This article summarizes a congressional hearing about offensive language in hip-hop music. It discusses testimony from rappers Master P and David Banner, who had differing views. Master P apologized for past songs and wants to make clean music, while Banner defended his use of offensive language. Music executives and scholars at the hearing disagreed on who was to blame for offensive language in hip-hop, but all opposed government censorship. The hearing also looked at depictions of women and violence in music videos. Two congressmen then introduced a bill calling for "kid-zone" sections on planes without movie screens.

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'I'M L I K E S T E P HE N K IN G: H OR R OR MU SIC IS WH A T I D O,' ON E R A P P E R TE ttS P A N E L
Hip-hopunderfire in House
Rappers musicindustry
and
executives debatewhatl
to blamefor derogatory
language usedin hip-hop.
All sides anti-censorship.
are
BY'IMABRAMS
Press
TheAssociated
WASHINGTON- TWo rappers, sit-
ting side-by-side a House hear-
in
ing room, went in different direc-
tions Tuesday on the need for
hip-hop artists to expunge their
work of sexist and violent lan-
guage.
One, Master P, apologizedto
women for past songs that de-'
meanedthem, while anotherwas
defiant. Former gangstarapper
Master P,whose real name is Per-
cy Miller, told a House Energr
and Commerce subcommittee
hearingthathe is now committed
to producing clean lyrics.The an-
grymusic of hispast,he said,came
from seeingrelatives and friends
shot and killed.
Buthe saidnowthathe doesn't
want his own children to listen to
his music,"so if I can do anything
to changethis, I'm goingto take a
stand and do thati'
SUSANWALSH/The
Associated
Press
"I want to apologizetoall the
women out therel'he said."I was Rappers David Banner and Master P and Georgetown professor Michael Eric Dyson, from left, testify
honestlywrongl' in a hearingTuesdayon Capitol Hill. The rappers'real namesare Levell Crump and PercyMillen
But rapper and record produc-
er Lwell Cmmp, known asDavid
Banner,was defiantas lawmakers
pressed him on hisuseof offensive
the "Bf'H" and "N" words,and
black civil rights leaderstalked of
defendedthe parental guidance
labels and edited versions they First-class,
coach,
language. "I'm like StephenKing: corporate exploitation. said keep the more controversial
Horror music is what I doi' he "From Imus to Industry: The material awayfrom children and andnowkidzone
said in testimony lacedwith swear businessof stereot5rpes de-and stressedthat uniform standards
words. "Change the situation in grading images" wai the title of or censorshipwon't work. The Associated
Press
my neighborhood and maybe I'll the hearing, referring to former In the'50s,peoplewere deep- MLtlGH,N.C.- Prompted by par-
getbetterj'hetold one memberof radio host Don Imus, who lost ly offendedby Elvis Presley,and ents' complaints about sex and
Congress. his job after making derogatory a decadelater many were scan- violence in inflight movies, two
The two rapperswere joined by comments about the Rutgers dalizedby The Beatlesand The congressmen introduced legisla-
music industry executives and women's basketball team. The Rolling Stones,said Edgar Bron- tion Tuesdaycalling for airlinesto
scholars. They disagreed overwho Imus incident hassparkeddebate fman fr., chairman and CEO of create kid-friendly zones on
was to blame for sexist and de- within the music industry about WarnerMusic Group. planes.
grading languagein hip-hop but black artists using offensive,mi- "We have a responsibility to Rep. Heath Shuler, a North
were united in opposing govern- sogmist and violent language. speak authentically to irur view- Carolina Democrat,and Republi-
ment censorshipasa solution. "This hearing is not anti-hip- ersj'saidPhilippeDauman,pres- can Rep. Walter Jones, also of
I "If by some stroke of the pen
hip-hop was silenced,the issues
hop. I am a fan of hip-hopj'said
subcommittee chairman Bobby
ident & CEO of Viacom Inc.,
which owns suchcablenetworks
North Carolina, call their bill the
Family Friendly FlightSAct.
I would still be presentin our com-
munitiesj' Crump said. "Drugs,
Rush,D-Ill., who gainedpromi-
nence in the 1960sas the found-
as MT Comedy Central, Nick-
elodeonand BET
Thebill callsforthe creationof
sections on commercial flights
I
violence,sexismand the criminal er of the Illinois chapter of the He saidhis compan3rtakes an where there would not be any
elementwere around longbefore Black Panthers. he saidthere
But active role in editing obscenities publicly viewable movie screens.
hip-hop existedi' was a need "to address issue
the out of music videos and excising It still would allow airlines to
At the hearing, music videos ofviolence,hate and degradation gangs5rmbols portrayals of vio-
or show the movies they choose on
I
showing scantily clad women thathasreducedtoomanyof our lence,but "we alsobelievethat it big screens othersections, on
in or
were played;musicexecutives in youngstersto auiomatonsl' is not our role to censorthe cre- individual seatbackscreen s.
dark suits testified on the usesof Record company executives ative expressionof artistsl'