Today’s Good News: Hip-Hop Says No To “Ho”
When the Don Imus scandal broke, people wondered if anyone would call out the hip-hop music community on its regular use of “ho,” as well as other derogatory words for blacks and women. Well, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) took it a step further, calling for people to stop using three words: “ho,” “bitch,” and “nigger.”[Headline courtesy of Billboard] HSAN, for those who don’t know, was founded in 2001. It is a “national coalition of Hip-Hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents, and youth leaders united in the belief that Hip-Hop is an enormously influential agent for social change which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice.” Its chairman is Russell Simmons, best known as the co-founder of seminal rap record label Def Jam. Dr. Benjamin Chavis Muhammad, former executive director and CEO of the NAACP, is President and CEO.
Those of us who loved early rap music for its black pride, political consciousness and positive energy have been dismayed by its descent into a thuggish worldview that worships materialism, violence and self-hatred. It’s great to see black leaders finally stepping up to say it needs to change.
Simmons and Chavis issued a statement shortly after the Imus firing on 4/13 that emphasized artists’ right to free expression. But apparently they re-thought their response and saw a great opportunity to talk about the right way to use the power of this music. In their statement, they say once again that they are not calling for government censorship. They say the three words should be considered “obscene” and that the recording and broadcast industries should “voluntarily remove/bleep/delete the words.”
They further call for a music industry coalition to develop guidelines for lyrical and visual standards, and for mentoring programs for artists and forums for the community at large to discuss this issue. Hats off to HSAN for a bold and important move.
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