Officer, I want to see you layin' in a coffin, sir," from The Chronic and "F--- the police," from N., are few lyrics from the music genre "gangsta rap." This kind of music is being sold to young children without any thought of concern. When many children listen to this kind of music they think that was being said in the songs is not wrong or against the law. The lyrics in many songs contain violent and explicit lyrics that usually talk about killing someone along with sounds of gunshots in the background. It is also music that refers to women as "bitches," "whores" and sex-dispensing "hos"(Saunders B29). "Gangsta rap " has been criticized and debated over for its graphic sexual content, violent imagery and misogyny. When rappers were asked why they refer to women as bitches and hos their replies were similar. "Snoop" says, "that it is just for the women who are like that and if you're a real women, you're classy and elegant. Those lyrics wouldn't necessarily affect you. You'd just groove to the music" (Farley 78). Richard Shaw, Bushwick Bill, says: "I call women bitches and hos because all the women I've met since I've been out here are bitches and hos." When asked, at the [National Association of Black Journalists] convention, what he calls his mother he says, "I call her a' woman', but I'm not f---ing my mother. If I was f---ing you, you'd be a bitch." He then apologized for what he said to the reporter. (Raspberry A21) "If you don't give a f--- about a bitch/ Then you're rolling with the row", are lyrics from Doggystyle. If all people were to think like this what respect would women have? Some say, "If we don't have respect for our women, why should anyone else?" (Raspberry A21). Do these rappers think that they own women and can treat them any way they want to? If this is the way some people think, that the own women and can disrespect them then what footsteps are the children going to follow in.
