I say Yes, but not by much.  There's a few kids I'm sure who've shot people because 50 Cent told em to, but they're probably weirdos in the first place.

no more than any other type of music. i remember the metal witch hunts in the 80s where the christian right blamed metal music for the rise of teen suicides and delinquency. most of the charges were bogus.

I say Yes, but not by much.  There's a few kids I'm sure who've shot people because 50 Cent told em to, but they're probably weirdos in the first place.


Well, they're just idiots. Critics (and people just running their mouths) always blame music for society's ill. It's free will.

tanya

Well, they're just idiots. Critics (and people just running their mouths) always blame music for society's ill. It's free will.

tanya


Exactly.

People who put blame on music (or anything - video games or tv) are idiots... and people who kill/do bad things because a song said so are idiots too

*Waits for someone to point out a minor flaw in that statement*

It's not only a case of people being 'idiots'. Some kids as old as 18 (but, of course, usually much younger) are geniunely not mature enough to differentiate reality, or through extreme situations may well...of course on the whole music is relatively harmless, but I do think that some of the lyrics of these songs are just a tad blatant and do incite hate.

Good point, Trimac. 8)

It's not only a case of people being 'idiots'. Some kids as old as 18 (but, of course, usually much younger) are geniunely not mature enough to differentiate reality, or through extreme situations may well...of course on the whole music is relatively harmless, but I do think that some of the lyrics of these songs are just a tad blatant and do incite hate.

People who put blame on music (or anything - video games or tv) are idiots... and people who kill/do bad things because a song said so are idiots too

*Waits for someone to point out a minor flaw in that statement*


Very well said.

I actually voted for, "Yes, but not much," but I think it's arguable that, no matter what era, kids/teens committing violence and crimes could be blamed on anything tangible. If this was 1870, someone could've blamed it on guns themselves (well, that may be a poor argument, but you get the idea!). Point being, it takes a certain kind of person to actually come into their school with a gun, for example -- and that person would've, more than likely, exploded at some point anyway (the initial anger casuing them to do it is there whether or not a given rap song exists).

Whereas the "average" rational people might get ticked off from time to time, but would never have it in them to do what the song "told them to" no matter how bad their day was!

This is one area I can't identify with 'cause I know I was never influenced (or would have been) by a video game or a song, etc.

However, all that being said, maybe since gangsta rap is so "out in the open" today, a kid who's 10 or 11 now (who'd grown up hearing that stuff their whole lives) might think, "Pimpin' the h*es" and "doin' a drive-by" as completely normal, so they would be already desensitized to it, if that makes sense.

But I think even something like that is no huge deal, as long as they're taught right & wrong.

No, music doesn't change people

I think if someone is a loonmeister then they will eventually blow a foofoo valve and do something stupid no matter what.

Charles Manson blamed the Beatles' "Helter Skelter" for his murderous rampage which killed Sharon Tate and the others in the 60's.

Personally, I would find listening to Michael Bolton, S Club 7, or Bertie Higgins singing the abominable "Key Largo" much more likely to invoke uncontrollable violence in me.  ;)

Get the point ?  It just depends on what programming is in your inbuilt violence chip.  Of course, like all hardware, soem people never upgrade it and forget it is there.  Others give their violence chip a flash upgrade every chance they get.


Ooh, also add "Lady In Red" to my list.  Watch out, Chris De Burgh, I am heading your way to give you a good beating with a wet haddock  ;D

Some people can be influenced by source material, and music is just one of the ways.

Glorifying killing, violence, and drug addiction in music is a catchy way to throw an idea out and make it seem positive.  I can't say that I have ever heard someone listening to Snoop Dogg way back when and then turning to violence because of the songs.  But I have seen the stakes be rasied higher because those songs brought new ideas and acceptablility to thugs.

Obviously the people that are affected may not be the smartest or the most ethical to begin with, but I can name a few people with that presonal description off the top of my head.

If "crime" is me smashing the stereo playing the garbage to peices, then yes... it does raise crime rates.

Isn't everything based on Studies nowadays?

If 3 kids go out and shoot a man because they're CD said it'd be fun pumpin an old un....then 3 others go out and help a different man rake his leaves.....does it or does it not?

Tough call.

If "crime" is me smashing the stereo playing the garbage to peices, then yes... it does raise crime rates.


LOL. ;D

Anyway, I still stand by my previous reply that it doesn't, if the listener is a rational-thinking person. Unfortunately, not all gangsta rappers are though, heh.

Rap/ hip hop used to make me want to smoke weed alot, but that's pretty much it.

If "crime" is me smashing the stereo playing the garbage to peices, then yes... it does raise crime rates.


Your stereo doesn't have an off button?  :)

I remember back in the day when Rap/hip hop made me wanna dance and learn the lyrics. They actually told stories and they didn't need to curse every 2nd bar. NOW all you can do is count the brand names and gun manufacturer shout outs. I wonder has a rapper ever shouted out Charlton Heston?

I have an incredibly ecclectic taste in music, and I like all sorts, ecen rap (good rap, not the crap you hear on most pop radio stations). I think that old school rap, meaning Public Enemy, Run DMC, Eric B. & Rakim, and yes, even N.W.A. can be legitimately defended as art. I think once the members of N.W.A. broke up and went solo (Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy E) the association of rap with art became a little more problematic, because that's when you started to get into the whole East Coast/West Coast Death Row thing. However, I always wonder why people (from the internet to Congress) debate whether rap causes violence, but there's little discussion on whether, say, Jojo or Hilary Duff cause preteens to become skanks. I could give the short answer and say that the issue is inherently racist (Chris Rock says it best: White man makes guns? Tax break. Black rapper says gun? Congressional hearing!), but that would be opening a debate that I'm not ready to have right now. So I'll just go ahead and say no, rap is not responsible for violence in society, nor is any other form of music, movie or video game. Does it desensitize people? Absolutley. Does it make them kill people? No.

Your stereo doesn't have an off button?  :)\
>:( Why did you have to say that NOW? Could've saved me $300+  ;D

I don't think most gangsta rappers believe in what they talk about.  Sure, most of em smoke weed, but who cares?  I'd say 97% of them don't really support murdering people, disrespecting woman, or robbing people of their money.

But some kids are dumb enough to think they do.