La rap, la censure

For my French conversation class I had to make a really embarrassing video of myself speaking out against censoring rap. For my mother who always begs me to say something in French, I'm posting this for you. Just filmed this at 2 in the morning so it's not at all my best French, but I wanted to get it over with before Easter break. Also, I spoke extremely slowly (and that just made me keep forgetting what I was going to say) because the video was supposed to be 8-10 minutes but I didn't know what else to say. We were also supposed to just talk and not have a script. Yeah, like that was happening. Oh well!

The general English translation of what I said is:


For hundreds of years, music has been an integral part of cultures all over the world.
From the chants of African tribes, to the sweet lullabies of a mother, music is a means of expression. Rap is not any different than this.

Like other forms of music, rap is a way to communicate, a way to send a message. The audience might be small, or it might be large. Traditionally, rap has been used by those who live in the suburbs, where life is not so easy.

Rap allows them to express their feelings and their observations about their lives. Often, rap is explicit. Many people, unfortunately, think that rap should be censored.
But why?

Rap is a reflection of the state the artist lives in. The rough words are used to recreate the experience of living in the suburbs. The controversial words, like life in the suburbs, make people uncomfortable. In the suburbs, it can be difficult to live. In rap, the words can be difficult to listen to.

Explicit words are also used to capture the attention of other people. The artists have stories to tell, and they want people to listen. Often, because they live in the suburbs, they are silenced and no one hears their stories. Explicit lyrics capture the attention of other people so that the artists can tell their stories.

One of the UMP deputies, Michel Raison, wants to censor the rap. Monsieur Raison is not making sense. The government should not be able to censor rap, or videos on Youtube. It especially seems that immigrants would be a target of any law that would censor rap.

Some people argue that rap perpetuates racial discrimination. I think that rap can change racist or discriminatory opinions. If one listens carefully to a rap song, one can realize that the song is a commentary on social structure. One can learn a lot about culture and different opinions.

For example, one can look at Kanye West, an american artist. In his song « Jesus Walks » there are many swears. But the song provides both a personal insight and a commentary on life in the ghetto. Several of his songs also invoke religious references. While some may find the songs offensive, the songs are not unintelligent.

Surely, there are some rap artists whose songs are especially violent and seemingly unnecessary. But who are we to decide what should be said and what should not be said? It is a human right to express your opinions, and if we limit those natural rights, we are no better than the artists who choose to say horrible things.