I'm not nearly so interested in defining rap as I am in repudiating it in the emergency/crisis state we're in. I know some of you have also worked with disadvantaged children, and can't you see the effect it has on them? I am much more interested in the life of one child than in the absolute freedom of speech of the gangsta crowd. And of course there are intelligent, sincere, intelligent young people out there, like the guy in the booth, who are writing artistic poetry in the rap style. I'd like to see them rise to the top, but that sort of thing doesn't happen in any art form very often. The art of rythmic poetry with music accompaniment has been around a long time (Kerouac, Ginsberg, Ken Nordine). We can promote that sort of thing, but that don't sell records to a kid whose immediate culture tells him he's supposed to be a thug.

Many good points here, Chet