HBCUs Quietly Wage War Against Gangsta Rap

By News One October 27, 2009 3:40 pm

ST-Snoop

From The Herald Sun:

In 1971, Gil Scott Heron recorded, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” Although the song was written during the time of the Vietnam War, Heron could have just as easily been talking about the war against gangsta-ism being waged on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), today.

RELATED on The Urban Daily: HBCU Cancels Gucci  Mane Concert

Across the country, students are protesting the fact that student funds are being used to give fat paychecks to Hip Hop artists that promote violence and disrespect of women. Every year, black institutions of higher learning, collectively, spend millions of dollars bankrolling Hip Hop homecoming shows that promote the worst kind of anti-intellectualism.

Unfortunately, except for a few Hip Hop websites and scant local media coverage, the protests have received little attention from a black community that should be rallying around such efforts to protect the minds of African American youth.

RELATED: Legendary Singer Gladys Knight Slams Hip-Hop Music

Earlier this month, students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, NC protested an appearance by rapper, Gucci Mane because of his lyrics that glorify gang life. Although, the concert is still scheduled for October 31, the students were successful in getting North Carolina A&T administrators to drop the school’s support of the show.

Now, The FAMU People’s Coalition, a group of students and community activists around the campus of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University have started a campaign against their upcoming homecoming show with the rallying call,’ You Call that a Concert?”.

Click here to read more.

Share with friends!
  • BlackPlanet
  • TwitThis
  • Facebook
  • E-mail this story to a friend!

Comments

13

% %

You must be logged in to post a comment.
  • 10-28-2009 12:13 pm

    Greywolf5, I really want to pass your post to other blogs it’s so good. I never heard the imperative of the need to uplift our contemporary social condition articulated better.

  • 10-28-2009 8:19 am

    Is it me or has it always been that HBCUs were to uplift & strengthen those whom its is set for education. Meaning…if it is for us to educate us, then why do they play an active part in confusing us. One hand HBCUs say “they are educating young black minds from the past to the present to go into the furture” then they use the same money to promote someone who if a child listens to and falls for what is said on his/her cd won’t make it to college? I am not the product of an HBCU..but my sons will be…still if this is what I have to look forward to….HBCUs may not get my money. With the legacies and heritages that were formed at an HBCU how can then one justify using monies to promote the opposite of what the institution is there for? If you want to have a Homecoming concert fine by all means do so. Still have some forethought into what message you are sending out about your institution. Morehouse can not say that it is all about educating and raising young black men to a standard of excellence, and then turn and have Snoop Dogg give a concert in the name of Morehouse. You can not have Spellman say “We want to give African American women knowledge and road maps to greatness” and then turn around and have Lil Kim perform in the name of Spellman. Remember the old saying “What’s in a name?” Well in a name stands your heritage, legacy, and self worth. Once that is destroyed you are lost.

  • 10-28-2009 7:07 am

    @Da_J_Rok

    Unfortunately the artists didn’t get the memo. They self-destructed and waged war against themselves.
    Hiphop has been stagnant for a long time now. All the fake thugs, wangstas, wannabees, lame lyricists, etc, who don’t got skills and real talent need to be arrested for perpetrating the fraud.

  • 10-28-2009 7:05 am

    Great Post Greywolf5

  • 10-28-2009 7:05 am

    Very well, and I hope HBCU’s WIN!!!

  • 10-28-2009 6:42 am

    THUG LIFE was a movement but only tru thugs know this s**t and it demanded peeps to have respect 4 thereselves.

    Tru Hustla Unda God Never ignorant getting goals accomplish = definition of a thug nigga, now if this wasnt about self respect i dont know what is

    always got to find the blame instead of taking the blame, this s**t start at home with the parents

    now these f****ts out here rapin gangsta is just that,lol

  • 10-28-2009 1:49 am

    All I got to say. It is bigger than HIP HOP. If you aint learned that by now you missed the bus.

  • 10-27-2009 11:34 pm

    Arists/musicians are the prophets of their generation. I remember when I first heard NWA I felt a chill down my spine. This was the same chill that I felt when I went to see Superfly when it first premiered in Detroit. This was bad news. It was bad news because for a people with so much to overcome, its so much easier to plug into the dumb shyt. All it requires is that you lil or no self respect for yourself or your neighbor. This whole “thug life” madness has been like a bad dream. We are a people who invented gospel, blues, jazz, rock n roll, hard rock, funk, rhythm and blues, fusion, hip hop and God forgive us “gangsta rap”. This genre has been a slap in the face of every artist and freedom fighter who starved and risked life and limb to battle injustice and ignorance. Gangsta rap glorifies ignorance and celebrates the fratricide which is crippling our communities. You hear people say that the biggest consumers of rap are white folks. I don’t doubt it. You also hear that the biggest consumers of cocaine are white people. I don’t doubt that either. BUT you don’t see white males blowing each other’s brains out left and right. Just like you don’t see white folks’ communities being brought down by drug use. For some reason We as a people have difficulty separating entertainment from reality. We must wake up and understand that ANY man who’s claim to fame is based upon how many black men he’s killed or is willing to kill is OUR enemy! He’s no better than the Klan or a Latino gangbanger who’s out to kill a black person to join a gang. Gangsta rap has been a major contributor to the lowering of our morals and expectations as a people and our global image as well. To defend or support this madness is irrefutable evidence that many of us aren’t ready for prime time not ro mention the serious work that must be done to successfully compete with the dozens of ethnic groups which are vigorously competing with us for jobs, education, our women and our very existence as a people…Its time to remove words like gansta and playah from their exalted places in our culture. A gangsta is just another word for nigga. And by definition a playah is someone who’s not to be takin seriously. The folks who are coming to these shore to push us further DOWN the ladder ain’t playin! Don’t forget The Last Poets who said “Niggas play. Niggas play football…Niggas play basketball…But when it comes to revolution niggas say ‘I was just playin’”

  • 10-27-2009 7:24 pm

    hey gucci mane performed at my school without a hitch

  • 10-27-2009 6:34 pm

    Not when these so-called gangstas are actually fake wankstas.

  • 10-27-2009 6:06 pm

    I believe the HBCUs shouldn’t have gangsta rap performers for entertainment. Inspiration and positive change starts in educational institutions for all walks of life designed to prepare our youth to become productive adults. This rap music does not nurture positive behaviors with one another, towards women and family, so HBCUs decision to ban such anti-social messages in entertainment for its students is appropriate.

  • 10-27-2009 4:06 pm

    We need Gangsta Rap to help the Revolution as is aforementioned in this article and we know he wasn’t talkin bout no HBCU’s and Gangsta Rap… Who they need to be waging war on is all these bubble gum lame candy homo fruity sissy sap suckas who watering down the music and making commercial for the crakkkas.

    Music is our Revolution, its how we spread our message… Cause its about that time…

    First u get the Gunz…. Then u get the Butta REVOLUTION IS NOW!!!!

  • 10-27-2009 3:44 pm

    I agree…hip-hop and gangsta rap has downgraded this society and I know it will not be the same ever again.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT