No hate music policy?

[chessrock]

I just had a client refer some business my way, which is good. I like referals. Referals=work=desperately needed money for chessrock.

I do have a small problem, though. When he called, he asked if I had any samples of guns being cocked -- apparently to be used as a sample in his (rap) song.

I had another friend of his come in a couple weeks ago who's subject matter was predominantly about guns.

Poetically and lyrically speaking, I have nothign wrong with the idea of guns as metaphors for things like potency, sexual organs (as in the 70's kiss classic "love gun," or AC/DC's clever use of the shooting metaphor as in 'shoot to thrill' etc. etc.), and other similar uses.

However, a lot of the lyrical content of some of these guys' lyrics just seems to be senseless bravado / machismo about the fact that they have guns and aren't afraid to use them, etc. Poetically speaking, it's just a lot of second-rate trash (and that's probably an insult to trash) with little to no artistic merit in my opion.

To me, it promotes / glamorizes violence . . . and to me, violence begets hate . . . and I don't want to part of people spreading hate in their music.

Honestly, I'm against censorship . . . I believe in free speach . . . but I just have a bad feeling about being a part of this. And frankly, it gives me the willies having people in my place who sing or rap about this kind of stuff.

I guess I'd just like to know if any of you would think I was being out of line if I called my client back, and respectfully declined the referal?

 

[TexRoadkill]

Yo man, why ya gotta play the haters?

 

[drstawl]

Don't play the haters, play the game.

 

[Henri Devill]

"I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die"...Johnny Cash
Good or bad..all they are is words...



Don

 

[chessrock]

Yea, Hitler . . . MLK . . . JFK . . . Ghandi . . .

Jesus . . . the Old Testament . . . the New Testament


Just words, right?

Words move people.

 

[Chris Tondreau]

Hey Chess.... I agree with you. I know it sounds hippocritical, but I too am opposed to censorship, but would not feel comfortable about having some guy in my home or small place of employment whose lyrical focus glamourizes his ability to kill. Maybe that guy from Run DMC was recording the same sort of thing when he went down....

It's one thing to use metaphor, or even to "discuss" the issue, or to make reference to. It's a whole other matter to go on ad nauseum (heard some song a wee bit ago, maybe by D12, I think called "Fight Song" or something like that) where the whole lyrical "point" is how dangerous the writer is and how gangsta he and his boys are, and how they wouldn't think twice about puttin a bullet in ya.

Chris

 

[Henri Devill]

Yea, Hitler . . . MLK . . . JFK . . . Ghandi . . .

Jesus . . . the Old Testament . . . the New Testament


Just words, right?

Words move people.

Point taken..Words do move people..It really depends on the message and how much you want to hear it.If you look at your examples Hitler,MLK,JFK,Ghandi and Jesus..their messages were of hope to the people they were "preaching" to..Even Hitler as twisted as he was,used hope as a platform to the German people..Anyways me..I can't stand stupid/mean for stupids/means sake too..I look at it this way..they can say anything they want..I just dont have to listen to it or record it..If you don't like what they are sayin then dont record them..Karma is more important than a couple of bucks..Anyways my point {if I have any } is that people seek out what they want to hear..To me it sounds like chidish bravado{the gun stuff you were talkin' about...But..Go with your gut feelings..


Don

 

[Recording Engineer]

Obviously, the choice is yours... Of course, rarely does deciding to have your hand 100% out of the cookie jar on an issue such as this and making a living coincide. If you're not 100% out, YOU need to draw the line where you can live with yourself.

 

[tjohnston]

Im tired of people rapping about guns. Stupid fucks.
Most of those fuckers dont even know how to aim the goddamn thing.
Like they would know anything about proper shooting technique, gun safety, gun maitainence, and history.
If you have a gun you should be humble and quite about it and hope that you never have to use it.
Stupid fucks... there just imitating what they see on tv anyhow.

 

[Slackmaster2K]

Im tired of people rapping about guns. Stupid fucks.
Most of those fuckers dont even know how to aim the goddamn thing.
Like they would know anything about proper shooting technique, gun safety, gun maitainence, and history.
If you have a gun you should be humble and quite about it and hope that you never have to use it.
Stupid fucks... there just imitating what they see on tv anyhow.

With all due respect....I heard a rap song once about gun saftey and I wasn't impressed.

Chess - what does this have to do with censorship? You can't do them justice if you don't agree with what they're doing...so what's the point. Refer em and move on.

Slackmaster 2000

 

[DigitMus]

I'll reiterate the question: What does this have to do with censorship? Censorship is government limits on speech. Are you the government? There were signs that used to be common in this country (before everyone got paranoid about being acccused of discrimination) that said "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." Exercise your rights - just be careful to explain exactly why the material offends your personal sensibilities/code of ethics - lest you be accused of racism/discrimination.

Scott

 

[willovercome]

yeah, you have the right to believe whatever you want, and to refuse service to whomever you choose. it's not censorship for people to have opinions and to act on them. i am opposed to government regulations of almost any kind, but i strongly support people having the balls to act based on their beliefs (i.e. you not recording bands with offensive lyrics). my main problem with 'gansta' lyrics is these guys are not 'gangstas' they are just trying to sound cool by singing about 'cappin they niggas in the head'.

i for one am a big time gun supporter and so were most of the people listed (JFK, Ghandi, Jesus if they had been invented)...

in fact, Ghandi said, "of all the autrocities commited against the people of India by the British, by far the greatest will be remembered as their denial of the right to bear arms"!

 

[Kramer]

Is the guy living the street life or just singing about it?I would worry more about gang-banging and the like making it onto my property,or the cops raiding the place because the guy is into more than just singing.

 

[Linchpin]

I understand how you can detest rappers that only babble about guns. It's kind of funny, I had a guy ask me the same question about having a sample of a gun being cocked a while ago. You have the right to turn away any business that you don't want. I just start to worry when you guys talk about turning people away because of their lyrics.

I have a band on the side that writes songs with the main goal of being silly and offensive. We'd never have a hope in hell of getting into a studio if everyone started turning away bands with lyrics that they found questionable.

If you pass it up, someone else will surely be there to record his garbage. Might as well make some money. Plus, people should be allowed to do, say, and listen to what they want, even if you don't like it. That's what freedom is.

 

[chessrock]

my main problem with 'gansta' lyrics is these guys are not 'gangstas' they are just trying to sound cool by singing about 'cappin they niggas in the head'.

That's basically what it is.

Three years ago, I probably wouldn't have cared, but back then I didn't watch the news very much. And it didn't seem like the amount of violence in the world was at such a feverpitch as it is these days with the suicide bombers and all the middle-east and 911 crap.

And althought I'll admit most of Michael Moore's stuff is pretty much way out there, and the dude's pretty close to being a crackpot . . .

. . . I couldn't help but think he made some good points in "Bowling for Columbine."

The U.S. really does seem to have an unusual fascination with guns. And I know my stance is by no means going to put a dent in this kind of thing. But then again, I do charge very reasonable rates, so it could be a very easy thing for anyone to come over here and afford to pump out all kinds of gun-loving crap and have it sound good, so I might have more power over this than I give myself credit for.

 

[Linchpin]

Btw I'm all for changing the world through silencing people, as long as that goes for rap only

 

[chessrock]

I have a band on the side that writes songs with the main goal of being silly and offensive. We'd never have a hope in hell of getting into a studio if everyone started turning away bands with lyrics that they found questionable.

Back in the day, I was in a cover band that did some Alice Cooper tunes . . .

Including the song "Dead babies" and "Cold Ethyl" (which, I believe is about necrophilism).

Shit, I don't care if people come in here and sing about screwin' their mothers, as long as I have some assurance that it's tongue-in-cheek . . . satyrical, or even if it just has some sort of higher message to it.

It's the senseless "I'm packin' heat and 'yall better believe I'll blow 'ya head off if you be messin' wit me" crap I just don't want to have anything to do with.

 

[pipelineaudio]

glad to see there are a few people with some balls around

 

[subtractor]

I'd defer the refer.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

I'd defer the refer.

Is that like re-gifting?