What Remix is This?

Well, far be it from me to knock a moral sensibility into the average music consumer. I won't even bother arguing with your idea that singing about illegal drugs is equivalent to encouraging people to murder other people; it's just too stupid.

Still, your amoral, consumerist attitude intrigues me at a different level. It's fascinating how bigotry still sells, even in our supposedly suffocatingly-politically-correct days. Rap is largely bigoted; Jamaican dance hall is almost pure bigotry. "Christian" rock is bigoted, of course skinhead rock and rap is bigoted - the list goes on and on. If anything, the influence of bigotry in music has GROWN, not shrunk, in recent years.

I and many people have been entertained by many performers (musicians, actors, painters, whoever). I dont always agree with them. I may have bought music from an artist that say, did drugs. By law they are criminals. Maybe I think they are awful for doing drugs, but you know what, i bought their music. i like their music. Their entire album is about doing drugs, they glorify it.

Sometimes music is just music to me. If one commits a crime, convict them of a crime. I can choose not to buy their music if I am inclined, but I wouldn't stop them from making it. And I wouldnt stop people from buying it. i would hope that one would be offended by it, and get mad (and argue on the internet about it).

In answer to cgerv: yes, you are condoning murder. What else COULD you be doing? "Interesting point," indeed - particularly since several of these singers have been guilty of violence against gay people personally. As for, "gosh, what would the music be like without the lynching part?" that is a pathetically transparent rationalization, and I'd like to hear the bostonist make it to the families of the gay people murdered in Jamaica. "Hey, I just love dancing to that song about killing your son - what were the words again?" But hey, keep bopping yo' head!

interesting point. can one listen to an artist, and disagree with them at the same time? Can a dancehall ragga track be a danceable song. 99% of the time, I cant understand a word buju, or capleton or anyone else is saying. but ill dance to it, ill bob my head to it. Ill watch a TV show with an awfully right wing conservative former senator. i despise his views, yet the show aint that bad. By listening to this song, is one condoning? is it only because one purchases it, and lines the pockets of an ignorant person, that it is wrong. We all probably do that every day, buy products that get awful people wealthy. im just curious, it's an interesting argument. I will say this, if I want to buy or listen or dance to Buju, i will. I could care less what anyone thinks about my musical tastes. Til Shiloh

I don't think it's ok. I don't think any violence is acceptable, lyrically or otherwise. My assertion wasn't that they should keep violence in the music, rather a ponderance as to what the music becomes without it...

My point is this: you dance to music about black people beheading gay people, or burning them alive. Yet you don't dance to music about white people beheading black people, or burning them alive. This strikes me as either deeply prejudiced, or deeply hypocritical - or both. I'm afraid the parallel, shocking as it is, is precisely correct. A dance track about lynching a black man is unthinkable; yet dance tracks about lynching gay people sell millions. And you seem to think that's okay. Why?

My point is this: you dance to music about black people beheading gay people, or burning them alive. Yet you don't dance to music about white people beheading black people, or burning them alive. This strikes me as either deeply prejudiced, or deeply hypocritical - or both. I'm afraid the parallel, shocking as it is, is precisely correct. A dance track about lynching a black man is unthinkable; yet dance tracks about lynching gay people sell millions. And you seem to think that's okay. Why?

I can’t dance. I clumsily and awkwardly stomp my feet around. Tom, I "try" to listen with a blind eye...it's difficult to do. Some things are far too offensive to listen to. I'd love to respond to you but I'm not sure I get your point.

Okay, so you don't beat up (or kill, or dismember, as the songs implore you to) gay people. You just dance along to lyrics that demand that you should! I'm afraid I still don't get it. Was that you I heard singing along to Ali G's "Throw the Jew in the Well" routine?

And btw, bonus points for that really hilarious "there are problems with many types of music" line.

sure, if it's in german. the point i so ineptly tried to convey was that musically (minus lyrics) the songs are great...but there are some problems with many types of music. I know that listening to them doesn't make me want to go beat up on homosexuals, but the message is there.

I'm not really sure how you "enjoy" hip-hop - particularly Jamaican dance-hall - while "turning a blind eye to the lyrics." Do you listen to Nazi rappers the same way? Just curious.