Hey guys, so I thought it would be fitting to talk about controversy today as I got in
my own little bit of controversy yesterday.
I had a, a pretty graphic intro, you know it was quite shocking and I didn’t warn
anybody but I’ll leave the link to that video in the description below if you wanna
see what happened.
I’m wanting you it’s quite shocking.
Looking at some of my previous videos, it’s clear that everyone loves a good bit of controversy.
So why not talk about it a bit more?
And today we will be looking at albums that have caused a bit of a stir in the past.
Albums can cause public uproar for multiple reasons, so I’m gonna be showcasing some
of the ones that pis*** the most people off in this video, explaining why and revealing
my thoughts on them.
Keep in mind that I will be talking about these albums for an extended period of time,
because I find this subject to be really interesting.
You have been warned.
With that being said guys this is CDTVProductions and let’s kick this video off right now.
NWA - Straight Outta Compton (1988)
Gotta start with a classic example right here.
If you wanna look at one of the most early and popular controversial Rap Albums, this
is the one right here.
The reason this album was controversial was the exact same reason why it was influential.
This was the album that really popularised gangsta rap, and it made some members of the
public and music critics uncomfortable.
This album came off as pretty rebellious with lyrics about murdering people, lyrics perceived
as misogynistic, and some songs that mentioned being violent against police officers, and
in the 80’s this wasn’t exactly common.
That’s why it shocked people, and it made NWA stand out.
In fact some songs on here even got the FBI involved, who sent a letter to NWA’s label,
claiming that the album “encouraged violence and disrespect against law enforcement”.
NWA couldn’t even get security for their tours because the police often refused to
be associated with them.
If that isn’t controversy, I don’t know what is.
So as for how I view it, honestly this album appears to be pretty tame nowadays.
Now I wasn’t even close to being alive in the 80’s, I’m a late 90’s kid so I remember
all the stuff from the memes, so I’m not experiencing it the same way people did when
it first came out, but the raps on here are so blunt, almost to the point of being comical.
I think songs like Gangsta Gangsta are actually very entertaining and come off as comedic,
even though technically they’re songs about the gritty reality of street life in Compton.
That’s just how I see it, nowadays it’s still a fantastic album, but it’s so blunt
to the point of making me smile when I hear it.
I think the combination of the funky beats but dark lyrics are juxtaposed so well that
the darker side never really unsettles me.
But no matter how you perceive it, all this did was help NWA as they became one of the
most successful groups in hip hop history.
Ice Cube - Death Certificate (1991):
Seen as we were just talking about NWA, we might as well talk about one of its most prolific
members next.
Ice Cube has always been a source of controversy, from his NWA career, and as showcased with
this Death Certificate album, in his solo career too.
Cube has always been someone to speak his mind, and that can bring out anger in a lot
of listeners.
However there was more than the typical accusations of glorifying violence or misogyny.
After this album was released, Ice Cube was called racist, particularly against Asian
people.
And whilst, no, I don’t think these lyrics prove Cube is a racist, the lines on the song
Black Korea come off as pretty disrespectful.
Now I believe his heart was kinda in the right place here, but it didn’t translate to his
music well.
He made the song after a Korean store owner shot a 15 year old black girl to death after
an altercation.
Cube was obviously enraged by this story, as is to be expected, and being the outspoken
rapper that he is, made a song about it.
Unfortunately it’s a case of responding to racism with racism, and it doesn’t help
anyone.
This track, along with No Vaseline, were removed from the UK versions of the album when it
was first released, as these songs were seen to be racist and anti semetic.
And that’s not all.
In 1992, the state of Oregon also banned the display of Ice Cube’s image in retail stores
due to this album.
I can actually see this one being slightly justified in its controversy, but only primarily
for the Black Korea track.
Even Ice Cube has admitted that he might’ve made some miscalculations on this album, but
he doesn’t regret what he said.
Tyler, the Creator - Goblin (2011)
Now we’re gonna cover some more 90’s albums in a minute, but I thought we’d switch it
up a little first and look at a more modern example of a rap album that received heavy
backlash.
And after one listen to this album, it’s clear why it would offend some people.
I’d recommend listening to Tron Cat if you wanna hear some of the most graphic and intense
lyrics that this album has to offer.
Now to me and most people, it’s incredibly clear that Tyler is rapping as a character
here, these songs don’t offend me, because I’m more fascinated if not slightly grossed
out by the stories he tells.
It’s almost like a character study of a deranged man that Tyler has created to rap
from the perspective of.
But a lot of people didn’t take it that way.
People have called this album dangerous, misogynistic and hate filled due to the dark fantasies
rapped about in here which mention r***, tor*** and a plethora of taboos without any hesitation.
He was also criticised for his very liberal use of slurs against g** people.
This not only drew backlash from the public and critics, but it would be stepped up to
another level when Tyler was banned from the UK for up to five years for lyrics that supposedly
promoted violence and intolerance.
And this ban mainly stemmed from lyrics on Tyler’s debut mixtape, and this Goblin album.
And this is the point where I have to completely disagree with the backlash.
Banning someone from a country due to their rap lyrics is kind of absurd, of course unless
their lyrics really are made with a hateful intent, but that’s so obviously not the
case here.
Not to mention, you have rappers who rap about the exact same subjects with the exact same
amount of intensity who haven’t been banned from the UK yet.
Now I’m not saying ban them from the UK as well, I’m saying ban none of them from
the UK, because that’s ridiculous.
I honestly think it’s pretty unfair to punish someone that heavily for rapping as a character,
but that’s what happened.
This album definitely caused offence to quite a few people.
2 Live Crew - As Nasty As They Wanna Be (1989)
And we’re back to another early album that caused a little bit of a sh** storm, and that
album is As Nasty as They Wanna Be And just looking through the tracklist and the album
cover, you can tell that this was one hell of a s3xu@lly explicit album.
The theme of s3x was so over the top here, like ridiculously over the top, that it’s
actually another one where it’s pretty funny.
There’s barely anything offensive about it.
However, this album was actually the first ever record to be legally ruled as obscene
in court.
A year after this album dropped, people in court were looking to have this album banned.
They managed to get it banned in Florida, and members of the 2 Live Crew were actually
arrested after performing their songs at a club in Florida where their music was banned.
They went to jail over this.
I get that this was a bit more of a taboo back then, but isn’t taking this to court
a bit too far?
I think a writer called Christopher Hitchens summed the situation up perfectly with this
elegant quote.
“Sherif Nick Navarro and Judge Jose Gonzales Jr. (the two people responsible for ruling
the album as obscene) are a pair of racist sh**heads who should be told to f*** right
off”.
Wonderfully put.
How you can arrest someone over an album is beyond me.
However, eventually 2 Live Crew were acquitted and the obscenity ruling was overturned.
Because of that trial eventually working out, Rappers can freely rap about s3x all they
want without fear of being persecuted, and we have 2 Live Crew and their legal team to
thank for that.
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
And time to end this off in the only way it can be ended.
You can’t really have a list about controversy and not have Eminem on there, it just doesn’t
work like that.
This right here was one of the most controversial rap albums ever made because almost everybody
had heard about it.
There was some white guy rapping about k1ll!ng women, homosexuals having s3xu@l relations
with his own mother, and lines referencing school shootings, and he was selling millions
of copies doing it.
Just go to tracks like Kill You, I’m Back, Kim and Criminal, and just from those 4 songs
you’ll have an abundance of lines that are bound to offend every demographic out there.
The thing is, there’s a reason why a lot of people didn’t find this offensive.
And that’s because Eminem was so self aware.
He’d say the most obscene stuff, but would be making a commentary on society at the exact
same time, and that’s the genius behind it.
He knows controversy sells, but he doesn’t just use it for cheap shock.
He uses it to make a point.
At least he does most of the time.
But when you’re selling that many copies you’re bound to annoy a lot of people, and
that is what happened.
He was accused of being a mysoginist, a homophobe, a bad influence.
Lynne Cheney bashed Eminem because of this album, calling him “a rap singer who advocates
murder and r@pe”.
Hold up there Lynne, advocate is a bit of a strong word, he’s not saying you should
commit murder and r@pe people, but I guess that’s not how you see it.
She’s basically one of those people that thinks Music like this makes people more violent,
she actually said that about this album.
(And by one of those people, I mean idiots).
Shortly after the release of this album, Eminem was also almost stopped from entering Canada
to perform at a live show as Ontario’s Attorney General was disgusted when reading Em’s
lyrics.
A Canadian lawyer even suggested letting Eminem perform the show, just so they could prosecute
him with violating Canada’s hate speech laws which sounds like a pretty sneaky and
malicious thing to do.
Luckily though, he was allowed into Canada in the end.
People even held protests against this album, but that didn’t stop it from winning a Grammy
and propelling a Eminem into superstardom.
When talking about controversy, this album has to be brought up.
It’s one of my favourite albums of all time, and it was every bit as divisive as it was
brilliant.
(Outro)