R.H. Aly’s article echoes a relatively common sentiment regarding rap music – that it causes violence and gang involvement. This, however, is a misdiagnosis. Aly, like others, is simply inverting cause and effect. Whether some would like to admit it, gangster rap is an art form, and in being such it reflects a certain aspect of reality. Art imitates life, and the answer to ending gang violence does not exist in limiting the artistic expression of those who have experienced it. The efforts of those concerned should be focused on the oppression, poverty and destitution that manifest themselves in urban lawlessness. Blame not the artist.
David Dornjunior in political science
