How far over the line do you let an artist go with there racial content?

[eXampuL_oNe]

Yea, whats up yall? Just wanted to hear your opinion on an issue that always boggled me. How do you feel when you listen to a track from one of your favorite artists and they say something racially against your race? For instance if your white (which i am). And I'm listening to say Dead Prez (there dope but i can't relate to them) they say alot of stuff offending the white race, maybe they don't mean the whole white race or maybe they do, but the shit definitly makes me think like ,how does everyone take this? Then i start to think like u know if they hate me cause im white why should i buy there cd and support them as an artist of a universal culture! Dead prez was just an example but i know there are others, and i dont mean just offending the white race, anything you've heard come out of one of your favorite m.c.'s mouths that had you pondering on whether you should bump it or not. Let me know this always boggles my mind .I want to know what you think as a hip hop fan.

 

[Equality 7-2521]

my favourite Mcs are open minded and i can relate to them well.

ive never experianced what you speak of.

the closest thing i can think of is when Labtekwon said "Im erasing those freaks claiming to be born gay." im not gay. but i dont have anything against gays and i dont think they deserve to be called freaks. but Lab is entitled to his opinion. its his music he can say whatever the fuck he wants. and so can anyone else. if you dont agree dont bump it. but you may as well look for music you can relate to in the first place.

 

[eXampuL_oNe]

Yo, i know everyone is entidled to there own opinion! I'm not sayin an artist is morally wrong for what they say against a race of people or a specific, they have had or could have had a bad experience that changed the way they thought. What i'm sayin is "Where do you draw a line and say, yo that was too far?" I'm not tryin to sound against anybody hear just want to know how you take it... Ya feel me!?

 

[Equality 7-2521]

i draw the line when its unprovoked and unrational.

and ive never had to draw the line when listenign to the hiphop i listen to.

 

[Copenhagen]

I remember having thoughts a little along the lines of this about Ice Cube, Da Lench Mob and that whole crew many years ago. Depends on the degree. If they make one little comment in one song, I wouldn't care if I thought they were dope otherwise. If they mention it a whole lot, then I guess I wouldn't relate to their stuff.
In the example I mentioned, I couldn't really take it seriously because they ended up having 4 white danish kids produce for them.

 

[Equality 7-2521]

i think the most fucked up shit to do with this topic is gangsta rap. not when gagsters are speaking it how it is for them. nas was gangsta but he was real. the shit i hate is cats who say how they are gonna shoot you and shit. just bragging that they will kill you.

to me thats stepping over the line. and peopel like that belong in mental homes.

 

[Fade]

It doesn't bother me. Years ago when Ice Cube and Da Lench Mob were hot, I was listening to that shit every day in my walkman, reciting the lyrics, "Buck tha devil, buck that devil...". LOL. Nah, but it doesn't bother me because it's just music. If an artist was to come right out all the time in their songs and say shit like, "I hate white people fuck them all/Killing whitey all day when I'm chillin at the mall", then I wouldn't listen to it. Then again, with lyrics like that, the music must be shit too!

 

[Chedda]

i think the only time i took that talk kinda badly was when i first heard ras kass' nature of the threat, partly because of the racism and partly because the racism went on for like 8 minutes. but after a while i just appreciated it as a dope track with very well written lyrics. i suppose though that example involved more of the history side of the ish so it aint as bad as just saying "fuck white people" or whatever.

these days it doesn't bother me really, i'll listen to any hip hop as long as it's dope.

 

[Craig Gantt]

Neva really bothers me like when they released that Eminem mixtape track I really didnt see what all the fuss was about, everyone speaks their mind and if a dude hates black folks then he can say it if he wants to I just aint gonna listen so I guess to answer your question no, if you don agree with what the artist is sayin you should not support them by buying their albums, for dead prez though i dont think youll have to worry about them they talkin bad about the people they need to push and promote their act them whine and complain about being slept on, their not slept on their ignored by the people with money.

 

[classic]

favorite artists and they say something racially against your race? For instance if your white (which i am). And I'm listening to say Dead Prez (there dope but i can't relate to them) they say alot of stuff offending the white race......

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
interesting topic.

Warning:

this is not meant to offend anyone its just my opion
im gonna try to get personal with this one fellas....

Well as far as feeling offended i don’t think I have had experince with hip hop since im black and most of the rappers are also.

I will tell u what I do experience……..
I have to deal with white people everyday that think im dumb or stupid cause of the way I look or dress. When I walk in my class (im in grad school) the first day everyone either thinks I’m the janitor or I’m lost......"this is not meant to start a pity party, its just the facts"
Then there are the fake as white people that act like they are down(try to walk, talk, and dress like me) but they really don’t understand what its like to be black in America. (they have fake ass black people too...)

TRUST me being black in America is not FUN . Shit still goes down all the time. ( i got pulled over and searched yesterday those PG fuckers!!!)
I’ve seen white people drive though my neighborhood with their Lexus’s to buy crack. But yet they can’t give my friend a steady job.
Shit makes me bitter!
I think this is what DEAD PREZ and other artists are addressing.
That’s why i feel them. To many people out there think this shit is a game or racism doest exist.
DEAD prez is like a big FUCK YOU to the white establishment.
Honestly, i feel the same way as they do some times

but then I get on illmuzik and hear RAW ass dirty south beats from a mother fucker in china

Then I realize it is getting better

class......

P.S. sorry if I got off topic

 

[eXampuL_oNe]

Yea classic, thats good you mentioned that. Alot of my black friends tell me about the stuff you just explained. The shit makes me angry, and i'm white. I just hate to see people looked at differently for who they are. It's just america's bloody history man something that will be a scar forever. I can't say i know how it is to be black in america but i can say that i've seen my fair share of racism towards the black race. I would think down south may be a little worse? But yo, thanks for the feedback this is a good discussion. I kinda got off the topic too but I think both are good to discuss.

 

[DJ Excellence]

You guys should better come to Eurotopia ! where everybody is equal ahahahahah

 

[Cold Truth]

.......

well, i have to say that going "over the line" doesnt really exist if its black on white....

black comedians, for example, can stereotype and diss whites (and every other race for that matter) and its hillarious and perfectly acceptable. no other race in America can do that without causing a huge contraversy. the same is true for black artists- dead prez can talk about killing whitey all day and no one notices or seems to care. they are simply fighting for what they believe in, right?

NOW hear me out before you jump down my throat.

I UNDERSTAND what its like to live in america as a minority. trust me, i DONE BEEN THROUGH IT, had the white boys trowing beer bottles at me and hearing the words "wetback" and 'beaner" every day of my life one particular town. i been dealt with the cops harassing me becasue i 'fit the description' of a "suspect". i have been profiled, i get followed around in stores, and people are shocked that i have a good job in an office that pays ok instead of working construction/landscaping/fast food/etc. for pennies. i have the same stories alot of blacks have.

i have also been jumped MANY times by the black guys, the mexican guys, and the white guys. that tells me that the issues go FAR beyond "being a minority in america".

Classic, if you think its not easy being a black man in america, (not that it isnt- i feel you, believe me..) but try being a black man in africa! the average black man there doesnt even have the OPPURTUNITY to go to graduate school and be thought of as the janitor. and, with you being a Christian- i for one think its very hard to be a believer in america; i cant imagine what believers are facing every day in places like africa. the point being, NO, it isnt easy here to be black or hispanic or asian or even white- contrary to Chris Rocks mother, being white isnt "like always having five dolars". everyone has obsticles. at least here, we have some mobility to break through the barriers that ARE there. other places... well, just look around.

artists can say whatever they want. i actually agree with the frustration of a dead prez and their middle finger to the white establishment, and yeah you got a point about the rich white guys driving the lexus to by crack..... but it isnt his responsibility to give your friend a job. why? for one, just because someone owns a lexus and happens to be white, it doesnt mean they are even in a POSITION where they COULD give your friend a job. for two, nobody owes anybody anything. maybe your friend needs to work harder to get a steady job. thats on him. it took me forever to get the job i have now; i did a lot of jobs i didnt like, a lot of odd jobs (even landscaping at one point! go figure!) and even a golf course where every white guy called me "amigo" and "senior" while laughing to their buddies, telling me to "fetch their balls" even though i was a greenskeeper...... the point is, we cant blame everything on the "white establishment".

 

[eXampuL_oNe]

damn truth, you layed it down!! I agree heavily..

 

[Copenhagen]

You guys should better come to Eurotopia ! where everybody is equal ahahahahah

Yeah, here we're only racists towards Arabian immigrants ...I guess there's less racism in Europe, but we still can't be without it, unfortunately. Here black people are widely accepted. Instead it's the arabians who get pulled over...

What I forgot to mention in my previous post is that much of this reverse racism is only aimed at white corporate america and those who try to keep them down. I hate them too, so that's why I'm not really bothered...though it would be more morally correct to address the types of people than the race of them, it's always been easier to mention colour, unfortunately.

 

[o-a-ksavage]

I think all races have their advantages and disadvantages, and I also think with the issue of race, way too many people are some straight hipocrits. I know a lot of people that complain about racism but are racist and prejudice themselves. Every race experiences racism. To me it seems like a lot of black people are overly sensitive about race and often refuse to hear the other person's side, using the excuse "you don't know what it's like to be black" when nor do they know what its like to be white or any other race. People often refuse to try to understand other people's situations with that excuse, instead of just trying their best to explain what it's like so we can move on and understand eachother better. I feel i can always explain what it's like to be in my shoes, so why can't everyone. I feel a lot of prejudice against me as well, but I also can sometimes stop and say to myself "Is that just me being paranoid?" because I'm also judging them if i assume they are judging me, you know what im sayin? I'll name a few situations where it's hard being white so we can all see things from other people's perspectives:1.Athletically, I feel it is much harder to get noticed and win the starting job in the sports i play. 2.People comin crazy at you for no reason. 3.A lot of folks i've had who are black will ignore me and do me dirty if they're around black people whho don't know me. 4.I feel other races are very open about expressing their discontent with wwhite people but not other races.5. People assume you're rich and have everything easy when you're white. 6. I feel like a lot of people who are also white are way too quiet about expressing their views and struggles in fear of people thinking they are racist.

Those are some of my feelings. I am far from racist.

 

[J-malice]

You guys should better come to Eurotopia ! where everybody is equal ahahahahah

if your talkin about europe then shiiiiiiit. i musta missed the place you are talkin about cuz its even worse over there where i was. wit dem o neo nazi's an crazy azz turks. shiiiiiit.

 

[classic]

please read and respond

Truth ,
I hate to say this a lot of times “from my personal experience” Africans can be just a bias towards black Americans as white people. A lot of them think that we are lazy, stupid and sell drugs all day. ( I know black Americans have stereotypes for Africans too so we are even lol)
U defiantly had some good points that I will take into consideration.

ksavage
hmmmmmm.....
A lot of stuff u said is true. I know alot of black people (my familty included) who are racist to white people. And I also know a lot of people who play the “race” card all the time

my mother was a black panther in the 60 and 70’s and she was spit on when she went to the Unveristy of South Florida in ‘68
I graduated from Florida state university in spring 03 and I was never spit on once. SO I know things are getting better.

But..
things are more mental now
I don’t have to worry about were I sit these days or using coloured toilets.
Now I have to worry about my future kids being put in slow classes , and being thought of as “a thug” just because of my race and background.
I have to worry about my white co-workes being intimidated by the angry black guy cause I shot a them mean look when I hear a off remake “hey I know u can dance” (happened today)

You know what, I can dance. But I also can write a mean DMBS in oracle 9i and I can code ringbuffer data structure in C++ with one arm tied behing my back.
Why cant u accuse me of being a great "programmer"

You response partially proved my point..

I Athletically.feel it is much harder to get noticed and win the starting job in the sports i play.
2.People coming crazy at you for no reason.

Black people can bounce a ball, and bust somebody ass, preach, dance and run fast.
What about docters, laywers, Sport team owners, etc
(Im not saying u think this, im just proving a point)

Alot of people say they are not racist but how many of them would accept me as thier son in law or their governer, or president.

This is what dead prez and other people in hip hop, comedy etc are talking about when they say fuck the WHITE establishment.

Class

 

[Equality 7-2521]

i feel what yaal are saying. i havnt really listened to dead prez but from what i hear it seems that dead prez are in a rightful position. it sounds like dead prez arnt attacking every single white person on this planet. cos everyone knows that all white peaople arnt neccesarily racist. and if you dont your out of touch with reality. so if dead prez are simply attacking the racism issue on a whole then i think they have the right too. to me it appears to be more about polotics. its the difference between saying "Bush is a wanker" and "the us government system doesnt work." so in other words it seems dead prez arnt really saying "your white and that means your racist" they are saying "fuck you white racist" and the message is supposed to be taken to heart only by those who ARE racist.

ps. i agreed with what Truth said.

 

[The Bastard]

racisms def. heavy in america ,im white and ive even been hated on by white people that think im spanish ,''im first generation italian so im dark'' ,and i feel you on the followed around in stores shit , obviosuly its not all white people that are beein racists but i think what the rappers are MOSTLY talkin about is coorperate america, and law enforcement being racist , i did feel kinda like what the fuck when i was listenin to odbs nigga please he says some shit like you white motherfuckers can never takeover ,later on in the album hes like yo im a dalmation im black and im white if you cant understand that shit then fuck yall, it made me look at what he said before diffrently