USA: RAP SINGERS AND OTHERS TO DISCUSS AND COUNTERACT NEGATIVE IMAGES OF HIP HOP MUSIC AND BLACK CULTURE IN "HIP HOP SUMMIT" IN NEW YORK

Record ID: 391422

  • Title: USA: RAP SINGERS AND OTHERS TO DISCUSS AND COUNTERACT NEGATIVE IMAGES OF HIP HOP MUSIC AND BLACK CULTURE IN "HIP HOP SUMMIT" IN NEW YORK
  • Date: 14th June 2001
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES(JUNE 14, 2001) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) TALIB KWELI, HIP HOP ARTIST, SAYING, "Any music takes the values of the society and magnifies them. The society is very misogynistic, it is very violent, it is very sexist, it is very racist, and you see these things magnified in hip hop music because hip hop is going to take the tru
  • Embargoed: 29th June 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES AND UNIDENTIFIED LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Entertainment,General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA2IMNHZ3BDGVERRT1SHARCRAOK
  • Story Text: Hip hop, in a bid to clean up its image, has backed plans to warn parents about violent and sexually explicit lyrics and said it would organise politically to help the urban poor.
    Rappers, black music moguls and black leaders gathered at a "Hip Hop Summit" in New York said they would label sexually explicit and violent music, as well as Web sites and posters that promote it. They also plan to mentor young rappers, set up hip-hop think tanks, and form a political group to address issues like free speech and racial profiling.
    Hip-hop is one of the fastest-growing music genres in the United States, accounting for $1.84 billion in sales last year, but it has been attacked for violent, sexually explicit and misogynistic songs, and also because of some rappers' criminal records and extravagant lifestyles.
    Sean "Puffy" Combs, hip hop artist said, "The success of hip hop, it definitely cannot be denied. It is the most influential artform in a entertainment way, or even politically, it is the most influential artform. It's not just a music, it's a lifestyle, a culture, a way of life."
    Two top-selling rappers -- Christopher Wallace, better known as Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur -- were murdered four years ago, adding to the music's violent image. In defense of hip hop music, hip hop artist, Talib Kweli, states, "Any music takes the values of the society and magnifies them.
    The society is very misogynistic, it is very violent, it is very sexist, it is very racist, and you see these things magnified in hip hop music because hip hop is going to take the truth and spit it back in the face of the society that created it."
    As an outcome of the conference, older rappers would coach young rappers to develop talent, as part of a program that also would give new artists tutoring and help with financial planning. Simmons' record label Def Jam/Def Soul is buying a brownstone in Harlem where artists can work without disturbance from urban street life.
    Combs added, "I am very proud, so proud to be a part of this summit. The things I have seen in the last three days have touched me in such a positive way and I think it gave me true representation to what hip hop is and what hip hop is about."
    Combs himself was acquitted in March of gun possession and bribery charges stemming from a 1999 New York night club shoot-out that left three people wounded.
    Rappers and black record label producers voiced support for parental advisory guidelines on promotional materials, advertisements and CD covers, and said they would post warnings to such songs on their Web sites.
    Hilary Rosen, president and chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America said, "The music should speak for itself and that's the whole purpose behind these voluntary guidelines. What the participants in the meeting did was a thoughtful way to make sure that their freedom of speech rights are protected, number one. And there responsibility to their community and to parents were also respected. And that's a balance that we constantly try and achieve in the music business."
    Tapping into their widespread following, rappers and hip-hop record label heads said they would create a political action committee to push for free speech and issues relevant to black, urban areas -- where hip hop has its roots. The group also would raise money to back candidates.
    Columbia University, meanwhile, would be the sight of the first hip-hop think tank, to address the music's impact globally, black leaders and music executives said.
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