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Musical Censorship

            
             People love to argue about the First Amendment that guarantees free speech. However every now and then consequential actions towards hip-hop artists remind music artists in general that those rights are not always protected. Society and government are not the only ones that try to censor hip-hop artists but so do label executives and distributors. On the other hand, society does not understand that most music artists feed from the anger that these issues create. Some artists use these comments and persecutions to add to their array of talented lyrical abilities. They practically spit back in the face of society, showing no fear and remorse towards what they have said in their songs. They look at life as a "struggle" as one group Dead Prez claims, putting on paper what they believe in to make a better life for themselves and their people. This article is on an interview with rap group Dead Prez taken out of a "Music Matters" page in the December 2000 edition of The Source magazine. Dead Prez's lyrics are an example of society's views on music. Consisting of two rappers that strongly disagree with the United States government and who are supporters of many political prisoners, here and all around the world, Dead Prez is always being criticized by police and political organizations for the lyrical content in all of their songs and their black supremacist views towards society. Dead Prez has vowed to continue their "struggle" as they call it and continue putting down lyrics and ideas that they believe in and support on paper.
             An annual concert called Black August taking place in Irving Plaza owned by SFX Entertainment recently demanded that Dead Prez be removed from the show. Black August is a fund-raiser for political prisoners like Mumia Abu-Jamal and Sundiata Acoli as well as for music equipment for hip-hop artists in Cuba. But Dead Prez member stic.man claims, "If we were surprised then our shit would be a joke.


Essays Related to Musical Censorship

1. Musical Censorship: The Oppression Of Society

Musical Censorship: The Oppression of Society The consequence of censorship has always been a contentious one, while the question of music censorship is even more complex. ... Musical censorship targets musicians who, in the views of some, are promoting offensive ideas to the overall society. ... Musical censorship is the public censoring of musicians based on their lyrical content. Censorship includes the placement of warning labels on musical cases and radio edits, in an attempt to protect children and young adults from violent lyrics. ... The rhetoric of musical censorship is an inter...

  • Word Count: 1335
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Censorship

Congress is not all the way for censorship though. ... (www.epic.org/free_speech/censorship/) We also need censorship on the television. ... During the musical performance Justin Timberlake pulled a piece of clothing of Janet Jackson's breast, revealing it. ... Since the addition of cable there is a needed increase for censorship. ... Censorship is a necessary and beneficial limitation on society. ...

  • Word Count: 569
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Censorship in Music

Censorship In Music Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy in the past two decades. ... Others believe it should not be censored and musical artists should be able to speak, sing, rap, or rhyme freely without anyone censoring them. ... They believe some of the language musical artists" use is vulgar, obscene, and crude. ... Many musical artists feel that when they are forced to change lyrics their rights are being violated. ... Censorship in music is wrong due to the First Amendment. ...

  • Word Count: 1448
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Censorship and the Theater

Even with that, that is not saying there has never been a censorship of theater within the United States, it has just been done on a local level. ... Point being that the history of censorship of the theater relies on the time period these productions are produced in and how they are produced. ... With times changing and a different setting, the play debuted on Broadway in 2006 as a rock musical. ... The musical has garnered much controversy over the 100 years it has been around. ... The first national tour was coming to the area and the musical was looking to be housed in a local Boston thea...

  • Word Count: 2374
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography

5. Censorship

-Chris Willman (Foerstel 19) The decades of the 1950s and 60s, with their unprecedented openness, naturally ushered in a new generation and a new era of censorship as well. ... The 1960s were full of dramatic censorship controversies. ... According to Garry on page xvi, the censorship crusades of today are being waged by the generation that opposed the censorship of the sixties. The most futile censorship attempts occurred in the sixties and seventies. The new generation of youth rebelled against a social censorship of untraditional values, alternative lifestyles, and radical ideas. ...

  • Word Count: 1882
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Music Censorship

Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy in the past two decades. ... Others believe it should not be censored and musical artists should be able to speak, sing, rap, or rhyme freely without anyone censoring them. ... They believe some of the language musical artists use is vulgar, obscene, and crude. ... Many musical artists feel that when they are forced to change lyrics their rights are being violated. ... In conclusion, censorship in music is wrong in my opinion. ...

  • Word Count: 961
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. censorship

Against Music Censorship Music censorship has been a major problem plaguing America for over fifty years. ... Basically, it is a matter of whether lyrical censorship be accepted. ... This belief of musical content being "poison" is prominent all over America. ... I believe it is important to keep censorship away. ... I believe the most effective solution to this problem would be through disclaimers and self-censorship. ...

  • Word Count: 1111
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Rap And Censorship

Not all of government's attempts at censorship are as obvious as "Censorware." ... Local governments practice censorship even more often than the federal government. ... The private sector, most notably in the form of super-retailer Wal-Mart, has joined the government in the censorship war. ... Being the largest music retailer in the nation gives Wal-Mart the power to muscle a record company into editing their musical releases. ... One of today's leaders in censorship, especially censorship of rap, has become C. ...

  • Word Count: 2038
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Music Censorship

For instance, Eminem and Marilyn Manson are two different types of musical artists, yet they portray the exact same deviances in their music, such as suicide, hate, killing, sex, and the defamation of other artists. Many artists have jumped in on the fight against censorship, because they feel it violates their rights to freedom of speech. ... Censorship is not one of them (Jenkins Discussion of Media Violence)." ... Inevitably, music censorship should not take place; America is a free country, and people can express themselves however they want. Realistically, the mothers of our generation, n...

  • Word Count: 1325
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

10. Music Censorship

Music Censorship? ... The history of censorship has been long in the making. ... People saw the futility of censorship in a free society. ... Music is a story, a poem, or a monologue sung or with a musical accompaniment. ... Censorship does not happen all at once it is a slippery slope. ...

  • Word Count: 1372
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

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