The past couple months, there has been a lot of press given to the theory that hip-hop shows create violence. In March, insurance companies in Sioux Falls, SD refused insure venues for any hip-hop shows, regardless of who the act was (Insurance fears squeeze hip-hop shows).

In April, clubs in Las Vegas, NV started cutting hip-hop acts out of their schedules, possibly due to pressure by local police (Clubs cutting hip-hop acts). Later in the month, police in Fort Lauderdale, FL put out an ad depicting a woman getting robbed and claiming it would happen because they had to provide extra security for a local hip-hop festival (Police union ad angers organizers of hip-hop concert).

And in May, a club in Lansing, MI canceled their hip-hop ladies night due to a string of shootings associated with the venue (Temple Club cancels hip-hop ladies night).

Recently, a police chief in Rochester, NY has warned the community about hip-hop shows and believes they are causing an increase in violence in the city. This statement closely followed a murder that took place outside a downtown club called the Montage that was playing radio and top 40 hip-hop (Chief Moore wants warning about hip hop events).

With all this publicity, I am proud to say that, finally, someone has branched away from this conservative train of thought and actually stated the obvious … that the media and police department are spinning the story to point at hip-hop. In the words of Montage co-owner Tim Miller:

“The Police Department is saying it was hip-hop, and that it was an argument between two hip-hop groups,” he said. “That’s not true. I was told that one of the guys that was shot was a gang member. What happened in the parking lot was unrelated to the club.”

From Democrat & Chronicle: “Club disputes hip-hop link to killing” July 6, 2006

Ahh, a gang connection? Yet the police point the finger at hip-hop? Could this possibly be because talk of gang problems in the city could demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the city government’s social programs, crime prevention policies or, God forbid, its police department?

Or if they are going to point the finger at hip-hop, at least do so with the understanding that top 40 rap music is not at all representative of hip-hop culture. Once that is accepted, it becomes clear that it could not possibly be real hip-hop that is causing this type of violence, only the mainstream’s misrepresentation and commercialization of it. And that would indicate the corporations exploiting the culture of hip-hop for monetary purposes.

Honestly … I don’t know, but as long as we’re pointing the finger, we should at least attempt to discover who’s really at fault here. Don’t get me wrong … I think it’s sad that kids keep getting hurt before or after these hip-hop shows, and I wish the youth generation could learn to let shit slide and be peaceful. But I think it’s completely oversimplified and naive to point the finger at some type of music instead of figuring out the demographics of the participants and attempting to solve the problems that are really causing them to act out in violence.