Cause and (Das) Efex

The debate over violence in hip-hop is not a new one, nor is it very focused, but D.C. has had its own experience with controversy surrounding actual violence at shows. The waning of D.C.'s own derivative of funk, go-go, provides a useful look at the way perception of an art form as a source of violence both hinders the music and ignores the actual problems facing the community.

People have been murdered at go-go concerts.. However, it would be naive to say that violent acts are prompted by music, or even the scene that accompanies them. Violence, particularly gun violence is prevalent in the same society in which go-go, and hip-hop on a nationwide scale, was cultivated and still thrives today.

If there were no go-go scene in D.C. or if rap were not embraced by record companies as it is, not a single murder would have been prevented. People from violent backgrounds are more prone to violence. The music people enjoy is often derived from the society they view themselves a part of, or perhaps vice versa, but either way, the violence is not dependent on musical tastes.

Rappers who use violent lyrics to sell records are simply older versions of teenage punks who use violence to get respect. While it might be played up to attract an audience, the material used is not new to these rappers. The type of bragging that goes along with a street culture that places such a premium on respect is going to breed a lot of hyperbole in that culture's music, but by no means is the hyperbole that springs from the music an originating source of the more desperate acts.
Once, rappera like KRS-One announced themselves as ghetto spokesmen, confronting America with a harsh and violent reality many did not experience, but could not ignore. The late 80s were a more violent time in urban American than the current decade -- no one could dispute that fact. However, rappers who now appear on MTV and BET have stopped reporting on the streets and have cast themselves as the evil figures represented by KRS. Record sales have skyrocketed as white people currently buy about 80% of rap music. The effect of this is that record executives order more violent music. However, the violence proliferating in music does not start there.
KRS may have had better intentions thans 50 Cent, but no one would say his rhymes caused the quelling of murder statistics that would accompany the early to mid-90s, just as 50 Cent's music is not responsible for whatever spikes in violence may occur.

But back to go-go, after a wave of violence surrounding the scene in the late 80s to early 90s the art form lost its mass appeal, as many did not want to put themselves into an environment they viewed as dangerous, and they are not wrong to do so. However, those at fault are the people who believe that by closing go-go venues, that the bad men will simply put grudges aside. By ignoring the fact that violence exists without weekly concerts, these people are abandoning the community.
Those who slander the music are destroying a strong cultural touchstone, which has the power to improve lives, or at the very least provide entertainment after a long day of work.
We should commend the artists who preach a message of peace, because rather than seeing the music as a cause of violence, they understand that it brings people together, and provides a chance to deal with the violence as a community.

Take Me Out to the Go-Go has an interesting interview with Big Sixx of the Raw Image Band that discusses the relationship between violence and go-go.