And Finally Beef Of The Week

CMU Beef Of The Week #75: Professor Green v Paul Routledge

By | Published on Saturday 13 August 2011

Professor Green

The rioting and looting that has spread around the UK over the last week has touched the music world in different ways. Obviously, many labels became victims after the fire at the Sony DADC/[PIAS] distribution centre on Monday. But later came the inevitable accusation that music – specifically rap – was to blame for everything.

The Mirror’s political correspondent Paul Routledge wrote in his column on Wednesday: “I blame the pernicious culture of hatred around rap music, which glorifies violence and loathing of authority (especially the police but including parents), exalts trashy materialism and raves about drugs. The important things in life are the latest smartphone, fashionable trainers and jeans and idiot computer games. No wonder stores selling them were priority looting targets. Stir into this lethal mixture, the fostering of irrational anger against the world and disrespect for others, and the end result is self-absorbed young people living at boiling point”.

Now, I don’t know what sort of knowledge Routledge has of rap and hip hop. I’m guessing he’s not exactly an aficionado. I’m guessing he doesn’t spend his spare time pawing over the latest releases, and waxing lyrical about the ‘golden age’. I would guess his knowledge probably extends as far a few 50 Cent lyrics and an overheard conversation about NWA at a dinner party in the early 90s. But, like I say, I don’t know.

But whenever young people (though it shouldn’t be assumed that only young people were involved in the riots) do something violent or anti-social, there’s always someone near by to point out that it was the fault of the music they were listening to at the time. But music doesn’t make people act violently, any more than comedy, or theatre, or paintings, or television, or films. All forms of art portray violence, criminality and pain. But they also show love, understanding, and compassion. No one ever blamed weddings on The Bee Gees.

Of course, rap in its various forms probably does deal in the darker side of life more than many other genres. But alongside that, rappers provide wider social commentary, too. It’s a genre that questions itself as much as it offers answers.

Of the many responses to Routledge’s article, one of the most intelligent came on Twitter from rapper Professor Green, who wrote: “You had to be at East Dance at Glasto to see the damage urban music does: people of all colours and classes enjoying themselves. Terrible. Paul Routledge is an absolute moron. An absolute fucking moron. Yeah, ban rap music, silence our voices even more. Ignorant prick. Surely this isn’t about shifting the blame, but accepting responsibility? Neither my music nor that of my peers is to blame for society and its faults. We didn’t create the tiers”.

I’m chalking that one up to a win for rap. For a more reasoned look at the role of music with today’s disillusioned youth, you should read Joe Muggs’ piece for The Arts Desk on why we should be listening to what rappers have to say about their surroundings, rather than writing them off out of hand.

Professor Green isn’t the only musician to have entered into the wider debate on this week’s rioting. Another piece worth reading is Dorian Lynskey’s discussion of comments made by Massive Attack and Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morrello.



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