Comments on: An Open Letter to Hip Hop

By: glenda

glenda — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:32:13 +0000

you all kill me. okay, so when the rap videos stop, your kids are gonna be left with slutty looking white women to watch on videos, like britney spears. your kids watch miley and she has a grown ass boyfriend. you trust oprah an she been living in sin with that man for years. how children perceive themselves, should be based on values learned at home. so while you sit and judge rapper’s for your lack of parenting skills, stay at home your damn self an raise your own children instead of letting the television an radio do it for your lazy asses. now as martin(the comedian) said, run tell that! i’m out.

By: Elaine - Upcoming Concerts

Elaine - Upcoming Concerts — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:06:54 +0000

I truly love the beat of the music but the words can be so meaningless. Give it to me with some real meaning and I will be happy.

By: gg

gg — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:42:48 +0000

l love your article!!!

By: LavishChic

LavishChic — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 16:24:25 +0000

Well, here’s some good music to listen to if the regular ‘ole hip hop is getting you down.It’s not all perfect, but it’s alot better than the “popular” stuff…

Download Lavish Magazine’s FREE summer music mix:
http://www.zshare.net/download/lavishbrooklynsummer1-m4a.html

1. Roy Ayers- Searching
2. Harlem River Drive- Bobbi Humphrey
3. Mos Def- Universal Magnetic
4. Lilly Allen- Smile
5. Fela Kuti- Lady
6. Ladies Love Cool Jay- Around The Way Girl
7. Talib Kweli- The Blast
8. Babel Gilberto-CÃ©u Distante (DJ Spinna Mix)
9. ZhanÃ©- Hey Mr. DJ
10. Faith Evans- Lucky Day
11. Shakara- Fela Kuti
12. Bonga- Sa Ka Mache
13. Magali- Source Band ft. Abdoulaye DiabatÃ©
14. Senegalese Mbalax
15. Senegalese Mbalax
16. Les Nubians- Sourire
17. Gregory Isaacs- Rude Boy Dub
18. Collie Budz- Come Around
19. Dead Prez- Hip Hop
20. DJ Cam- Mad Blunted Jazz
21. The Roots- Proceed
22. HiTek w/ Mos Def ft. Vida- Det ta Steppin’
23. Tribe Called Quest- Find A Way
24. John Legend- Heaven

http://www.zshare.net/download/lavishbrooklynsummer1-m4a.html
http://www.lavishmagonline.com

By: sunsail

sunsail — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:00:29 +0000

Hi Bella, I just found this article over at racialicious.com. Seems like some really BIG wigs of the industry were gathered. I wonder what, if anything, came of the meeting?
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/scandals/imus_fallout_russell_simmons_hiphop_and_record_industry_leaders_call_closeddoor_meeting_in_new_york_57260.asp

By: Nichelle

Nichelle — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 14:46:45 +0000

Thanks Bella.

It’s really hard avoiding a lot of rap with good music because the lyrics are so vile. No one is perfect, but is it really that hard NOT to be so degrading?

Oprah is having townhall meetings on the Imus debacle and tomorrow, the rap community will respond. Common and Russell Simmons have been named as guests so far.

I’m immediately apprehensive because I have the feeling that these things will happen:

1. A lot of lip service is going to be paid to the degrading images/lyrics and chalked up to the rappers just “expressing” what they feel and see everyday.

2. Black women as a whole will be blamed for the black women that choose to perpetuate the bitch/ho image – either as rappers/singers themselves or willfully participating in videos. Since they elect to do this, it’s as if other black women don’t have the right to complain.

Remember the Spelman women? Why aren’t black women lumped in with them more instead of the women who elect to do videos?

3. The whole thing will be dumped in the lap of white people.

Yes, racism is alive. Yes, Don Imus is responsible for what he said. Imus is also responsible for every other vile, racist thing he’s said for the last 30 years. Did you know that Howard Stern was once his intern? Ignoring him wasn’t doing the trick because look at what he spawned.

My issue as far as we (black people) are concerned is that we will not hold our own accountable. If we do, we are being “disloyal,” and I find that troubling.

By: bella

bella — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 13:11:59 +0000

Nichelle, your article is a fantastic read, and I learned A LOT from it. Bellas, definitely click on Nichelle’s link, it will open your eyes. I was JUST listening to Tupac bash the hell out of C. Delores Tucker on one of his tracks, too. Now I’m rethinking everything.

By: Nichelle

Nichelle — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 05:32:27 +0000

Nicole: I loathe most,if not all rap music and it is making me loathe Black men.(I do loathe Black men.)I just cannot believe so many Black women try to defend them.

Nichelle: Don’t fall into that trap. I think Niki (@ April 14, 2:16pm) makes some good points about American society growing increasingly more hateful.

That said, here’s my take on it:

http://55secretstreet.typepad.com/anovelista/2007/04/the_weary_blues_1.html

By: Niki

Niki — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 18:16:26 +0000

I think we should follow Rutger’s coach C. Vivian Stringer’s lead and make this argument not just about Don Imus, Not just about hip-hop, not just about the entertainment industry, or about black women–if we do that, we leave a whole lot of people out of a very important conversation: how American society has grown increasingly coarse and hateful. Post 9-11, America had a brief window of time in which to unite and really take a moment to examine our place in this world and how to relate to each other. It didn’t take more that 6-7 months before we were back to business as usual. Then everybody started to get all “extra”–”ghetto” parties, racial attacks, degrading content in the media, etc. began increasing at an alarming rate. We are at a crossroads and if we don’t start taking thesee kinds of things seriously (man or woman, black white, whatever) it will surely be our downfall. Switching gears, I, too, was appalled when songs like “The Whisper Song” and “Getting Some” were played on mainstream radio. Back in the day, if you wanted to hear “Throw that D—” or “Freaks of the Industry” or the latest Luke jam, you had to go to the club for that. Now I see young fathers driving around with their 3 year olds in their carseats blasting these songs. I think that is where the problem really lies.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:06:20 +0000

please read Wise Intelligent blog on myspace music about “an intelligent point of view Don ‘I Mus’ say…..” he brings to light issues of why many great artists who are talking about uplifting and intelligent music are not played mainstream and shows that rap and hip hop does not have to degregate women in the process