A convenient scapegoat

UNESCO Courier, July, 2000 by Davey D

Davey D [*]

Who is to blame for the violence associated with hip-hop? Media sensationalism, money and stereotypical readings of this pop culture's complexity

January 14, 2000, Oakland, California. It was with eager anticipation that more then 12,000 people descended upon the Oakland Coliseum to see rap superstar Juvenile and his Cash Money Click. The musicians were at the top of the charts, while their songs and videos were being played on radio and TV stations across the country. Earlier in the day, they made a jovial appearance at KMEL, the area's leading music radio station. Joking with fans, they promised to give the performance of a lifetime. Little did we know what was in store.

Around 11 o'clock that night, local TV shows were interrupted by frantic reports of mayhem at Oakland Coliseum. Horrific pictures seemingly depicting groups of thuggish young men beating up helpless concert-goers plastered TV screens as more than 100 police officers in riot gear swooped on the Coliseum. The show was halted and the sold-out crowd told to go home, without refunds for their $50-tickets. A fight had broken out, involving about a dozen men.

The aftermath was swift and damaging. Local club owners pointed to the Coliseum fiasco as an excuse not to host similar events. For example, the prestigious Gavin Music Convention was scheduled to take place in the Bay Area the following month. Plans were well underway to organise several large hip-hop showcases. They were all unceremoniously cancelled. In fact, the hype surrounding the Coliseum event spread well beyond California. Concert venue owners from across the country called Oakland police officials to gauge whether or not they should host similar concerts. Yet many people saw the Coliseum management as being ill prepared. They were understaffed and therefore slow to let people into the venue (which raises tensions) and, more importantly, slow to respond once the trouble broke out. This criticism was barely considered, however, in the public hearings subsequently organised on a possible moratorium on rap concerts.

The backlash resulting from isolated events

Making matters worse, the incident occurred at a rough time for rap because some of its superstars, including Puff Daddy and Jay-Z, had been involved in extremely violent incidents. Puff made international headlines when he fled a shooting in a New York City nightclub. Police later found an unregistered gun inside his car and arrested him in late December last year. The bad news came on the heels of another dramatic arrest: Grammy award winner Jay-Z was accused of stabbing fellow record executive Lance "Un" Rivera for supposedly bootlegging his material.

Incidents like these have made the issue of hip-hop violence a main staple for media commentators. Should we ban the concerts? How concerned should we be about the lyrics and imagery promoted by some of the acts?

Serious discussion requires proper perspective. Yes, there are violent incidents associated with hip-hop, but they do not define the mindset of the culture. Beware of the trap of stereotyping. The alleged illegal actions of superstars like Puff and Jay-Z are an embarrassment, but they do not represent the music and culture.

For example, violent incidents abound at soccer matches around the world but they don't define the sport or a particular community. In many cases law enforcement and civic officials understand that the cost of doing business is a likelihood of violence. Hence fences are built to keep rival fans apart, while special security units patrol the stands. Hip-hop has never been afforded such treatment.

I am not suggesting that we turn concerts into police zones. Yet obviously large gatherings require special precautions. We must also recognise that the media have an interest in hyping mayhem. These stories sell. For example, nobody was killed, let alone trampled, at the concert I described. The violence was confined to a small area and involved less then 20 people out of the more than 12,000 who attended. Not a single arrest was made, despite the presence of about 100 police officers. Nevertheless, TV stations saw fit to interrupt their regular programming to inform the public about the fights. Compare that sort of urgent coverage to the lack of attention given to the crowd violence that occurs regularly at Bay Area football games.

The violence surrounding the "Big Game" between Stanford University and rival University of California in 1997 made the Coliseum concert look like a picnic. The entire field, including the goal posts, was destroyed by marauding fans who trampled innocent bystanders. Police officers were even attacked. Yet there were no TV highlights on the evening news. The newspapers wrote rave reviews of the game and barely mentioned the fights. Apparently, no-one would dare tarnish the reputations of two very prestigious universities. The following year, the fans went berserk again, despite the presence of 200 police officers. Once again, no news coverage.