Congress Takes On Hip-Hop And All Of Us Win

jharv | September 5, 2007 12:39 pm

Well, from an entertainment standpoint, anyway. Deciding to bring back public naming and shaming because that pesky first amendment prevents them from just summarily banning anything they find icky, morality watchdog and Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush of the great state of Illinois wants to put the record industry on trial for its gratuitously gross portrayal of womankind in the lyrics to popular song. Particularly hip-hop songs. To that end, he’s strongarmed gently suggested that various members of the entertainment industry assemble in Washington and fess up to exactly just what they think they’re doing come late September:

“I want to talk to executives at these conglomerates who’ve never taken a public position on what they produce,” Rush said. “But it’s been surprisingly very difficult to get them to commit to appearing.”

Rush had planned the hearing twice before and had to postpone both times to accommodate execs’ schedules. “But after a series of long conversations and other communications, they know this hearing is going to go forward, and they will be coming — reluctantly, if I might add.”

Witnesses include toppers Philippe Dauman of Viacom, Doug Morris of Universal Music Group and Edgar Bronfman Jr. of Warner Music Group.

A music industry exec said the delay was more an issue of getting the right people to appear. “Not everyone agrees that the top people are the same as the right people,” the exec said, noting that decisions to sign particular artists or distribute their CDs are often made at lower levels.

Also, Rush was quick to affirm his hip-and-with-it bona fides just so he didn’t look like one of those stuffy moral crusaders from the 1950s:

Rush stressed that this is “not an anti-artist hearing, or antimusic or antiyouth hearing.” He said he’s hoping for voluntary — not regulatory — solutions. “I respect the First Amendment, but rights without responsibility is anarchy, and that’s much of what we have now. It’s time for responsible people to stand up and accept responsibility.”

Really? I though anarchy was supposedly personal responsibility with no leaders trying to legislate things like artistic content. Did all those hours spent shopping for punk records at the leftist bookshop in Philly steer me wrong?

Ah, what can you even say about something like this? That on a base level I agree with Rush that it’s time for personal and even corporate responsibility on the part of artists and the record industry to stop making a buck off of degrading their fellow men and women? That press-ganging the record execs into cleaning up their act through televised embarrassment before a legislative body is eight kinds of gross? That it won’t probably make a whit of difference either way? That if it actually happens it should at least be as enjoyable for us watching at home as the classic PMRC hearings of yesteryear? Come back, Dee Snider. We need you more than ever.

Congress Holds Hearing On Hip-Hop [Variety]