3/28/05
Campus

In an attempt to deter violence in the hip-hop culture, the Rev. Al Sharpton proposed last Thursday that a ban be placed on music by artists whose lyrics depict violent acts.

Sharpton did not specifically name any artists, but told the Associated Press that a shooting linked to a feud between rapper 50 Cent and The Game highlights the need for a ban.

The feud escalated recently when a member of The Game's entourage was shot outside of a New York radio station while 50 Cent was conducting an interview. No arrests have been made in the shooting.

"The outrage of the pattern of violence that has occurred at radio stations requires some action," Sharpton told the Associated Press. "What has been absent is some kind of government move to stop these actions happening on federally regulated radio stations."

The civil rights activist took his fight to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week and pressured officials to impose a ban denying airplay for 90 days to artists involved in violent confrontations. Also, Sharpton is asking that radio stations "that encourage a pattern of this, including allowing employees to do on-the-air inciting of violence" be fined and reviewed by the FCC.

Although it has already been publicly settled, many have compared the recent dispute between 50 Cent and his protégé, The Game to that of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., which eventually ended in both stars being killed almost a decade ago.

Although lyrical battles are common in rap and have been a part of the culture for years, Sharpton says the problem evolves when words lead to violent behavior and death.

"There's a difference in having the right to express yourself and in engaging in violence and using the violence to hype record sales, and then polluting young Americans that this is the key to success, by gun-slinging and shooting," Sharpton told the AP.

Many Howard students believe that Sharpton's campaign will be unsuccessful.

Kristin Mencer, a freshman international business major, said the ban would not stop any of the beefs in hip-hop.

"Not playing their music wouldn't really affect the fact that they have beef," Mencer said. "They're going to have conflict regardless of whether their music is played or not."

Brandon Thrasher agreed.

"The methods he is using are ridiculous," the a freshman marketing major said. "Instead of trying to hide it all, he needs to help work it out, bring both parties together. Trying to ban them from media is not going to help anything."

Sharpton disagrees and said compared to other issues recently discussed amongst the FCC, action should be taken against violent hip-hop lyrics.

"The whole body politic of America addressed Janet Jackson's breast, and it didn't hurt anybody," he said of last year's SuperBowl halftime incident.

"Here you have actual bloodshed, and people are not even responding at federally regulated radio stations...Black kids are expected to shoot each other, and nobody cares? Well I care, and I think somebody should do something about it," he said.

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