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DAILY NEBRASKAN
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BANNED from page 14
state involvement in labeling.
1 don’t favor the state regulation of
the content of speech under general
circumstances," he said. "I do think that
parents winning the approval of self
chosen labeling requirements from
record companies is an appropriate
outcome, since it is the product of
voluntary decision making in the mar
ketplace"
Sen. Rex Haberman of Imperial said
he did not think the state had a role in
judging the appropriateness of music.
"You can’t regulate morality," he said.
"I don't think the state has any business
in that at all."
Instead, people should judge music
for themselves, Haberman said.
"People don’t have to listen to it," he
said. They can stop their children from
buying it, or if their children are old
enough to have their own money, they
can stop them from playing it at home."
Haberman said he had no problem
with voluntary labeling by record com
panies. However, he said he opposed
I any state involvement in labeling.
"(Labeling) is fine, but it's not
the state's business." Ss3
TRADITIONS from page 11
ancf Ray Charles to name two — in his
50-year career.
Love doesn't like rap.
Love said he saw no relationship
between rap and jazz, with the exception
of their common creators: blacks.
"Music should be artistic and
inspiring," he said. “We created jazz, and
we take it very seriously."
Conversely, rap is not black music,
Love said. And in rap, music serves as
merely the background.
“Rap is entertainment, not music," he
said. “Some of it is cleverly done, much
of it is simply gross."
Rap has too much filth, and although
it pretends to carry a message, Love
said, it doesn’t.
Rap is simply a way to make money,
he said.
David Sharp, a music teacher at the
UNL School of Music, is a jazz musician
who likes rap. Sharp sees a connection,
albeit indirect, between jazz and rap.
“Rap came from funk, which came
from soul, which came from blues and
jazz," he said.
Sharp said the evolution of rap
stemmed directly from the work of funk
masters such as Parliament and
Funkedelic.
Werner agreed that funk played a part
in the development, if not the creation, of
rap. Musicians such as Parliament’s
George Clinton and James Brown have
been sampled more than anyone, and for
good reason.
"George Clinton is a genius," Werner
said.
Clinton found a way to get his
message out and not lose the crowd,
Werner said. Fie put down a heavy bass
groove, so the body always had a beat to
move to. On top of that, he layered
brilliant statements on every known topic.
He got his message out, and nobody
missed the beat.
Good rappers do the same thing,
Werner said.
“Rappers like KRS-1, Ice Cube and
Chuck D know what they are doing,"
Werner said. They put down that heavy
groove, then say their piece is over the
top.
And getting out their message is the
key for many of rap’s top performers.
That message is what makes rdp so
significant to Werner.
In 1982, when Werner saw Grand
master Flash and the Furious Five, one of
rap's pioneers, he said he knew rap’s
message was for real.
“Being one of maybe 40 whites out of
about 15,000 people at a concert, -
watching all of these black folks sing
along to 'Don't push me, I’m close to the
edge,’ made things pretty clear to me,"
Werner said.
It’s that message, no matter what the
origin, that will keep rap alive as an art
form, Werner said.
"Rap isn’t going to go away," he said.
"It will remain viable and signifi- p£§
cant for a long time.'
LOCAL MUSICIANS from page 9_
at Duffy's, "unless they’re really bad," he said.
The Lincoln bar scene doesn't include much rap
music, but local record stores are reaping profits
from nationally known rap artists, said John McCallum,
owner of Twisters Music and Gifts in Lincoln.
“(Rap) is one of our top-selling categories," he
said.
The typical consumers of rap in Lincoln are 12 to
25 years old, he said.
Because Lincoln radio stations don’t play a lot of
rap music on the air, McCallum said, The biggest
thing is getting the music into our customers’ ears."
Twisters plays much of its rap music over the
store's speakers, he said, which helps to get the
attention of customers.
But, Green said, asrap music becomes more popu
lar nationwide, problems multiply with those who just
don't understand rap.
"Now, conservative, fearful people in positions of
power, are working to literally ban the music.... And
record companies are promoting artists that speak the
language of destruction aimed at black, ethnic commu
nities.'
Local rap artists in The Muvement hope to expose
racism in the Midwest with their releases early next year
on independent labels, Green said.
1 feel very responsible in my group’s efforts to
combat the negatives with uplifting verts engulfed in
the love of purely soulful tracks. I, of course, represent
one voice of many people with the desire to be heard
and respected."
known worldwide and teach more about African history
through rap.
“You can learn more about African history in rap
music than you can in school—that’s a shame,' Green
said.
“Hopefully we'll be able to own and operate either
audio or visual media, or both,' Kauffman said. “I could
get things done the right way, which the white main
stream has failed to do throughout history;
Green said he hoped their goals as rappers would
be achieved.
“There are a great number of people and means that
need attention publicly,' Green said. 1 wish to aid in the
development of hungry minds that don’t have
the opportunities or means to prosper.' ^^2
Grant Kauffman is co-host of The Muvement, a rap-music program on KRNU radio station. Kauffman raps about the
racism he has witnessed.
__
Strapped: carrying
a gun
Stunt: promiscuous
female
Sucker: a person
who’s easy to push
around and take
advantage of
Taking no shorts:
not to be taken
advantage of
Tip: way of describ
ing the mood or type
of situation one is in
or dealing with
To the curb: at
one’s lowest point
Trippin’: acting
crazy or irrational
Vapors: the vibe
given to someone
who wants the
friendship of a
person only because
of his or her notori
ety.
Wac (or wack):
unacceptable
Wax: a record; to
defeat someone; or
have intercourse
What time is it?: to
ask people if they
know what’s going
on
Wheels of steel:
turntables
Wild thing: sexual
intercourse
Word: agreement of
truth; not a lie
