Second Opinion

November 10, 2005

Is Gangster Rap Libel?

Amendment 1 says that a person is entitled to free speech. In America a person is guaranteed the right to produce, record and make money from “Gangster Rap.” A person who is influenced by the words in a “gangster rap” song and goes out and kills a policeman will probably go to jail.
Question for you: Should the people responsible for the song be held liable for the death of the policeman influencing the person?

posted by A Second Opinion at 11/10/2005

29 Comments:

  • I do not think the people how made the song should be held liable for the death of the policeman because they aren't forced to listen to the music! And even if they were, they don't have to go and do what it says in the music. That is their choice, not the singer's!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Thursday, November 10, 2005 7:34:00 AM  

  • I don't think that the person who wrote the song should get blamed for that man killing the policemen. It's not like the rapper said, "GO KILL HIM!" He was just rapping. The man that killed the policemen might have taken the rap the wrong way. But, that still doesn't mean it was the rappers fault.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Thursday, November 10, 2005 8:50:00 AM  

  • No they should not be held reliable but of whaT I know that rappers like lil'jon and Ludacris doesnt talk about killing people but if a rappers does he have that taken off the radio.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Thursday, November 10, 2005 9:07:00 AM  

  • I absolutely despise rap music. But by no means should the person responsable for the song be held liable for the murder. It doesnt matter what influences the guy, if you kill somebody.. YOU KILLED THEM!!!!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Thursday, November 10, 2005 11:01:00 AM  

  • Of course the rapper should not be held liable for someone else killing someone. It's he/she's choice to listen to whatever kind of music they want. They shouldn't do what the rapper says to do or what they have done, then you would be stupid. The rapper didn't come the person and literally tell them to kill someone so he should not be held liable. I listen to "Gangster Rap" and I don't go around and shoot people. The person could have misunderstood what the rapper said or that's what may have just rhymed with what the rapper was rapping. He better not held liable for someone else killing someone.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Thursday, November 10, 2005 12:04:00 PM  

  • I think that the person that made the song should be held liable for the death of the policeman. They are capable of making a rap song that has nothing bad in it. I think the reason why they do put stuff in there like that is because they know that kids will listen to it and it will sell better like that. Those are people that just do care about what they are doing and how it could effect other people. All they want is money and to be famous or just known.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Thursday, November 10, 2005 12:19:00 PM  

  • I don't think that the person that made the song should be held liable for the death of the policeman. It was the person own fault to go out and listen to the song and kill a person. If they are going to do that they should start listening to more apprpriate mosuic. Obviously they are too immature to listen to that type of music. Like sometimes I listen to suicidal songs or killing people like in rap songs I don't go and do it. I mostly listen to country and my dad says that it sounds like a person would kill themselves from all the sad songs but I never and never will. I'm mature enough to listen to that kind of music. Bye.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Thursday, November 10, 2005 10:31:00 PM  

  • I don't think the person who made the song should be held liable because its the person who killed whoevers fault its there choice to listen to it and there fault if they kill someone.Just because they heard about doesn't mean they have to do it.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Saturday, November 12, 2005 12:27:00 AM  

  • I do not think the writer should be held libel for the death of the cop. Because the person that made the song didn't tell the person that listened to the song to go out and kill a cop. The killer chose to listen to that song and if he is going to be easily influenced like that then he should lay off the gangster rap for a while. But I'm pretty sure you don't get to listen to rap in a jail cell.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Wednesday, November 16, 2005 7:23:00 AM  

  • To:*kingsprincess4ever*

    Idont listen to rap but the person who made the song should mot be held liable because he didnt intend for someone to go kill a cop. The song maker was doing his/her job. The person who killed the cop should go to jail because they commited a crime.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Wednesday, November 16, 2005 7:30:00 AM  

  • yo kingsprincess4ever

    I don't listen to rap. The rap person should not be held liable for the killing. The rap person is just doing his/her job trying to make a living in this rotted world we live in. That teenager commited a crime and he should be responsible for his actions. He should stop blaming other people for instance ,the rap person, and take manly responsibility.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Wednesday, November 16, 2005 7:48:00 AM  

  • I think that the rapper who made the song is not reliable for the death of the policeman. Music is an art the artist is inspired to make the lyrics say that stuff, and their not telling the listener "Hey, I did this and it was cool. You should do it too." It is up to the listener how they respond to the music.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Wednesday, November 16, 2005 8:38:00 AM  

  • Gangster Rap is not libel for what people do. They are rapping about their life. Telling people what it is like on the street were they lived is not wrong. It's not like they're going out and telling people to shoot cops. Everybody has to make a living some how and that how he makes his.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Wednesday, November 16, 2005 8:51:00 AM  

  • To: *kingsprincess4ever*

    I love ya girlie, but I don't think that the rapper should be blamed for killing that policemen. I know your putting down what you believe though, so I respect you for that, but I listen to rap music and I hear cus words and stuff all the time, but you don't see me with a potty mouth or going around killing people.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Wednesday, November 16, 2005 12:05:00 PM  

  • It is not the person who made the songs fault. The person who sang it didn't tell them to go out and kill a police officer that was the person who was listening to the songs fault. So I don not think that the person who made the song should be held for the police officers death.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Friday, November 18, 2005 7:30:00 AM  

  • no the person who made the song should not be held respnsable cause i like gangsta rap music and if one singer gets held responsable then people that dont like gangsta rap will listen to a song and then they will go kill someone and then that singer will be held responsable then it will keep going. I just don't think its right cause pretty soon there will not be any gangsta rap singers left and then i would be really really mad. ow and if u cant handle the music dont listen to it duh problem solved.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Friday, November 18, 2005 7:40:00 AM  

  • I do not think the libel should be held responsible. I don't think that because they did not tell themm to go out and kill someone. I think people are old enough to know not to kill because of what they heard on the cd or radio. The people who killed someone should be held responsible. They did the crime so they should do the time.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Friday, November 18, 2005 9:06:00 AM  

  • No, they should not be held liable for the death of a police man influencing the person. Because they're just rapping and the person who killed the policeman had a choice and obviously he picked the wrong one. Also before hearing the song he already knew that murder is wrong he did'nt need a song to tell him that.So no in my opinion its not the rappers fault.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Friday, November 18, 2005 12:03:00 PM  

  • I don't think that the music has anything to do with people killing other people. The music is just other people talking about their opion. The person is not really telling them to go out and shoot someone.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Friday, November 18, 2005 12:21:00 PM  

  • I think the people who made the song should be held liable for the death of the policeman because they should'nt be listening to that kind of music. All that kind of music says is bad stuff like durgs,moms,and prostutes and other bad stuff. The reason they make that stuff is becuase the kids think it is cool to cus but is is not did Jesus or God cus NOOOOO!!
    If you were a "Christ Beliver" then you would'nt be listening to that kind of music.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Friday, November 18, 2005 12:36:00 PM  

  • i think it is the parents fault because they can buy the edited version. Are they can tell the children not to listen to it that is why I think it is the parents fault and not the rapers.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Monday, November 21, 2005 7:28:00 AM  

  • i think it is the parents fault because they can buy the edited version. Are they can tell the children not to listen to it that is why I think it is the parents fault and not the rapers.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Monday, November 21, 2005 7:28:00 AM  

  • Well not all Rap misic is influencing there are some song that are really good like they come from the soul of all of them like some of the songs that The Game sings he raps about his life before he started rapping and 50 cent raps about his life in jail for stuff he feels bad for. They rap about the kids and that is awesome but some times they can over due what they are writing like if they might be mad and write a song that they might not have known. That it would hit the top and make it big but a song is a song it doesn't all mean that they are bad people.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Monday, November 21, 2005 12:59:00 PM  

  • I don't think the writers of the song or the rapper. They didn't tell them to go do something bad. They were just singing or rapping. If you do something bad you made your own decision.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Tuesday, November 22, 2005 7:43:00 AM  

  • I think the rapper isn't responsibable for the death...He was just writing a song. The kids shouldn't so everything that everybody else does!! Have you ever heard the saying "Don't try this at home?" But kids these days still do it because they think it is cool. And im pretty sure they wind up getting hurt!!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Tuesday, November 22, 2005 8:04:00 AM  

  • I could not really understand someone killing another person because of lyrics they heard from a Gangster Rap song. However Rap lyrics have gotten pretty bad and I dont see any signs of these explit lyrics going away. No I do not think that the artist should be held liable because he was not the one who killed another person. Though I do think that by changin his lyrics he could prevent future run ins with the same problem. These artist have to understand that kids look up to them and anything they say, sing, or do is cool to them. I think that may'be if some of these artist just changed these explit lyrics alot of problems would be solved

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Wednesday, November 23, 2005 8:44:00 PM  

  • I think that the rapper should not be blamed for something some one else did even if it was influenced by a rap so what.from catlin walker

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Friday, December 09, 2005 9:32:00 AM  

  • No way that shouldn't happen because it was not the rappers movements and choices to make it was the person who did it. they should be able to sing what they wanted and they shouldn't be scared that they will get charged. I think that it is totaly okay. I don't agree with that.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Friday, December 09, 2005 9:42:00 AM  

  • The person who was influenced is the one who killed the person. If the artists were held liable for songs that influence people, then they would all be in trouble. Songs are for entertainment, not a physiciatrist for people. If someone is influenced by a song to so something, then whatever happens isn't the artist's fault. The guy should go to jail because he straight out killed another person.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Thursday, December 15, 2005 8:50:00 AM  

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