The world of hip-hop is a world littered with casual misogyny, ingrained violence and 50 Cent mumbling about confectionery like an autistic day-release patient in a newsagents – but Russell Simmons is on the case to sort this problem out.
Thanks to the stir caused by that radio DJ claiming that girls who play basketball wear nappies on their heads – or something – the world is cracking down on certain racist and sexist epithets, and that's why hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons wants the terms 'bitch', 'ho' and 'nigger' uniformly banned from all clean versions of hip-hop records. Some rappers have welcomed this idea, including DMX, whose new album includes tracks like You Really Are A Most Dreadful Braggart, These Young Ladies Will Surely Catch Their Deaths Dressed Like That and Awkward Silence (What About This Weather We're Having?)
In hip-hop, where rappers regularly get arrested for guns and drugs and hit people who only want their autograph, Def Jam founder and all-round hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons stands out as a rare beacon of moderation. It's thanks to Russell Simmons that LL Cool J regularly preaches about the importance of financial prudence and it's thanks to Russell Simmons that so many gangstas are loudly proclaiming that yoga is the shiz.
But this year Russell Simmons has more on his mind than money and bendy limbs – he wants to exorcise what he claims are three extreme epithets from hip-hop altogether. Thanks to the fabled Michael Richards meltdown and the unfortunate Don Imus affair, Russell Simmons wants to uniformly remove the terms 'bitch', 'ho' and 'nigger' from the 'clean' versions of all hip-hop tracks. MSNBC reports:
Expressing concern about the “growing public outrage” over the use of such words in rap lyrics, Simmons said the words “bitch,” “ho” and “nigger” should be considered “extreme curse words.” “We recommend (they’re) always out,” Simmons, the pioneering entrepreneur who made millions of dollars as he helped shape hip-hop culture, said in an interview Monday. “This is a first step. It’s a clear message and a consistency that we want the industry to accept for more corporate social responsibility.”
Removing these three words fom hip-hop might not seem like a huge step – and, as yet, no music industry executives have backed Russell Simmons' plan – but it's a start. Even if it fails, at least Russell Simmons is raising a flag to what seems to be a prevailing mood in society.
Plus, the word 'faggot' isn't included on Russell Simmons' list, so rappers can still be as obnoxious as they like about gay people! Hooray for hip-hop!
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[email protected] says
I’m sure f*ckin’ f@ggots will see their day but for now handsome brown men, young ladies and municipal nocturnal servicepeople are much better off.