. With the same subject of censorship, Gartner and McCall showed two different positions about censorship.

In the essay 'Right and Wrong Way to Get Incolved' that is about censorship of school reading book, Gartner firmly stated his opinion, “There is a difference between involvement and censorship.” What he wants to say is when someone persist one’s idea as a policy, it becomes a restriction of other’s right.

McCall positioned opposite to Gartner with the same subject of censorship in 'My Rap Against Rap'. From his own experience of a vulnerable youth, he claims the necessity of censorship of rap lyrics and graphic videos for children and youth. He made sure his idea with the words of Akbar that “Freedoms have come to be used as a justification of anarchy. Someone has got to monitor civilized life.”

Both Gartner and McCall’s claims of policy showed good examples of existing issue of censorship in America.
 

Since when did rap change from good to bad?
Since plain words got boring and “gangsters rap” are in, cool, the new fad. Most rapper today comes from the ghetto, the hood and projects. Their material are mostly geared towards their environment. Where all these guns, drugs, killing are everyday life for them so they rap it. Also the truth makes a rapper the real deal, “the cool rappers” , and some people respects that. Then theirs those “fakes” gangsta rappers that lies about it and a gangsta wars starts. All these gangsta music that was meant for their rival end up being in their album and well, it sells. They might even air it over the radio and many kids listens to them. That’s where kids get misguided in life. Thinking its cool do what these rapper do.

Living young and without a caring/supporting family, well you just cant learn from them. These kids growing up without discipline and a good role model will have a hard time growing up. Kids are kids, they get excited when they see something cool to them. “Nobody fantasizes more than young black men” quote from Rap against Rap by Nathan McCall. I wouldn’t say just young black men but all young men living under poverty. Because there’s nothing much a person can do when he has nothing. And seeing how hard life is, they rather fantasizes. Athletes and rappers are big flavored role model for young men’s. Then here they decide how they want to gain respect or acknowledgement, by stardom or the gangster way.

Rap music, I always listened to it but never once replayed a “gangsta rap”. I have a good sense of choice of what rap music to enjoy and which to avoid. Any rap with negative, degrading, curse words and even gun shot fire in the background of their music is obvious bad. I don’t know but maybe it’s because I started listening rap music during my younger days with good if not great, rappers. Listening to Tupac, Master P, and Bone Thug & Harmony really show rap is not just word spitting. Some of their rap tells a story, their life experience story. Today, we hardly see these kind of rap artist. There’s some but they tent to add in those hardcore words in it and it kills their good songs…and for what? The Sake of their gangsta pride?
 

Rap, Hip-Hop and R & B music are genre’s that I had to examine the true effects of to understand the destruction behind it. I have 2 daughters and initially they were allowed to listen to many variations of music as long as it was censored which for me at the time meant that it did not consist of profanity. They were allowed to listen to the music not because I agreed with it, but because it sounded good to me and I was ignorant at the time to the impact of lyrical content. I listened to it, but I did not HEAR the message that was being relayed. As I advanced into listening to more pop, rock, and jazz music, I realized the significant differences in the content. I kicked myself for exposing them to the harmful lyrics which consisted of misogynistic praise, gang violence, self-degradation, glorification of the ghetto and the thug lifestyle, and sexual exploitation. It made me realize that to my children it looked as though I found the words acceptable, when that was far from the truth. Although I did not live the words by any means, I was readily accepting of it when I played it in my car and danced to the music. I had to place myself into their shoes and envision myself in their eyes. What I saw was quite disturbing. When they started reciting the lyrics, I became utterly embarrassed. When I heard the words from their mouths, the lyrics they spoke resonated in a different fashion. It was completely unacceptable for a then 2 and 5 year old to recite some of the lyrics that they sang like Mystikal’s “shake it fast” which exploits women who shakes their behinds or Avant’s “Read Your Mind” which has inconspicuous sexual content. It was at that time that I saw first-hand the negative force that rap, hip-hop and r&b music had on my children, and our society.

Parents that consider it acceptable for their children to listen to the music are not “bad parents” per se, but I must emphasize that as a parent we should be more conscious of what we allow our children to be exposed to. This problem spills over into television, peer relationships, and exposure to society in general. Realizing the negative impact of the music enlightened me to analyze the negative impacts of television programs which I now monitor, their circle of influence which is limited to peers who abide by the same set of rules, the neighborhoods I am willing to live in which limits their exposure, and the company I keep. I extremely mindful of the places and environments they are exposed to because it can have a lasting positive or negative outcome. My kids have always been viewed as well spoken, respectable, and well-mannered but it’s more evident now. It feels good as a parent to know that I am providing my kids with the tools they will need to become successful, respectable, educated, and empowered women. It my job as a parent, and I am not willing to sacrifice their future because society says it is ok.

I want to reiterate the fact that more parents need to become aware of the negative impact that some of the music has on our children. It goes back to censorship and judgment and while I am not saying that all of the music is bad, there is an overwhelming amount that clearly shows the adverse effects. Look at the children who sell drugs, carry guns, disrespect their parents, and call themselves thugs and niggaz. It certainly isn’t a product of self-education, it can easily be attributed to the music that they love, embrace, and ultimately live out. It’s time for parent’s to stop the cycle, and make a positive change in the lives of our children.
 

There are many people that are influenced by things they see or by the music they hear. Most of those that are influenced are teenagers, but there are also young adults. Some of the music youth hear, or movies they watch are violent. There could be lyrics that contain negative messages. Some of this negative messages or just things the songs say could bring women down. The songs could be sexist, talking bad about women or they could bring up subjects like drugs and alcohol.
When youth hear what the songs say, they try to act that way. For example, if a song says that using drugs is cool, then teenagers are going to use drugs so that they could feel cool. Obviously that by using drugs they're not going to be cool, but like the song says it, they want to try it. It an also be that when they see the music videos they watn to be liek the people that come out in them. If the people in the video are drinking and they all look happy, then the people watching the video are going to get the idea that if they drink they'll end up happy.
There's music of many different genres and in every genre there could be a song that is not okay for youth to listen. Is not only rap music that can have negative messages, there's also other genres. Some pop or rock songs could also have negative messages that youth hear. Also not only in music videos is where youth see all the bad things, there's also a lot of movies that have a lot of violence. If parents don't want their children to see or hear negative messages, they will have a lot of work to do because nowadays there's many violence on television and on music.
 

Chon Hong Cheang

Music has always been a way of conveying messages in
every culture. In the old days, songs told stories of
our ancestors or great myths and tales of our culture.
However, at the turn of the century, Rap became the popular
genre of music to adolencents. The lyric content in rap music
creates negative images towards women and glorifies illegal
activies like drug and violence. Rappers are now idols to young
kids today but it makes one worry since gangster rap and music
videos are so violent. Rap has become part of our culture and
this causes great concerns for the effects on a children's
psychological thought process as juvenile crime rates increases
over the year.
 

I chose to answer number 2.

Dear Concerned Parents,

It has come to my attention that a selected few of you are not happy with the text chosen for your childs curriculum. I have also been getting responses from parents who wish for their children to read the text because they feel that it would better their knowledge.
I want to take into consideration the thoughts and feelings of everyone involved in the sitation, at the same time I dont want to be the one who could possibly hinder students' education. I believe that I have come up with a solution.
My plan is to write a letter that will be sent to the parent of everyone in the school summing up the book and not leaving out any vital information [i.e. if the book includes swearing, sexual content etc.] I will reguest each parent/guardian to sign the paper stating whether or not they want their child/children to read the text.
Based upon those answers, I will request that we start an after school program where the students who have been allowed to read and discuss the book can do it together. And it will be dismissed from being disussed in the classroom.
I hope that this solution is something that both parties will agree to.

Thank You
 

In My Rap Against Rap, by Nathan Mccall, is about a young black male who was inspired by the movie, “The Godfather” to commit a crime that he later regretted and realized he did not want to live his life in and out of prison.
This young man grew up in a community were gangsters, guns, and violence was the way to go. After seeing the movie “The Godfather” this boy and his friends was hyped by the scenes in the movie that they tried to get people to step to them so they could have a reason to prove their manhood. Mccall said, “The message I picked up was, if some body double-cross you, he deserve to die.” Feeling that way they started trouble.
Wanting to prove his manhood, he shot a man because he threatened his girlfriend. It took him to go to prison to realize prison was not were he wanted to spend his life and for him to see where a fantasy can take him and having to deal with it for the rest of his life. So yes I agree that some forms of rap and movies inspires young teens to throw there lives away following street fantasies.
 

My rap against rap
Rap today have taken a different approach on people as well as society. I personally love rap in terms of the different ways it can make you feel in times that you may need it. I feel that rap can sometimes be seen as bad due to the fact that some lyrics can be vulgar but not all rap is bad it’s just the way you take it or your overall understanding of what is being said.
Most of the rap music today is based on life experiences. Many that relate to the music can actually visualize the whole picture that the rapper is speaking about. “Mama named Cita, I love you Cita, remember when your pussy second husband use to beat ya? Remember when I went into the kitchen got the cleaver? He ain’t give a fuck, I ain’t give a fuck either.” These lyrics came from Lil Wayne (World of Fantasy) it points out how his mom being abused affected him in ways in which he felt like killing her husband. This to me shows a kind of emotion that many have felt before and even though it uses bad language its still sends out a message.