Al Sharpton Leads March Demanding 'Decency' In Hip-Hop Lyrics

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Site Last Updated: 3:52 AM EDT, October 7, 2008	Make BallerStatus Your Homepage

Published: Friday - May 4, 2007
Words by Allen Starbury

Al Sharpton (Photo: BallerStatus (file))

The Reverend Al Sharpton led a march to three major record labels on Thursday night (May 3) demanding more "decency" in hip-hop lyrics.

Throughout the demonstration, Sharpton blared, over a bullhorn, plans to hold -- in addition to record companies -- media companies responsible for what they broadcast through their platforms, stating the people want a "standard in this business" for indecent words.

"We'll deal with them one by one," he said during the march's final stop in front of the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle. "We'll also be dealing with the media companies. HBO is owned by Time Warner. When we finish with the record companies, we will go across the board. We're not asking for censorship. But there is a standard in this business. They have a standard. They had a standard that said Ice-T can't rap against police. They had a standard that said you can't rap against gays, and you shouldn't. They had a standard against Michael Jackson saying something anti-Semitic. Where is the standard against 'n-----,' 'ho' and 'b---h'?"

The march comes in the aftermath of comments made by terminated shock jock Don Imus, who claimed if his controversial remarks were made by a rapper, it'd result in a hit song. Sharpton invited the radio personality on his radio show, "The Sharpton Show," where he said he'd challenge the hip-hop industry to clean up its act as well.

Sharpton met the group of people after 6 p.m. in front of the Sony Music offices on the corner of 55th Street and Madison Avenue. He walked with fellow demonstrators as they marched on Warner Music Group headquarters in Rockefeller Plaza and the Universal Music Group building on 8th Avenue and 50th Street.

He told the group of supporters that he is not on a mission to censor what rappers say, but rather protect the image of blacks in America. Throughout the demonstration he cited past instances where record labels pulled their product due to sensitive lyrical content, such as Ice-T's "Cop Killer" record in the 90s.

Ironically, the march comes 12 years after Sharpton met with music executives to defend rappers' rights to free speech, claiming their harsh language reflected their impoverished upbringings, when Time Warner initiated an outreach to develop guidelines for offensive lyrics.

"What do you expect them to sing, 'Hello, Dolly'?" Sharpton was quoted as telling New York's Daily News in 1995, according to MTV. Sharpton warned Time Warner that if they succumbed to pressure from the government, they'd have to deal with him and other high-powered black figures.

However, he has a history of firing off blatantly offensive slurs himself -- for which he's reportedly never apologized. According to TMZ.com, Sharpton -- in the past -- publicly bashed former NYC Mayor David Dinkins as "a n----r whore," and once referred to his political opponents as "recycled white trash."

Sharpton has since had a change of heart, joining both Russell Simmons and others in their crusade to tighten up lyrics.

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COMMENTS (5)

TRAUM Says:
Friday - May 18, 2007 at 7:58pm

My name Is TRAUM and I am a Hardcore Rapper in the purest form on Masta Mix Records, Is it me or is Al Sharpton full of shit. I can’t stand how some so called Black Leaders attack us strong black men more than whites ever did. I'm not blind though I see what’s really going on. It's an Extortion plot! They boycott during the day then beg for donations from the same artist and companies at night. Ozzy Osborne and marilyn manson can express their selves any way they want but don't be a rich black entrepreneur or you will be singled out like 50 and Luda. If they are negative influences on black kids then they might as well boycott my Album " Mad Dreams" Now it will be out in JULY 2007 and I dare Al Sharpton Oprah or any of the rest of our so called leaders to step to me. Damned cops still killing us in New York with no consequence and these dudes are messing with rappers! I'm an Authentic Cat fool wit my bread and I'll crush you by all means necessary! For more info on TRAUM go to www.myspace.com/traumthemc and leave your comments on his blog.

Coop Says:
Sunday - May 6, 2007 at 3:26pm

Blaming Hip Hop for other people degrading our race is a copout for people like Don other and who choose to do behave in that matter. We as a race our showing a major weakness with this silly movement against Hip Hop. People like Sharpton, Harpo (Oprah), Bill Cosby and other should be ashamed of themselves if they continue on the route they are only going to help people like Imus or KKKramer to get new bigger contracts and the rappers will be out endorsements and record deal. Do you all think that people like Bill O'Rielly, Rush Limbaugh, and others want their kids in love with Hip Hop? No they don't so what better why to destroy it then to get us to fight among ourselves and destroy each other. So what our we really going to accomplish with this it looks like Imus is going to get paid by CBS and get a big deal from satellite radio. So while people may applaud Mr. Sharpton and the rest that are going against Hip Hop I am appalled by them.

Namail Says:
Saturday - May 5, 2007 at 10:12am

As a black woman that grew up listening to hip-hop, I'm disappointed in what's being promoted. It not easy walking down the street and hearing a bunch of white boys using the word nigga and when they see me (a black woman) they speak even louder and have a smirk on their face cause they know they can get away with it. We are being disrespected by every race and not only are we allowing it, we are encouraging it and rewarding it. We can't portray ourselves as gun toting, pimps and "ho" then wonder why we are not taken seriously. This is a racist world and we need to stop giving everyone ammunition to use against us. We are brainwashing ourselves and our children into believing this is a real lifestyle. We are lowering the standards expected in our men and our women. All hip-hop isn't bad but the ones that are being promoted are the ones that paint the worst pictures of black folks. This isn't a coincident.

Nyoil Says:
Friday - May 4, 2007 at 12:31am

The march for decency?? Peace this is NYOIL.. I'll keep this direct and to the point. I am a firm believer in involving myself with community action, social movements, and the political process. As a father, a man and a concerned citizen I'm not into the idea of just allowing people to dictate where my life.. or the things that impact my life go. How the things that I find personal value in shall be allocated and resourced. Hence when my dude NES (Petroleum Empire Music Group: Promotions VP) called me and told me that Al Sharpton was organizing a "Decency march" that he was promoting on the radio I was compelled to get involved. Now I am in a conflicted position for a variety of reasons that I am sure many of you may share. 1. I am an adult and as a parent I agree wholeheartedly that the language and images portrayed in hip hop today are damaging and destructive to the minds of our children. I bare witness to this everyday in my hometown of Staten Island NY.. where I watch kids emulate lifestyles they aren't even living.. until they are truly living that lifestyle.. and invariably find themselves trapped in situations that they are ill equipped to get out of 2. As an MC and a devout Hip Hopper who loves the complete culture and this lifestyle. I am concerned because I can see a "lowering of the Boom" on Hip Hop as it is being made the scapegoat for Mass medias systematic corruption of our nation and people in the international community. It is being used to cloak the nefarious deeds of corporate entertainment companies and corporate radio. All the while focusing on the bad elements and further promoting them and their presence while totally ignoring artist such as an NYOIL or Wise intelligent, Immortal Technique, Little Brother, Uno the prophet, Dead Prez, and so on. Artist that make the sort of music that these demagogues seem to be screeching for. 3. Finally as an American and a concerned citizen who has a great deal of respect and understanding of the items contained in the Constitution. It feels like these movements to ban words and censor artist is a cloaked veil hiding a larger agenda to co-opt our freedom of speech. Granted in insuring our freedom of speech.. there is a great deal of speech that is respectfully unworthy of protection, and even if 99% of free speech is useless filth, it is for that 1% that challenges the ideas and percepts of this country and this society and in the end create the dialogue that initiates a better world for us that this right has to be protected tooth and nail. Now this is my internal paradigm which doesn't include my personal distrust of so called black leaders like Rev. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson who at this stage in their civil rights careers appear to be more media whores than fighters for equality and justice for all people. So here I am at this March for Decency, looking around for Hip Hop somewhere in here and all I could find was Kurtis Blow. LOL.. Kurtis Blow was the only Rapper besides myself that was there which was unreal to me. Where was Hip Hop at??? Why weren't we there making our collective voices heard. Many of us are established men and women with families and careers and in some cases political and corporate influence. Hip Hoppers span a wide demographic now.. we are at the minimum between the ages of 10 – 50. No one was out there to support our culture except Kurtis Blow and I … I guess these are the breaks. This was disheartening because when we speak about hip hop it is less a culture we are speaking about in some instances but a time span that we have had the opportunity to live in. Even if you never tried to break dance or write graffiti you and your life and the people around you have been greatly influence by this music and culture.. it has shaped your means of communication, your fashion, and in some cases your very values systems. So it is sad that we could not be bothered to represent ourselves and our interest I am also looking at who exactly was organizing this march. And to be honest it was pitiful. It was a throng of upwards of 300 people who were the most clearly out of touch individuals on the planet.

Coop Says:
Friday - May 4, 2007 at 12:27am

Al and the rest of them are full of S$#@.