In defense of Hip-hop....

I see the new Tory party leader David Cameron has contracted foot-in-mouth disease.
Yes, there are problems and violence in all parts of British society, but to accuse BBC Radio 1 & Tim Westwood of encouraging violence by playing rap music is, at best, laughable.
Cameron reportedly stated: "I would say to Radio 1, do you realize that some of the stuff you play on Saturday nights encourages people to carry guns and knives?"
I'm no fan of artists like 50 Cent and I despair at certain rap music which denigrates women. But to claim Hip-hop incites people to violence is to ignore artists like OutKast, for example. Heck, I never heard Will Smith influence anyone to pick up a knife or gun through his music. But then Cameron was being a typical British politician in "rent-a-quote" mode, talking tough instead of actually doing something about it. And the usual hyprocritical suspects in the British media backing him up was no surprise.
Oh well - guess we won't be seeing pictures of Cameron dancing away at the Rapattack sound system in this year's Notting Hill Carnival then....
Cameron attacks Radio 1's hip-hop
OutKast - The Way you Move (video)
OutKast - Hey Ya (video)