NEW YORK--Should the City School District promote a recording artist who has made millions by communicating with mostly young people this way?
Aww nig.. don’t trip, I’ll kill ya if you f… with my grip…
Aww nig.. don’t trip Case you didn’t know who this is, It’s 50 Cent b….
Those are just some of the tamer lyrics from a popular song by rapper 50 Cent. In nano-seconds, his lyrics typically degrade women, promote violence and use words that would be unequivocally racist if spewed from the mouth of a non-African-American.
Yet, incredibly, the City School District actually listed a book by 50 Cent, From Pieces to Weight, as recommended reading for teenagers during the summer months.
School district administrators argue that 50 Cent’s book, which recounts the rapper’s early life in the New York City drug trade, is a way to entice street-savvy youths to read more often. After all, urban street life is reality.
While that’s true, it shouldn’t be overlooked how 50 Cent communicates his message. Lyrics are heavily laced with vulgarities and glamorized violence.
It should matter, too, that while many young people view “Fitty” as a successful artist, he’s hardly the role model that public schools should be lifting up. The behavior and attitude that the rapper exhibits are the same that often lead to school disruptions and disturbances.
This is not about censorship. It’s about choices. The district made a bad choice by including 50 Cent on its list of recommended summer reading. As this page’s campaign against the hip-hop genre that 50 Cent represents has pointed out in recent years, the right to produce such music is a First Amendment privilege. But that doesn’t mean artists, music industry executives, consumers and, yes, school districts aren’t obligated to act responsibly.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Friday, September 24th 2010 at 10:38AM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
