"Censorship" recently we have been hearing a lot about the need for censorship of television and recording industries. Whether it is the cartoon Beavis and Butthead, the controversial television drama NYPD Blue or rap recording artists, someone always seems to argue about their negative effects on society and the need for government regulation. Being a fan of rap, I am particularly interested in issues effecting regulation of the recording industry and rap artists. Popular gangsta rappers include Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dog, Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, and Ice T. Many are outraged at the explicit lyrics of the songs and the lifestyles of these artists. Tupac Shakur is one of the most publicized gansta rappers whose songs contain explicit lyrics and who has been indicted for criminal activities.
Tupac was a gangster rap artist who practiced what he preached. Because of his profanity and lyrics, people say he should be censored. He has the right to rap about whatever he wishes, because it's his way to expressing his feelings, it's not against the law, and it's the truth. Tupac uses a lot of profanity, and his lyrics are inappropriate for kids. The song "Hit em" Up" starts off with vulgar language and has negative content. "First off, *censored* your bitch and the click you claim West Side when we ride comin' equipped with game You claim to be a playa but I *censored*ed your wife We bust on Bad Boy niggas *censored*ed for life." His music is for young adults, not for young kids who are easily influenced. Kids won't know what Tupac is really rapping about anyway, but the more they hear it and grow up with it, the more it will become a part of them. The .
Yim 2.
lyrics to most of his songs are about death and about life in the ghetto. Even though all of it is reality, kids should not be exposed at such a young age. Tupac expresses his feelings by letting it flow onto the paper and then into music just as a poet expresses his or her feelings through pencil and paper, thus creating art.
