"Violent" Rapper at the White House

Rapper Common with Elmo on the Sesame Street Set.

Ok, I have to say my piece on this one. For those of you who didn't hear about the "controversy" over President Obama having rapper Common at the White House at an event celebrating American Poetry, what has been said is that this man sings of cop killing and glorifies violence and that this particular artist should not be a representative for American poetry and should actually be down graded as a poet.

The most commonly quoted lyrics of his that are used to back up this theory are:

"I got the black strap to make the cops run, when we roll together with a strapped gun, we're going to be rocking them to sleep."

I agree that those lyrics sound like they are promoting violence towards law enforcement.... But wait, the songs not over, the next lyrics:

"No time for that, cause there's things to be done. Stay true to what I do so the youth dream come."

This is an example of one of my greatest pet peeves in the news industry, using clips. Audio clips, video clips, etc. These lyrics of the song are actually about the Black Panthers and how when they turned to violence their dream was diminished and they hurt the future they were trying to create. Not a cop killing promotion. 

The next lyrics that Common was persecuted for come from the same song,

"Burn a bush, cause for peace he no push no button. Killing over oil and grease, no weapons of destruction." 

Those fighting against Common and trying to make him sound so terrible, want you to believe that he is promoting violence against former President Bush with these lyrics, but when you again read the lyrics directly following:

"How can we follow leader when this is a corrupt one?"

The song isn't promoting violence against Bush, but voicing his opinion on the Iraqi war and the circumstances that surround it. This view is hardly a "conspiracy against a president" view point and is shared by a large population of the American people.

Common is actually a Grammy award winning artist, who is a nonviolent individual and who promotes programs for under-privileged youth and aides in bringing attention to authors such as Maya Angelou, he is also a vegan. He was brought to the White House for the celebration on American Poetry because of his amazing use of poetry through Hip Hop to discuss conflicts within America, past and present. And he is very, very good at what he does. I don't care if you don't like Hip Hop, that's not the point. I'm not a fan of Shakespeare but if he were alive today, would I want him banned him from the White House for promoting teen suicide?

To see the full break down of Common's controversial lyrics, visit here.

I get so tired of false media and news portrayal of individuals and situations for political gain and attention. So, can someone please, please explain to me, what in the world was the big hype about this man visiting the White House? Why were so many upset about it? Is it because he is a "rapper"? Because he's black? Because he's a black rapper and happens to say the word gun in his lyrics? What was it?