Do rap music videos ever display firearms?

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MatthewVanitas

MatthewVanitas

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[Before I begin, I do realize that many THR members do not consider rap to be music. Duly noted, no need to post any "rap is crap" jokes.]

During discussions of favorite "gun songs", many THR members have posted quotes from rap music in which various firearms are mentioned. That set me to wondering: when they film a music video for such songs, do they show the firearms mentioned?

Similar to the way in which expensive cars or jewelry are flaunted in videos, are gun collections ever shown off? Or does MTV's odd sense of priorities preclude showing The Demon Gun?

-MV
 
Considering that a lot of rappers are felons of one type another........

"course I don't have mtv and wouldn't watch it if I did......
 
On CMT?

Sounds cool, what do they show in CMT videos? Just old grandpa's shotgun, or do musicians carry sidearms while playing? I believe the frontman for Blues Traveler has done stage shows while open carrying a pistol.


MTV does has some odd policies. My favorite gun-editing moment (not from rap) was from the video for "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus. MTV took the line

"You're boyfriend's a (mild obscenity), he brings a gun to school"

and then bleeped not only the (mild obscenity), but also the word "gun". The best part was that the lead singer in the video, knowing that he would be bleeped when it aired, rolled his eyes on both bleeped terms.

Out of all the words that you can say on MTV, I was surprised that "gun" wasn't one of them. That seems a tad harsh.
 
MTV blurs out a lot of odd things... logos on products/signage, marijuana leaves on some shirts... the handgun stuffed in the back of someone's pants at a house party (Ice Cube, "It was a good day.").

They have gotten worse about it of late.
 
"Mega Mix" by 2 Live Crew (circa 1992) features an AR-15 in a couple of shots. The man holding it is apparently providing security for a pool party.

I didn't see the video on MTV. It was on The Box, which was a music channel that I think has since gone toes up.
 
I heard a story that when Moby (not a rapper but on topic anyway) decided to make an MTV video of "That's when I reach for my revolver", MTV rejected it and suggested that he change it to "That's when I reach for my chihuahua".

By the way, the reason that they blur out those shirts is that Viacom cable channels have a policy of not showing any brand logos unless they get a product placement fee.
 
During discussions of favorite "gun songs", many THR members have posted quotes from rap music in which various firearms are mentioned. That set me to wondering: when they film a music video for such songs, do they show the firearms mentioned?

-MV

Not anymore. Btw, I listen to rap and watch videos, etc...

Around 1991 or so, censorship became the priority... Before that you saw guns in rap videos all the time - and not just in rap videos either. Like everyone else, rather than focus on the issues that make young people pick up guns and commit crimes - like complete and total urban decay, lack of opporunity, education, etc. - everyone who was anyone in music seemed to jump to the conclusion that it was young people SEEING guns in music videos that causes violence. They blamed the movies, the music, the lyrics, the message, and the imagery instead of the people the blame really needs placed on... These kid's parents! When guns got censored, they focused on lyrics. After that (and to this day), the hot topic in rap is the way women are depicted in the lyrics and videos...

Back to guns...

At first it was rap videos only being censored, until Pearl Jam's video "Jeremy" debuted - now they could blame imagery for not only gun crimes like murder, but teenage suicide as well :rolleyes: Back then, they only censored images of guns.. Now they censor anything having to do with a gun, even in the lyrics. Things like caliber, make, model, material, etc... That's the reason 1/2 of the song lyrics are removed when you hear the song on the radio, or see the video. You can't say something like "Nine millimeter" or "fifty caliber" on the radio or in music videos anymore. Most times, they cut the words so extensively, you can't get a complete sentence. They're not cutting the F-word, or anything truly profane. They're cutting out something about a gun.

The reason cars and jewelry are all you see in rap videos? that's basically all they're allowed to show anymore until 3am.
 
I do not listen or care for Rap music
my daughter brought some disc home they make great targets for shooting
 
One of my students made a prety good rap video: it was about working hard, studying, doing art and succeeding in life. Rap as a genre doesn't to be about violence.
 
Come on Oleg, get a clue! :neener:

MTV is horrible when it comes to bleeping stuff out. Things that make you go :banghead: when you realize what this world is coming to.
 
Y'all have got to come up to speed....

It's not rap anymore, it's "hip-hop"

Peace out, yo (or words to that effect)
 
Zundfolge said:
Why are there rap videos on CMT? :confused:
Click to expand...
Well, Cowboy Troy tries to rap...

Cousin Mike pretty much summed it up. Although MTV cuts a lot more lyrics out than the radio stations I can pick up.

Not long ago on MTV jams I saw a Naughty By Nature video (hip hop hooray, I think) where at the end of it, it looks like there's going to be shootout. And there was, they were shooting super-soakers. The super soakers were blurred:confused:
 
Cousin Mike said:
The reason cars and jewelry are all you see in rap videos? that's basically all they're allowed to show anymore until 3am.
Click to expand...

1st Amendment, alive and well...:barf:
 
armoredman said:
i excercise my power of choice by not watching MTV.
Click to expand...

You dont actually have to worry about seeing any music on MTV these days. They stopped running videos a couple of years ago. Now its the "reality TV netword". Even for their "music" based shows they dont bother showing a video in its entirety.
 
c_yeager said:
You dont actually have to worry about seeing any music on MTV these days. They stopped running videos a couple of years ago. Now its the "reality TV netword". Even for their "music" based shows they dont bother showing a video in its entirety.
Click to expand...

You need to get the other MTV channels to see videos. MTV2, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, MTV Espanol. I get those along with the secondary channels for the other music video networks (ie: CMT, VH1, etc). I didn't specifically ask for any of this stuff with my cable package, but it's all bundled together.
 
Oleg Volk said:
Rap as a genre doesn't to be about violence.
Click to expand...

No and cookies as a food don't have to be fattening ... it just happens that most are, therefore the entirety of cookiedom gets labeled as fattening.

Yes there are low fat cookies, but who wants them? Most of the cookie consumers out there WANT their cookies to be fattening.


(my point being that the reason Rap is often about violence is because its fans like it that way)
 
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