rap for freedom of speech essays

rap for freedom of speech essays If you were a songwriter and all your thoughts and efforts were put onto a piece of paper, would you want "big brother" to come and tell you that half of the subject matter is inappropriate and must be censored? Censorship can be defined as a banning of literature, music, and other forms of expression. This is a problem that many rap artists face these days. The three main objectives in this piece I will pursue is why we should allow artists to express themselves, why rap artists should have the freedom of speech, and why censoring destroys the art in rap. For these reasons I believe that rappers should have the freedom to express their views on their albums. For years "gangsta rappers" have sang about the racism, police harassment, poverty and desperation that exists in Americas inner most parts of our cities. From "old school" NWA to Bone Thugs n Harmony to newer artists such as DMX, the struggle and anger stays very thematic. Controversy has always played a role in rap because of its content. In one of the most famous cases of music censorship, police in Dade County, Florida set up a sting to arrest three retailers selling copies of a record by 2 Live Crew to children under the age of 18. Objections to 2 Live Crew started with the breakthrough of their hit "Me So Horny." No prosecutions resulted in standing convictions. Members of 2 Live Crew were also prosecuted for performing the material live in concert. Later that year, Florida grand jury determined that four rap albums (including "Freedom of Speech" by Ice-T) are legally obscene. Area retailers quickly pulled the records from the shelves to avoid prosecution. Following t he controversy surrounding Ice Cube's album Death Certificate, the state of Oregon made it illegal to display Ice Cube's image in any retail store. The ban even extended to ads for St. Ides Malt Liquor, which used Ice Cube as a spokesperson. As we c ...