Thanks McGrath, you summed it up.

Sorry Harvey, I guess I'm not explaining myself. Somehow a discussion about music and art and turned it into a defense of monsters. I'm not saying that you can respect everyone. I certainly can't find respect for Hitler or Bin Laden and I can't tolerate an insinuation that I was. Can I respect a George W. or a Margaret Thatcher? Good point, I may have been to quick to suggest that you can, although it is possible. There is a point of "walking" in another person's shoes to figure out what forms their point of view. Certainly with the Hitler's of the world the answer comes out of fear, hatred, and insanity. You can't respect that.

Getting back to rap and music, my point was that even if you don't agree with a person's point of view, you can respect the art they are trying to create - based on what they are doing with their art. MOST rap artists that I've heard (forget what the media promotes) are talking about the human condition and promoting empowerment. I respect an artist who is making their voice heard and inspiring people to think about more than the drivel that passes for pop music.   

The negatives that have voiced about rap music focus on violence, racism, and homophobia. To discredit rap music for that, or to say that it promotes that is like saying that folk music promotes incest. You can't make blanket statments about a genre of music because the media has focused on a small segment. No, I do not respect the songs that promote hatred and violence and I would not repect a folksong or singer-songwriter who tried to accomplish the same thing. It is not art to hurt another.

Ron