Really. Okay, let’s take a look at the situation. A recording studio in the central city is the site of a double homicide, and the probability that the victims are in the gangsta rap genre are what, 50-50? 60-40? 70-30? 90-10?
Would McBride’s accusers have felt better had she said Hip Hop instead?
What other genres were likely? Classical music? Are they taking shots at Yo Yo Ma these days? Is the Milwaukee Symphony Choir some real bad asses likely to bust a cap on you for dissin’ a baritone? Country music? Last I checked the alcoholic wife steals the pick up truck with the dog and the gun rack in the back. She doesn’t break in and shoot the place up to score some scratch for some crack. Heavy Metal? They ain’t shootin’ at Ozzy. That’s self-destruction working. Now if the two musicians committed suicide, I might ask if Black Sabbath was playing in the background. But this was clearly a case of homicide. Grunge? Again, suicide maybe, taking the Kurt Cobain path to stardom. Alternative? When REM sings “Shiny Happy People” I admit I feel a little homicidal. Classic Rock? Are Dave and Carol doing drive-by shootings to enforce their classic rock turf? (When is Milwaukee radio going to find something else to play?) Is Phil Spector loose?
Besides, is gangsta rap now soley to be defined as African American? Blacks only? Whitey not allowed? Are there no Latino gangsta rappers? Isn’t that assumption racist?
Maybe a few of McBride’s usual critics with their hair-trigger “offended” triggers should be more concerned about what kind of culture is breeding the crime and violence in our central city. Rather than worry about being offended by what they think they hear they should worry about what inner-city youth are hearing. In that respect, McBride is well ahead of her critics.
And I'm wasting my breath when I say this, but it's really a silly exercise to constantly read things into McBride's writings that aren't there hoping to whip up some hysteria on the political Left to create blog traffic. What's the point? Or, I'll ask the question again, do her critics just hate women?
By the way, any guesses to who shot Tupac?
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