in the same fashion? Rarely will one observe criticism of a television drama such as "The Sopranos" that uses profane language regularly in its dialogue. Instead, one is more likely to hear the show described as "breakthrough television" (L.A times). Here we can see a classic example of the media being fixed on the negative aspects of rap songs, while at the same time looking beyond coarse language in other areas of entertainment. By unfairly portraying the work of rap artists as nothing but bad words, the media does a great injustice to hip-hop artists everywhere. Furthermore, because hip-hop speaks the voice of a younger generation in urban areas, it is only natural that different audiences may interpret certain words differently. This can mean that the meaning of a song can be misinterpreted because two different audiences are hearing different things. For example in the Notorious B.I.G's song Me and My Bitch, the "b" word is used to describe a woman who he had wanted to make his wife in the near future. Surely the "b" word was not used to depict someone who he disliked, rather it was used affectionately. However someone who is not aware of hip-hop lingo might perceive this as derogatory towards women. It is evident that the media does contribute to negative publicity toward the hip-hop community. Another example is the infamous gangsta rapper Tupac Shakur. Who was tragically killed by rival gang members in 1996. Though most critics would confer to the fact that his lyrics were extremely vile, and profane, he was quite respected by much of the black community for
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