Jason Whitlock column on Taylor

One more thing damnit.


IF music can talk to you and it glorifies so much murder (BTW I listen to rock not rap)

Why not blame it when and if they do catch the person that did this. Then you can go and dig up Tupac or Biggie, or whoever it is that is alive today saying shoot this die fucker die and charge them with murder?

Im sorry but when I hear crap like that I scream get real and Bullshit!.

Ok I'll admit I listen to alot of emo...so if some kid cut his wrists because Hawthorne Heights said cut my writs and black my eyes, can we blame them for his self destructive behavior? Think about it if you still don't get where Im getting at here Im saying we can't blame a musical artist or a genre of music for peoples Deaths. Humanity is simply that cruel and they seek to hurt one another!But we also can't ignore the violence that is routinely glorified by the hip hop culture. It is not the only reason for black on black violence, but it is a factor. Just as surely as violent images coming out of Hollywood and video games are factors for violence in general. The biggest factor may be the openly available supply of guns in this country. What disgusts me most is that the frequent murders that we see on the evening news have almost been accepted as routine. There is a serious lack of social outrage, and the "don't snitch" mentality certainly doesn't help.

No but it has since glorified it. It promotes the types of behavior that have shaped a culture of violence and crime. I fail to see how so many people are blind to this. Whether one likes hip-hop for its musical value or not it is ludicrcous to me that they can't see this.

And to argue that the problem is solely based in economics is to ignore evidence to the contrary. I doubt you'll find anyone who would argue the the problem BEGAN as a socioeconomic imbalance. And most would surely agree that the socioeconomic disparities remain a strong force. But the culture of violence and crime is driven by many factors. One of which is the reality that in the black community hip-hop glorifies it. Maybe hip-hop was born out of this "struggle" and simply reflects what has grown naturally but it has become a driving force in promoting the longevity of this negative culture and something needs to be done about that.

There's no doubt that a lot of Hiphop music glorifies the worst criminal aspects of contemporary urban life (obviously not all Hiphop, or even most of it, I would argue) but I disagree that it's a driving force, however you are defining that. America is a violent media culture, from our thirst for action movies and realistic first person shooters to torture-porn movies like Saw, to single out Hiphop is absurd. As Jay Z so eloquently says on his new album, "Scarface the movie did more than Scarface the rapper to me/ Still that ain't to blame for half the shit that's happened to me."

By the way, violent crime has actually declined in urban communities over the last 10 years (in spite of increased media coverage). Commensurate with the continued commercial rise of Hiphop. So again, I just am not convinced that negative Hiphop is a driving force in crime.

Sorry if anyone shares this guy's viewpoint, but it is ridiculous to use this to compare hip hop to the KKK. And to call KKK the parent organization to the Black KKK, which he uses as a name for hip hop, is offensive.

What the hell is going on? Is Sean Taylor's death, an excuse for self-righteous journalists to state their social opinions on varying subjects? These articles seem to be more about social commentary and less about Sean Taylor.

I think that sparking social commentary, especially that involving issues that are generally swept under the rug, is a fantastic monument to Sean's life.

I think that sparking social commentary, especially that involving issues that are generally swept under the rug, is a fantastic monument to Sean's life.

I agree. As a fan I want the focus to be on Sean Taylor, but the fact is that this did not occur in a vacuum. Think about it, today's generation is more familiar with Jay-Z than Jesse Jackson, more well versed in the words of Mystikal than Martin Luther King, why? Why is the smart guy ostracized and the drug dealer idolized? This phenomena is not limited to the black community, but like with most things it is totally exaggerated in the black community.

I have sometimes thought Jason Whitlock was crazy, but this article seemed to be spot on to me. I'm 36, so I grew up listening to Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, came of age on Rakim, made aware by Public Enemy and danced and rapped along with NWA. But what rappers can't do is pretend that they don't have influence, that what they do doesn't influence a whole generation of youth who look up to them. Music is the soundtrack of our lives, and to think that soundtrack doesn't influence our everyday mood is not realistic.

The Black KKK, I didn't take that to be hip hop, but rather a reference to the Black on Black crime that has become rampant in America, and without uproar there is acceptance.

I wanted to post this without commentary to hear what the forum thinks before I cluttered it with my own thoughts.

Clearly, a very powerful piece. As sportscurmudgeon said, this is indicative of a stance that Whitlock has taken in the past, but never before has he had such a visceral example.

I agree with memphisskin and others that his belief is less of an indictment of hip-hop than it is an indictment of a culture for which some hip-hop music is only a symptom. The number of black Americans killed in gun violence each year is staggering, yet few consider that this violence is systemic. Whether hip-hop is a reflection of this culture or vice-versa, there must be change.

I think that's where I find fault in the article. He lists a lot things wrong with a big part of our society. But where does he list any solutions and ways to deal with all of this? Like the old saying goes - if you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

Actually he does offer a broad solution - black people should resist blaming others & be proacitve to care for their own.

Wow, very strong and interesting column indeed. He has guts to put that opinion out there. Thanks for posting it, Brud.

I agree. As a fan I want the focus to be on Sean Taylor, but the fact is that this did not occur in a vacuum. Think about it, today's generation is more familiar with Jay-Z than Jesse Jackson, more well versed in the words of Mystikal than Martin Luther King, why? Why is the smart guy ostracized and the drug dealer idolized? This phenomena is not limited to the black community, but like with most things it is totally exaggerated in the black community.

I have sometimes thought Jason Whitlock was crazy, but this article seemed to be spot on to me. I'm 36, so I grew up listening to Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, came of age on Rakim, made aware by Public Enemy and danced and rapped along with NWA. But what rappers can't do is pretend that they don't have influence, that what they do doesn't influence a whole generation of youth who look up to them. Music is the soundtrack of our lives, and to think that soundtrack doesn't influence our everyday mood is not realistic.

The Black KKK, I didn't take that to be hip hop, but rather a reference to the Black on Black crime that has become rampant in America, and without uproar there is acceptance.


I'm a white guy so please accept the following question is intended without malice: What is it with that segment of the black community that idealizes the thug lifestyle? (I know that there are segments of all races that idolize it but you know what I mean) I just don't get it. What's the appeal? I've had friends/coworkers who just absolutely let every opportunity to improve themselves pass by because that would be "selling out." For the life of me I dont' get it. It's disgusting to me but I can only imagine it must be truly exhasperating to be black and to see this from your own people in such large quantities. How do you protect your kids from these view points? If these questions/views offend anyone, I apologize, they're honestly just questions, not indictments of anyone's background.

I agree. As a fan I want the focus to be on Sean Taylor, but the fact is that this did not occur in a vacuum. Think about it, today's generation is more familiar with Jay-Z than Jesse Jackson, more well versed in the words of Mystikal than Martin Luther King, why? Why is the smart guy ostracized and the drug dealer idolized? This phenomena is not limited to the black community, but like with most things it is totally exaggerated in the black community.

I have sometimes thought Jason Whitlock was crazy, but this article seemed to be spot on to me. I'm 36, so I grew up listening to Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, came of age on Rakim, made aware by Public Enemy and danced and rapped along with NWA. But what rappers can't do is pretend that they don't have influence, that what they do doesn't influence a whole generation of youth who look up to them. Music is the soundtrack of our lives, and to think that soundtrack doesn't influence our everyday mood is not realistic.

The Black KKK, I didn't take that to be hip hop, but rather a reference to the Black on Black crime that has become rampant in America, and without uproar there is acceptance.

Memphis, I'm 39 & listened to all those that you mentioned & still love them. I used to stick up for NWA et al, buying the line that "it's real" & "we didn't create it." But the difference between them & G. Flash is that the latter described the streets, e.g. "The Message," and "New York,New York", while NWA & gangster rappers really promoted a lifestyle, bragging about how "hard" they are, carrying guns & calling women any disrespectful name that's in style.

Those was nothing romantic about the streets when Flash & Curtis Mayfield for that matter, were writing songs. In fact they criticized the lifestyle & conveyed how bad it really is.

I think you've accurately summed up Whitlock's stance in your last paragraph.

I'm a white guy so please accept the following question is intended without malice: What is it with that segment of the black community that idealizes the thug lifestyle? (I know that there are segments of all races that idolize it but you know what I mean) I just don't get it. What's the appeal? I've had friends/coworkers who just absolutely let every opportunity to improve themselves pass by because that would be "selling out." For the life of me I dont' get it. It's disgusting to me but I can only imagine it must be truly exhasperating to be black and to see this from your own people in such large quantities. How do you protect your kids from these view points? If these questions/views offend anyone, I apologize, they're honestly just questions, not indictments of anyone's background.

I'm a white guy too, but I think the music is a reflection of the culture, not the other way around. There existed a culture of despair in many neighborhoods before hip-hop told of it. Any effect that music has on behavior is secondary to the root causes. Rich kids who embrace hip-hop largely aren't turning to violence - poor kids are. My fear is that, though glorifying death needs to stop, we are putting the cart before the horse if we think that getting rid of violent music will get rid of violence.