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costello · 08-20-2004, 05:11 AM

I could not agree with jazz's last statement more. Who owns the record lables that produce this radio rap? The radio puts into rotation a large part of their music from the big 5 (the largest record companies in the country): Sony, EMI, BMG, Warner and Universal. Sony and BMG's CEO is Howard Stringer (they merged), EMI's CEO is Ken Berry, Warner's CEO is Richard Parsons, and Universal's CEO is Jean-Marie Messier. Parsons is the only African-American of them, while the rest are white. They are all middle-aged buisinessmen with no desire to create thought-provoking art. Hell, EMI is the only label not tied to a media conglomorate. These are men with the power to stop this degrading form of marketing, but yet they dont. Why? Money of course! Most anything on the radio, whether it be rap, rock, etc. all pander to a specific audience. It is not about art which it should be. The radio is a marketing tool, and we need to realise this. They are selling an image regardless of the genre of music. Who are the main target? Youth. Have to mold their minds when theyre young before an independent thought is sparked in their brains. Kids need heros, and thats what these people provide, regardless of morals. Who else do poor, poverty-stricken kids have to look up to when their single parent is working two jobs to keep up rent, keep clothes on their children's back, put them through school all without having to move out of their house into a neighborhood where parents have already lost that battle. Thats just one situation out of many, but that just happened to be mine. As long as this image that they are selling keeps getting profits, there is no reason to stop.

By the way, hip-hop is my favorite type of music at the moment. You have to remember that the music you hear on the radio is generally not going to be a great representation of a particular genre. Before you cast it off, at least hear what unspoiled, pure, intelligent hip-hop sounds like. I'll toss together a small list:

Mr. Lif (well spoken MC out of boston, on an idependent rap label called Definitive Jux) listen to "Home of the Brave"
Common (popular, has guest spots on a lot of the roc-a-fella artists' songs. vivid storyteller) listen to "I Used to Love H.E.R.
KRS-ONE (grammy winning 80's rapper, incredibly intelligent) listen to "Self Destruction"
A Tribe Called Quest (one of, if not the most popular rap group of the 90's) listen to "Sukka Nigga"
Nas (tackled many issuses facing the black culture with incredibly vivid verses) listen to "One Mic"

There are countless more if you find you like those PM me and ill send ya lots more.

08-20-2004, 05:11 AM	#7 (permalink)
costello Insane Location: Tucson	I could not agree with jazz's last statement more. Who owns the record lables that produce this radio rap? The radio puts into rotation a large part of their music from the big 5 (the largest record companies in the country): Sony, EMI, BMG, Warner and Universal. Sony and BMG's CEO is Howard Stringer (they merged), EMI's CEO is Ken Berry, Warner's CEO is Richard Parsons, and Universal's CEO is Jean-Marie Messier. Parsons is the only African-American of them, while the rest are white. They are all middle-aged buisinessmen with no desire to create thought-provoking art. Hell, EMI is the only label not tied to a media conglomorate. These are men with the power to stop this degrading form of marketing, but yet they dont. Why? Money of course! Most anything on the radio, whether it be rap, rock, etc. all pander to a specific audience. It is not about art which it should be. The radio is a marketing tool, and we need to realise this. They are selling an image regardless of the genre of music. Who are the main target? Youth. Have to mold their minds when theyre young before an independent thought is sparked in their brains. Kids need heros, and thats what these people provide, regardless of morals. Who else do poor, poverty-stricken kids have to look up to when their single parent is working two jobs to keep up rent, keep clothes on their children's back, put them through school all without having to move out of their house into a neighborhood where parents have already lost that battle. Thats just one situation out of many, but that just happened to be mine. As long as this image that they are selling keeps getting profits, there is no reason to stop. By the way, hip-hop is my favorite type of music at the moment. You have to remember that the music you hear on the radio is generally not going to be a great representation of a particular genre. Before you cast it off, at least hear what unspoiled, pure, intelligent hip-hop sounds like. I'll toss together a small list: Mr. Lif (well spoken MC out of boston, on an idependent rap label called Definitive Jux) listen to "Home of the Brave" Common (popular, has guest spots on a lot of the roc-a-fella artists' songs. vivid storyteller) listen to "I Used to Love H.E.R. KRS-ONE (grammy winning 80's rapper, incredibly intelligent) listen to "Self Destruction" A Tribe Called Quest (one of, if not the most popular rap group of the 90's) listen to "Sukka Nigga" Nas (tackled many issuses facing the black culture with incredibly vivid verses) listen to "One Mic" There are countless more if you find you like those PM me and ill send ya lots more.