In the wake of Don Imus' "nappy-haired ho's" faux pas, Russell Simmons, co-founder of hip-hop label Def Jam and creator of Phat Farm fashions, has suggested that 'clean' versions of recordings exclude three words currently deemed acceptable – 'ho'', 'nigger' and 'bitch'. His proposal follows a summit meeting of music industry heads last week in New York.The FCC's regulations for acceptable broadcast language doesn't include a checklist of forbidden words, but in the aftermath of the Janet Jackson areola incident, radio and television stations have been more mindful of criticism. However, the FCC regulations (caution: link contains strong language) consider sexual and scatological references, not cultural and racial slurs.
What Simmons is proposing is a voluntary self-regulation of cultural/racial slurs commonly used by black musicians in reference to those of their own race. Supporters of the initiative point to the degrading impact of such references on both those described and the much-wider audience for hip-hop. Simmons should also expect a backlash from artists who see this as a restriction of their artistic freedom.
I suspect that in the hip-hop world these words have been used so long and often that their stigma has been blurred. However, it's obvious that outside that community, they still can be very hurtful. And when fools like Don Imus start casually adopting these terms, perhaps it is time that artists consider the damage such words can cause to the image of black women.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-24-2007 @ 3:40PM
EDGAR said...
JUST WANTED TO SAY THEY ARE NOT WORDS THAT IS JUST BLACK JIBBERISH. WHEN I WAS A BOY A HOE WAS WHAT MY FATHER GAVE ME TO GO GET THE WEEDS OUT OF THE GARDEN
A NAPPY WAS WHAT MOTHER PUT THE BABIES FOR IN THE AFTERNOON. I HAD TO ASK SEVERAL PEOPLE WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT. EDGAR B.PARKER 73 YEAR OLD
4-24-2007 @ 2:36PM
russ williams said...
Why don't people get upset when they hear the name of Jesus Christ cursed every day of the year by millions of Americans? I don't see where that causes any uproar in a supposed Christian nation.
4-24-2007 @ 9:14PM
Karla said...
Black Jibberish?!! It's apparent you don't know the history of anything. Women have been called ho's for a very long time and it's has nothing to do with black or white. The word whore was shortened. ALSO, if you actually tried to read up on the history of the word nappy (not the cloth diaper) you may learn something as well. Go to the library and get a copy of "Happy to be Nappy" or "Nappy Hair" and learn something. Half of the problem is that some white people have changed teh definition of nappy to mean dirty and filthy and that's not what it means! Black Jibberish... read a book.
4-24-2007 @ 6:54PM
Jim Coyne said...
Don Imus wasn't fired because he was a fool, but because he is WHITE. Blaks say the same words Imus said all day long. What is next separate drinking fountains!!!
4-25-2007 @ 7:50AM
Betty said...
Bring Don Imus back as soon as possible. My black race (thanks to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson)is simply using Imus as a scapegoat. CBS and NBC are just machines of capitalism, which rules this world. Did American Express take its name off of the building at The Don Imus Ranch? This is a nation of cry babies over words that hurt, but should be forgiven if the person is contrite and sincere and above all, wants to learn how to change. Don Imus even offered that he was willing to learn how to be more sensitive to all cultures. Now, this public opportunity has being stripped away from everyone, not from only Don Imus. Yeah, Don Imus has been exorcised from cable/radio, but we black people are unfortunately left with two hypocrites: Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.
What happened to free speech? We are allowing the media to regulate our children's lives. This is a job for the parents or the guardians of the children. Teaching respect and morals should be an ongoing lesson which starts, progresses, and ends in the home, not in the arena of mass media.
4-25-2007 @ 8:18AM
Beverly Kline said...
I am begining to think white people should start speaking out,its crazy, black Miss America, Urban league, NAACP, if we had all those organizations that excluded them, Sharpton and Jackson would throw a hissy fit. I think its all a bunch of publicity for those 2. The language is terrible in that awful hip hop music too,the black ladies should really have something to say about that, that is much worse than Imus,
4-25-2007 @ 11:40AM
RB said...
What will happen to the rap world with the removal of those three words, better yet, what would conversation be like at a black club with them gone.
Hey (bleep) (bleep) get your (bleep) over here and be a good (bleep). Your momma is a (bleep) (bleep) with (bleep) hair. (bleep) (bleep) (bleep) and (bleep) Blacks are having fun with this, I can't count the number of times I have heard the new raging phrase this past week and I quote " Hey woman, get your nappy-haired ho nigger ass over here NOW!" Of course this is followed by a chuckle because black power is being shown against whitey. Blacks should be ashamed and let me say, if Al "Fat Ass" Sharpton and Jessee "Knock 'em Up" Jackson are your future, you have a longer road ahead than you think.
4-25-2007 @ 11:40AM
lisa mclaurin-holt said...
This whole thing is crazy. Years ago people like Delores Tucker, Minister Louis Farrakhan and other influential people were trying to clean up hip hop. Now all of a sudden we have this lunatic who has been berating blacks for years (I saw the way he did Al Roker on his show; they should have fired him then)calling a entire basketball team a bunch of nappy headed hoes, all of a sudden people slithering from under rocks are now against hip hop lyrics. Where were you 11 or 12 years ago? What Imus did was wrong and target a specific group of ladies. To my knowledge, very few rappers target specific people when berating them with unacceptable words.
4-25-2007 @ 11:42AM
dickthedog said...
Talk is nothing but talk. America needs to growup.
Let's get togather and bring about change, only then will we be able to communicate with one another as humans, not white or black.
4-25-2007 @ 1:06PM
Theresa said...
All of this is madness. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton were equally introduced to society as loud mouths with the fortune of representing individual victims were the cases were being swept under the rug. Therefore these two opportunist siezed the moment and have maximized their arenas. Yes, they aquired a following everyone loves being associated with a popular icon (haven't we heard and seen that?) But that is were it stops. Sharpton nor Jackson ever made the cut as being the spokesman for the Black Voice. Those esteemed to that position were.. Asa Randolph, Martin Luther King and Martin Luther King jr., Medgar,Malcolm X,Cloretta Scott king,Barbara Jordan,Shirley Chisholm these were spokes-person they along with those who said not a word but their actions spoke loudly were the Black Voice.
With regard to Don Imus that is his opinion and he made the mistake of thinking he was big enough to voice in a public arena. It really had nothing to do with "rap music".
Rap music: has been out of control for years.When Tippi Gore stepped up to the plate inciting the music industry to take responsibility and be accountable for what they were marketing and selling to our children people laughed at her. She was accused of being to conservative too wasp. I do not think anyone is laughing anymore.
Civil Rights ceased being a Black issue and forum years ago. Its for all.
A woman of Color...................Theresa
4-25-2007 @ 2:26PM
C P said...
Although I am not in favor of Imus or his comments....The world is fast changing. I dont understand why it is allright for blacks to call each other what were not allowwed to and yet we can be called cracker and white bread etc. Imagine, WET (white entertainment television), american white scholarship fund,etc. Just imagine.......
4-25-2007 @ 2:25PM
might moe said...
Bring Imus back, he does wonders for the Kids at his ranch, Lets get rid of the real racest,Jackson, and shrapnil,,,,,,, There the problem even with there following, They could'nt come close to THE IMUS,
4-25-2007 @ 2:54PM
Cleveland Brown said...
What about the FCC allowing the word Nigger to be said on regular television when it should be bleeped like other words that are not allowed? The goverment is no better than Don Imus,and should get off this latest bandwagon.
4-25-2007 @ 3:28PM
BC said...
Dont uproot hip-hop because of the Don Imus incident.He is a grown man who knows what he said and quite frankly,speaks for many like him in America.How can anyone associate the two? It is a style,a slang used in the black community,and not used in the manner as Mr. Imus used it.I have never heard nappy head ho used in any hip-hop or rap song.America for a long time has been making this bed that we sleep in.
4-29-2007 @ 8:08AM
Tom said...
And now the Idaho has no entry for the Miss Black America contest. NO one wants to wear the sash.
Amazing.