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Hip Hop's War Over Words

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Hip hop's enduring "outsider" appeal is built on provocative and even offensive language. It's the same outrageous talk that led to the rise and fall of radio host Don Imus. In the wake of Imus' dismissal, figures inside and outside hip hop are leading a push to curb offensive words in recordings. We ask Jeff Chang, author of the hip hop biography "Can't Stop Won't Stop," if hip hop's image needs scrubbing.

Kelefeh Sanneh's New York Times column, "Don't Blame Hip Hop"
Jeff Chang's book, "Can't Stop Won't Stop"
Russell Simmon's Hip Hop Action Network


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