How sad is this story. Comments to follow:
HIP-HOPPERS CAN'T BEAT CURSING RAP
BY BRENDAN BROSH and RICH SCHAPIRO
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
Sunday, May 13th 2007, 4:00 AM
At a Harlem rap marathon last night, the rhymes flowed for hours but the rule against cursing lasted only a few seconds. Nearly 100 rap fans filled the Hip Hop Culture Center on Frederick Douglass Blvd. to see if the dozens of rappers and poets on hand could keep going for 24 hours and break the world record for continuous rapping - while keeping it clean.
Not even the first rapper, Kool Herc, was able to do that. But the hip-hoppers seemed to have enough verbal stamina to power them through the night.
"I'm ecstatic to be part of positive hip-hop history," said Kashana Green, aka Kween Kash, who added that not swearing wouldn't be a problem for her because "I typically stay away from curse words anyway."
The event, which was sponsored by the Global Artists Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to career development for young people, was designed to showcase rap as an art form that does not have to revolve around violence, drugs and money.
"We're here to demonstrate that hip-hop culture is not a negative culture," said Terry Nelson, the event's organizer. "There's a positive message in hip hop that needs to get out."
Despite his age, Lil Crise, a 13-year-old rapper from Brooklyn, was among those itching to get on stage to display their lyrical skills.
"I'm not nervous," he said. "I'm just gonna get my freestyle on."
So in other words, the first guy, one of the pioneers, a grown man no less couldn't spit fire clean? What does that say about the art of emceeing if its been crippled by an over-reliance on negative and creatively constrictive language?
I would think that emcees more than any group of artists or people practically, would want to be as literate as possible. You want more arrows in your quiver, more shells in the clip, more colors on the palette than the next man, don't you?
Are rap artists crippled by all cursing?
What's more mature--this:
Or that?
who's more limiting, this:
or that?
i dunno... not trying to engage in censorship, just a little bit of sense of ship, as in craftsmanship and where-are-we-going-ship...
any thoughts?
