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A Bad Rap

© Kim Imdieke

In the past several weeks, the national news has reported the jailing and fining of rap artist DMX for using obscene language in Trinidad; the sentencing of rap musician Coolio for illegal weapon possession; and the charges of assault against rapper Puff Daddy. Besides these reports, the mainstream media has had characteristically little to say about rap music. Rap musicians find themselves under constant scrutiny, even in the form of Congressional hearings on the effects of their music. Kansas high school student Damienn Patton comments on the media's attitude toward rap in the following essay. Damienn completed this essay for a media literacy class sponsored by the Duke TIP Program.

Rap and the Media by Damienn Patton

Let's start with the history of rap. In urban New York in the mid to late '70s rap music originated. It has been a big part of American culture and an even bigger part of urban black culture ever since. However, the media didn't accept rap until this past decade and they are still reluctant about it. When it started out, they labeled it as a fad that would pass. It has received constant criticism and minimal airtime. Granted, in the '90s it has had a lot more airtime, but that was only after it got the attention of one of America's most important audiences--white suburban teens, and rap is still constantly crtiticized more than any other genre of music. In particular, this applies to what the media calls 'gangster rap'.

How the media defines 'gangster rap':

According to the media and music 'experts' 'gangster rap' is a form of rap that originated in the westcoast. It is described as blunt rap music where the rapper usually raps about sex, drugs, money, and violence, and rarely focuses on any other topics. Now I am a big fan of rap, and I've never heard an album where those were the only topics. I've heard a lot of songs where those were among the topics, but there was usually a message in them.

How the label unfairly groups individual artists:

Let's look at the name 'gangster rap'. Now you would agree that a 'gangster rapper' would by definition be a 'rapper' who is also a 'gangster'. But if this is the case we have a huge problem. You see, a majority of these 'gangster rappers' aren't even gangsters. Take a look for yourself. Tupac Shakur, Bone Thugs in Harmony, the Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Master P, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DMX, and numerous other rappers labeled 'gangster rappers' aren't even, and in most cases never claimed to be gangsters. Now some rappers like Snoop Doggy Dogg, Ice Cube, Ice T, Tha Dogg Pound, and DJ Quick all claim to have once been gang members or affiliated with gang members, but I've yet to find a rapper who claims to be currently in a gang. The artists I just listed are all 'gangster rappers' according to the media (when I say media I mean TV, radio stations, magazines and even the Billboard charts). All of these rappers have their own unique styles and write about their own personal topics, so it is ridiculous to group them all together. Labeling them is just an attempt to control them.

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