The campaign against racist and misogynistic language in hip hop is scheduled to head to US Congress, with Variety reporting on plans to hold a congressional hearing on "stereotypes and degradation" of women in the media, in a session called 'From Imus to Industry: The Business Of Stereotypes And Degradation'.
As previously reported, discussion on the representation of women, and especially black women, in hip hop and other popular music and media, has been especially vocal in the US ever since radio presenter Don Imus was sacked after using racist and sexist language in a throw away remark about a women's basketball team. After Imus' sacking, attention fell on the fact that kind of language was also frequently used within genres dominated by the black community itself, mainly hip hop, reigniting the debate over racism, sexism, censorship and social responsibility in mainstream music and media. Much of the anger against hip hop has so far been aimed at the chiefs of those companies that profit from the genre rather than the artists who make it.
Some of those chiefs are expected to be called to the congressional hearing on the topic, which is due to start on 25 Sep, among them Universal Music Group chief Doug Morris, Warner Music Group boss Edgar Bronfman Jr and Viacom's Phillippe Dauman.
The Illinois Democratic Congressman leading the hearing, Bobby Rush, who chairs the House Subcommittee On Commerce, Trade And Consumer Protection, told reporters this week: "I want to engage not just the music industry but the entertainment industry at large to be part of a solution. I want to talk to executives at these conglomerates who've never taken a public position on what they produce. But it's been surprisingly very difficult to get them to commit to appearing".
Rush says he doesn't want the hearing to be seen to be "anti-artist or anti-music or anti-youth", and that any solutions suggested would be voluntary rather than regulatory, adding: "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".