Please, before you comment, watch the clip. Fox News goes after socially conscious rapper Common who has been invited to the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama. Now, rap is not my choice of music, but Common is a two time Grammy award winner and apparently is trying to reach out to young people with a transformative message about creating a better future. He urges them NOT to fall into the violence that surrounds them, and instead, make a change for the better in their lives.
Sean Hannity is called out by Stewart for being two faced. On one hand Hannity belittles the Obama’s for inviting a rapper who has “violent” lyrics, but then defends Ted Nugent for calling Obama a “piece of shit” in a concert ? To make it even worse, Nugent suggests Obama “suck on this”, and what is “this” you may be wondering, “this”, is a pretty large gun.
Fox News creates incendiary stories when, every day, there are enough real stories for the American public, they don’t need to fabricate.
The ending to this clip is a riot, the only Jewish rappers I know are the Beastie Boys, so Beastie Boys, move over, here comes Rapper Jon Stewart.
Let’s see, where do I start?
“Tell the law, my Uzi weighs a ton
I walk like a warrior,
from them I won’t run”
and then this:
Stay true to what I do so the youth dream come
from project building
Seeing a fiend being hung
With that happening, why they messing with Saddam?
Burn a Bush cos’ for peace he no push no button
Killing over oil and grease
no weapons of destruction”
Calling for killing a President and threatening law enforcement must be an urban Chicago thing I can’t possibly understand because of my lily whiteness. I’m just not getting the “transformational” part of this guy’s gutter trash.
Hmm, Uzi’s do have a reputation for being overly-heavy.
Ratings and Spin –
It’s painful to watch Stewart’s own little rap ditty–had to stop it at that point. But since they bring up Sarah Palin and her “cross hairs,” I imagine she should be getting a WH invite, too, then, if it’s all good, right?
@SlowpokeRodriguez I think you hit on the “transformational” part—the Uzi weighs him down so much he won’t run from the cops, right?
But I will give credit where credit is due: I do appreciate Stewart pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of the left in making such a fuss over Sarah Palin’s crosshairs, all while wining and dining an advocate of presidential assassination and cop-killing. At least he’s being fair.
Um….five comments are listed until you click on “comments” and then there are none.
Just thought I’d let you know.
Also, Common had the decency to name his daughter have a cop killer. And its not just Fox News. The New Jersey police aren’t too happy.
http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/2011/05/radical-white-house-guest-common-even-named-his-daughter-after-cop-killer/
Personally, I agree that this is an overblown, distracting, petty “scandal” and I don’t care if
this person is invited or not. If the President and family want to associate themselves with him….that’s on them. No one will remember who visited the White House in the years to come.
Hannity has said that Common has every right to say whatever he wants. Hannity defended Common on his show last night. And he also pointed out that he thinks that inviting someone that says such things to the White House is inappropriate. He also pointed out that Ted Nugent has not been invited to the White House.
Words have consequences.
The point is Hannity is a hyprocite, on one hand he excoriates Common and then embraces Nugent.
Maybe I did not make my point clear, Common DISAVOWS the violence he has rapped about, unlke Nugent, who just waves his weapons around and affirms the violent message.
Watch the clip here:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-11-2011/tone-def-poetry-jam?xrs=share_copy
I believe the point of the skit was to point out the hypocrisy of Faux New’s hysteria over Common, while Hannity declares that Ted Nugent is a good friend of his. Give me a break. Ted Nugent is a violence-advocating vulgar D-BAG!
I don’t care for rap either. However, let’s weigh Common’s contributions vs. the bad rap song. He does a lot of good and is generally a good role model for urban kids.
There is a lot of music I don’t approve of. If we did away with it all, we might just be left with Bill Deal and the Rhondells, the Animals, and the Beach Boys. Shrug.
There is a crisis in inner citys as it pertains to poor minority children, especially males. If this rapper is able to reach out to them and DISSAUDE them from violence then I say, KUDOS to him. Unless YOU are in those same city streets, trying to save these kids, I would suggest a resounding round of silence when it comes to attacking this rapper.
I am hoping some people take this opportunity to better educate themselves on how to reach urban kids, living in poverty, with drugs and violence as their closet neighbors.
Emma, I am trying to wrap my mind around your comparison of Palin’s cross-hairs and the left wining and dining Rapper Common. I don’t recall Obama saying jack about the cross hairs. That is some sort of faulty syllogism or something.
There is much we can learn from Common.
Just so I’m straight, this is different from the crisis of Global Warming, and the crisis of Oil Company profits, and the crisis of immigration reform, and the crisis of health care, and crisis of ……. right?
“No one will remember who visited the White House in the years to come.”
I will. Let’s see:
-A “former” unrepentent terrorist, who attempted to kill police, and DoD personell (William Ayers)
-An avowed Marxist-communist, labor-union leader (Andrew Stern, his most frequent visitor)
-Another labor-union leader, heads 5 unions (Anna Burger)
-Dr. Evil/Spectre #1 (George Soros)
-Scott Levinson (ACORN Spokesman)
-Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton: the race-baiting reverends.
-A “Louis Farrakhan” and “Malik Shabbaz” are also listed in vistor logs, but claims are made that these aren’t the leaders of the Nation of Islam or New Black Panther parties, respectively. Hmmmmmm.
As far as claims that rapper “Common” is promoting a “transformative” message, I’d say killing cops and a US President is transformative, if your transformational goal is anarchy.
Let’s see all the words to the raps in question, rather than bits and pieces.
I am still hung up on someone thinking Nugent is ok and Common not ok.
Common – a letter to the law (lyrics)
Dem boy wanna talk like the Warner gone come
but whatcha gon do if ya got one gun?
I sing a song for the hero unsung
with faces on the mural of the revolution
No looking back cos’ in back is what’s done
Tell the preacher, god got more than one son
Tell the law, my Uzi weighs a ton
I walk like a warrior, from them I won’t run
On the streets, they try to beat us like a drum
In Cincinnati, another brother hung
A guinea won’t see the sun
with his family stung
They want us to hold justice
but you handed me none
The same they did to Kobe and Michael Jackson
make them the main attraction
Turn around and attack them
Black gem in the rough
You’re rugged enough
Use your mind and nine-power, get the government touch
Them boys chat-chat on how him pop gun
I got the black strap to make the cops run
They watching me, I’m watching them
Them dick boys got a lock of cock in them
My people on the block got a lot of Pac’ in them
and when we roll together
we be rocking them to sleep
No time for that, because there’s things to be done
Stay true to what I do so the youth dream come
from project building
Seeing a fiend being hung
With that happening, why they messing with Saddam?
Burn a Bush cos’ for peace he no push no button
Killing over oil and grease
no weapons of destruction
How can we follow a leader when this a corrupt one
The government’s a g-unit and they might buck young black people
Black people In the urban area one
I hold up a peace sign, but I carry a gun.”
video
http://dosmosis.blogspot.com/2011/05/common-letter-to-law.html
Meanwhile, a few blocks from the White House, police this week are honoring their fallen at the National Law Enforcement Memorial. Some police groups are rightfully upset.
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NJ-State-Police-Outraged-Over-Rapper-Invited-to-White-House-121596869.html
It’s real transformative when a cop is killed-just ask his or her family, friends and colleagues about how transformative that is.
I will translate:
Dem boy wanna talk like the Warner gone come
-Something about Democrats
but whatcha gon do if ya got one gun?
-They need more guns
I sing a song for the hero unsung
-I like the social rebels
with faces on the mural of the revolution
-guys like Frakhan, Malcom X, Che’ and other revolutionaries
No looking back cos’ in back is what’s done
-No use looking to the past. Look to the future
Tell the preacher, god got more than one son
-No clue.
Tell the law, my Uzi weighs a ton
-Uzi’s are heavy…firepower
I walk like a warrior, from them I won’t run
-The law don’t scare me.
On the streets, they try to beat us like a drum
-Police brutality of blacks is instituionalized
In Cincinnati, another brother hung
-Some gangster died in Cinci.
A guinea won’t see the sun
-Perhaps a slur against Italian Americans
with his family stung
-Not sure
They want us to hold justice
-Society says let the legal system work.
but you handed me none
-but the legal system is biast agianst Blacks.
The same they did to Kobe and Michael Jackson
-The white legal system tried to frame 2 famous black men
make them the main attraction
-sensationalized trials
Turn around and attack them
-Blacks need to rise up and fight
Black gem in the rough
-Young Black men
You’re rugged enough
-You are tough and can win
Use your mind and nine-power, get the government touch
-Intelligence and a 9mm are your tools.
Them boys chat-chat on how him pop gun
-Teach eachother how to fight
I got the black strap to make the cops run
-I will shoot back at the Police
They watching me, I’m watching them
-I am undersurvelliance, but I will ambush them.
Them dick boys got a lock of cock in them
-Cops think they are tough
My people on the block got a lot of Pac’ in them
-But urban blacks have “Tupac” or gangster in them
and when we roll together
-when we unite in urban revolution
we be rocking them to sleep
-We’ll be killing a bunch of them.
No time for that, because there’s things to be done
-The time is now
Stay true to what I do so the youth dream come
from project building
-We can get out from under the institutionalized ghetto.
Seeing a fiend being hung
-Hussein’s execution
With that happening, why they messing with Saddam?
-I don’t know why the US invaded Iraq
Burn a Bush cos’ for peace he no push no button
-Kill the president (Bush), because he’s a warmonger
Killing over oil and grease
-I disagree with going to war for oil
no weapons of destruction
-the US didn’t find any WMD’s
How can we follow a leader when this a corrupt one
-I think the Bush admin is corrupt
The government’s a g-unit and they might buck young black people
-The government is the real gang, and they oppress blacks
Black people In the urban area one
-but urban blacks are united
I hold up a peace sign, but I carry a gun.”
We will try peaceful means, but are willing to resort to violence.
Yep. Centers on black urban victimization, institutionalized by white-dominated government. Advocates Black liberation through violence. Transformational.
I don’t think it is worth all the hysterial I have seen on the internet by conservative groups.
1. This is not typical of his music from what I gather and
2. The main person grousing has as a best friend someone who wants both Democratic candidates to eat his gun.
I hate rap music and cannot defend it. On the other hand, I know its appeal to young people.
William Shakespeare was very much frowned on as a poet and artist, as was Bob Dylan by the establishment. I could start laying out some Dylan that might have people sucking air that heretofore excepted Dylan.
Somehow I am thinking of Langston Hughes in all this discussion.
The bottom line is, I don’t think that Common is a gangsta and Hannity is a hypocrite on so many levels. That’s what the spook is really about. We don’t have to embrace rap to admit that Hannity is the worst of the worst hypocrites. Find something else to pick at the Obamas over.
Sarah Palin was so successful as a governor, she graduated early “Bitter Quitter”, she real is a “Dan Quayle” in heels. She clearly loves “dishing it out” but real can’t take it because she loves playing the victim card. Poor thing she fail as a VP candidate (her lie that her daughter was engaged was such a farce), her stand-up comic fiasco on the Jay Leno Show, please, her TV show canceled after declining rating, I guess running for Prez is the only thing she can look forward to, but since she is a coward she will only throw small minded rocks, poor thing. Since we already had an idiot “W” that caused our current economic debacle, America knows not to trust in fools who think they are brilliant. One of the reason for “W” failure was his drinking, Palin just has bad genes.
Moon,
If you want to say that the dust-up over this “gotcha” is silly, I’d tend to agree. The Obama’s can invite anyone they please to the White House. Who they invite is demonstrably telling, when you consider the constituency these guests represent. If a significant block of your base is young urban blacks, who historically do not turn out in large numbers in elections, inviting a rapper to the whitehouse could be a good political move. This is especially true when you are going to need this bloc of voters in even greater numbers, when you seek reelection. Inviting John Stewart might be a good move, if you want college kids to turn out to vote for you, (but inviting Stephen Colbert to testify on immigration to Congress, right before an election, not so much).
If you count on labor unions to carry your water, you invite union leaders to the whitehouse. If you need social progressives to donate to your campaign, you invite solcal progressive billionaires. This is nothing new in politics.
The two paragraphs above constitute a rationale, pragmatic defense of the Obama’s choices as to who they invite to the “Peoples House”. It’s politics. It’s reelection campaign time. Whether one agrees on the “appropriateness” it is what it is.
Hannity is playing to his listeners and viewers. His show is a News/Opinion show, not a News Reporting show. Throwing around charges of “hypocrisy” really rings hollow here. News/Opinion shows on ALL the News Channels are slam-full of hypocrisy, the subjective determination of the level of which determined by which side of the issue the individual is on, and their respective level of intellectual honesty.
Defending the lyrics of “Common” as a “transformational” effort is a weak argument, IMHO. But, in the spirit of intellectual honesty, I strongly believe that the “hip-hop culture” and all it entails has done more harm to urban blacks than any percieved “institutionalized discrimination” has done, since the civil-rights era. It advocates criminal activity, mysogeny, murder and other violence.
As to Ted Nugent, I was a fan…back in the 1980’s. I don’t listen to that kind of music anymore. If I remember, most of his lyrics involved sex and partying. Then again, almost all the rock lyrics back then were about sex and partying. I’m not a kid anymore. If an aging late 1970’s/early 1980’s rocker is saying things like you have attributed to him on-stage, or publically, this is not right either. Then again, I can’t recall GW inviting Nugent to the whitehouse.
Agreed with everything Steve said is #22 but I need to google this “Ted Nugent” guy. I’m not familiar with him.
The Q and A is amusing.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/11/common-crisis-white-house-press_n_860786.html
For me I could care less about Commons lyrics. I’m most disturbed that Obama chose to honor two people (Common being one of them) that are openly opposed interracial relationships.
Being in an interracial marriage with a biracial child I’m amazed that this particular issue seems to have been forgotten about.
For everyone here that is defending Common or the other woman who was invited, I think her name is Jill Scott or something… Please defend their views in interracial relationships. However, Obama opposes gay marriage so maybe he opposes interracial marriage as well which is why he had no problem with either one of them.
“Obama opposes gay marriage so maybe he opposes interracial marriage as well which is why he had no problem with either one of them.”
Considering that Obama is the product of an interracial marriage, I’d have a hard time reconciling this argument.
I am not into rap, but it seems to me, if he can reach young black men to strive for a better life, that it is a good overall mission.
Dude! Nugent was the motor city madman when Common was still shoving his hand down his poopie diaper.
yea dude, nasty nugent was definitely around back in the day. He was nasty then and is nasty now. So why does Hannity think liking Nugent is taking the high road?
I spoke to my gdaughter (which should be a clue as to how long I have known of Nasty Nugent) and she seemed to like Common. She doesn’t like most rap.
She said it was a lot of hoopla over nothing. That’s the 16 year old interpretation.
How about Nugent’s involvement with an under age girl? They couldn’t marry so he became a legal guardian or some such nonsense. Do we assume he is a child molester?
My Grandmother, the wise matriarch of my family, taught me that you cannot justify the unacceptable, by pointing to a different unacceptable.
Nugent’s brain has been fried for years. I’m surprised he’s still living, actually.
I am not so sure Common is unacceptable. Let’s put it another way….is there a rapper that the folks on Foxygen would like? If so, who is he? What makes him different?
How much more acceptable is the following?
That’s just a little bit of Bob Dylan…the ‘poet laureat’ of my day. That’s pretty brutal talk. Our parents didn’t understand it well enough to tell us not to listen to it.
Rap music is rap music. I don’t like it. However, I also don’t like lamb. I don’t force others to share my dislike of lamb.
I think this is just another thing to pick at the Obamas about.
Younger people don’t seem to go nuts when Common is mentioned. In fact, quite the contrary.
@Steve Thomas
I stand corrected.
But even them, in years to come, won’t matter beans to the public.
By the way…what did Nugent say that was so bad? He’s extreme. He’s pro-gun. He’s anti-crime. In fact, he used to be a reserve police officer in Michigan. I mean, he may have said it, but, I just searched his quotes and no one has quotes about him threatening a politician.
He’s all about the guns, anti-crime, anti-drugs, hunting, rock&roll, partying (well, use to) etc. He’s adamant about defeating the gun control groups. He’s a staunch conservative and opinionated. But, I can’t find anything on the web about him threatening cops or politicians. He may have called them bad names and insulted them…..I could believe that.
@Posting as Pinko
I’m curious to know, what fried Nugent’s brain? Tell me everything you know about Nugent’s use of Alcohol and Drugs. Can’t wait to hear this.
I’ve heard him speak. He’s articulate and intelligent. Say what you want about his politics…he’s no Ozzy Osbourn.
I have heard Nugent on Hannity, only. I am not sure I agree about the intelligent. He sounded to me more like a parrot. Maybe it was just the difference in politics.
Faux News used up all its foxygen on the story the past 2 days. They acted like Common was an ax murderer. It really became obvious what they were trying to do.
On the other hand, perhaps they haven’t yet realized that the more they whine and complain the more it pushes someone like me who HATES rap over to the other side.
I figure if Hannity says its bad, its probably good. O’Reilly who I sometimes agree with, is off the mark on this one.
Got that right. I actually pay good money to go see Ozzy. 😈
Why does that not surprise me, Cato?
Bet you have to spend a nights on the sofa after that also.
@Cato the Elder
Hey! I saw the Nuge at a concert in Richmond. It was AWESOME! And Squidette got her first concert T-Shirt. She was a fan of Cat Scratch Fever at three years old.
@Cargo,
Do you think Nugent’s language is child appropriate?
@Steve Thomas
I don’t know if Ted Nugent was invited to the White House or not.
First off, I am going to agree with you about hip-hop and rap in general. There have been some horrible role models that I believe have been detrimental to young people in general, not just young blacks.
Now for the disagreement, I think Common, from all I have been able to research, is a cut above what we are talking about. We also can’t really say that he supports those thugs he was singing about. I am not going to try to defend any of that. What I will defend is the good he has done. He doesn’t just appeal to the block of voters you described as being his fans. From what I can tell, he is very popular with all youth in general. They like his music.
Apart from all that. I don’t understand kid music now and I am not supposed to. I just wish Hannity and O’Reilly would admit that they don’t. They aren’t supposed to either.
I like Bob Dylan. Hannity likes Nugent. The Obamas invited Common to perform at the WH. BFD. Maybe they know something we don’t know.
See the new thread on the new debate. I am not so sure Stewart isn’t going to show O’Reilly up on this one. Its a youth thing and we don’t understand.
@Moon-howler
No, but then, I didn’t bring my child to the concert. What other parents do with their children is their business. The only song that my child has listened to is Cat Scratch Fever and she doesn’t understand the double entendre in the song.
@Cargo, I misunderstood. I thought you took her.