Oppression of the Artistic Voice

I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about "Black Lives Matter."  All I can do is react to what I see and hear on television news, contemplate what I read on the internet, and try to make some sense of it.  While the deaths of black men and women at the hands of police is notorious, what we are forgetting is the entire aesthetic of rap music.  Maybe "Gangsta Rap" was a reaction to police brutality.  It cannot be argued that NWA (Niggers With Attitude) weren't a prolific, influential, revenue earning organization.  I hesitate to call them a band.  They are a rap group, a fusion of ghetto poetry and "spun beats" provided by a competent DJ.  (no band necessary)  If the message of the words were honest, motivating, and somewhat inflammatory, they were delivered with power and attitude, and the beats provided created grooves that were tangible to the human soul, what a powerful stew that would concoct.  A few other black groups were credited with the first rap verses, but they were kitschy and wreaked of stale beer from the disco dance floor.  NWA was pure anger aimed at the oppression of the white man, society, and government over black lives.  These men toured America extensively pouring this vitriol into middle class homes.  It was not until later that Gangsta sentiments emerged.  With these rap songs came extreme violence, misogyny, and vanity.  White America including Tipper Gore went to extreme lengths to try an mitigate these inciting messages.  There is a fine line between the free speech of the Constitution and inciting rhetoric.  It is up to society to be the judge.  Certainly it was not extreme to try to censor vulgar and depraved lyrics from our childrens' ears.  The Gangsta Rap community promoted violence as a way to achieve notoriety and earn revenue.  It worked, until they all killed themselves off in the violence.  There are many precedents for racial injustice in America, and making drug addicted criminals martyrs isn't the appropriate answer.  Let's reflect for a moment on previous movements of "Black Lives Matter."  When compared with today, BLM is but a small blip on America's radar.  That is because it has no ammunition.  What was the ammunition of previous generations of BLM ?  The answer is many things, but the most notable is STAX.  STAX records, which successfully had integrated musicians in America, and went on to pioneer the "Black Power Movement" through blaxploitation films was a major force in fighting white oppression in America.  They waged this fight with the sheer moxy of black spirit.  They changed the image of the black man and woman forever.  There are times in life when subtle or gradual change is not effective.  Depression is one of those situations which calls for direct and immediate action.  You must change.  Leave the old behind, and march forward with the new.  STAX Records' line up of artists worked for change.  They didn't protest.  They didn't complain.  Instead they created a musical vehicle upon which to voice their message.  This is what art is, and it is what we are lacking today.