Rap Censorship: Say What You Want But Watch How You Say It

Freedom of speech simply defines the right to express an opinion without censorship or restraint and this is a right that's been exercised extremely by all races of the united states over the years but this right is also the leverage that rappers in the hip hop community use to defend their musical expression whether it be poetic or vulgar this right gives them the freedom to be as open, honest and blunt as they possibly can be with their music and though this has a positive effect on their sound during certain circumstances this right can also have severe consequences  where something you may say on a particular record can bruise your career.  

Now since the foundation days the brand of hip hop has always been targeted by protesters and activists who always enter this battle of seeking justice for what imagery some rappers portray in their music  from female rights groups protesting against rappers who degrade women in their records or pastors/Senators voicing their strong disapproval of the violence/drug dealing lifestyle many MC's express in their tracks but that’s always been a gap of misguided assumptions which leads up to a bigger misconception but that explanation is for another article what I’m trying to say is that this battle of censorship has been going on since the beginning days and up to recent times still leaves a huge strain on the creative process in hip hop. 

Now i strongly do not believe in censorship in hip hop because as i stated earlier it leaves a strain on the music, Stifling the creative process by limiting a rapper's freedom to express and be fully vulnerable on a song thus killing the remainder of lyrical stability that is still present today but what i do believe is that during a certain situation where you have an responsibility to portray a particular image you as the rapper have to find that balance so you do not overstep the boundaries and by then end up suffering the consequences. I use two recent rappers as example; Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, Both of which have uttered controversial lines on songs and in the end cost them their endorsement deals (Mountain Dew and Reebok) now I’m not going to get into what they said and the outcome but overlooking the situation you see where two rappers were under heavy fire for a particular line said on a record but it appears they were blind to the damage it could have on their brand but by the time a light was shed to enlighten the fellow artistes the damage was already done, Too late to apologize and this could of well been influenced by both camp's advisors, causing them from making amends from early to avoid these repercussions and this is just a prime example of understanding the position you are currently in and finding that balance to prevent yourself from being burnt by the heat of justice from the society and media.

                                           

So with all that being said it's like this there is no need for an complete censorship on hip hop, we're not the only genre that has been attacked for controversial records but it seems it's always hip hop that gets bullied the most because of the negative imagery we've painted over the decades but i still see censorship doing more harm to the music than good so i suggest balance, with great power comes great responsibility so as a rapper you become more influential to your audience so i believe you should follow the concept to find that balance in your message of music to not overstep that boundary and keep you out the negative shade of the limelight but hey that's just my outlook on the situation.