...for an enlightening survey. I especially got a lot out of Dyson's.

I listen to hip hop on the (clear channel) radio. Radio is really all that's available for a busy mom like myself. I like some of it and (increasingly, it seems) some is so offensive I turn it off or horrors switch to the oldies station. But the market presence of rap is incredibly non-progressive and so sexist I'm often amazed and creeped out. And a lot of it is fun. Sometimes both at the same time!

There was a case in the Bay Area a year or so ago when a young Black college student called her best friend (who was living more of a sketchy street life, not a college student) because some guys were hassling her. Her friend came with a gun and shots were fired and it turned out the defender had shot and killed his best friend. This was at the same time as when Destiny's Child had the hit, "I need a Soldier" which was like P.R. for that kind of behavior. It illustrated for me the tragedy of glorifying these values to young people: people die, go to prison, die, go to prison, on and on. As for the rappers: too many people are cashing in and they're not being held to account. Why not picket their homes? the concerts? Why not hold the purveyors of this crap responsible?

I don't think that is equivalent of not holding white society responsible. I think challenging these values in this kind of rap can be a part of a process of raising political awareness. Authenticity has gotten criminalized, and the power of the market is selling it. That's a big power. What's going to counter it?

I respect the efforts to 'raise consciousness' but it seems to me something more than polite and respectful dialogue is being called for. I mean, people are dying, going to prison, dying, etc.

Why did the title of this 'Is rap racist?' erase the issue of misogyny in rap?

I thought that misogyny was a real part of what this conversation, sparked by Imus, was about. The 'ho' word inflames some racism (to some at least, not to me) but is a slur for women, in general.

Many of your contributors note this language issue, also.

the slave-descendants who popularized Blues, Jazz, Rock, and Rap/Hip-Hop are now being questioned for their racist music? Lest we all forget, music in ALL human cultures has been an outlet of self-expression for either religious epiphany and love or more frequently for the trials and tribulations of the lives the musicians live or the lives they WANT to live. In fact, Blues is exactly the latter. The modern day, profit-driven Hip-Hop industry is the bastardization by white corporate money-mongers who have found a valuable niche style: the exasperation of disenfranchised black slave-descendants who are still fighting to find a legitimate identity in the USofA. The anger, hostility, sexism, racism and violence that permeates this style of musical self-expression is a result of that disenfranchisement. So is it racist..of course. But what was it born of? If you answered racism, then maybe there's hope for you after all. but i'm sure there's someone out there that wants to deny modern American Racism. On a side note, is there some way we could popularize the term Racism-Denier much as the term Holocaust-Denier has been used? It would be very effective against the likes of Imus and Limbaugh.

I am curious why you limited your panel to only African American cultural commentators? I would have found this to be much more interesting if you queried a more racially diverse group.

You conclude your comment with: "Would racism even exist if they had refused to come to America in the first place?"

Um, how exactly did the slaves choose to come here?

Just curious.

Most of hip hop that relates to social scenarios portray anyone other than African Americans as to be beaten down, taken advantage of, or at best ignored.. Except - of course, females.

Homophobia, extreme Machoism, misanthropy, and general disrespect seem to be the ideas behind most of the lyrics.

Yes, there are a few artists - big artists - who are not of this mold, but they did not get there by praising other groups.

Since this is a forum where folks speak their "Truth..." I am dismayed at how the urban areas are playing out, at least the more diverse Cities.

Caucasian Men are the lowest on the totem pole, and it takes real diligence to deal with the racism. It is almost impossible to deal with the rude actions of those who cannot buy class, regardless of race.

We do however, pay too much lip service to the African Americans, enough is enough. This, I believe damages the situation, as an opening to be abused, or play martyr.

WE ARE THE SAME, ALL EQUAL. I PERSONALLY BELIEVE IN TOTAL EQUALITY, and have railed agains racism from African American Men forever, even if it compromised my situation.

It is interesting some media outlets choose to ignore the gender half of the question. I hope it wasn't an oversight, and you have a panel addressing that issue tomorrow. I can hope.

Michael Eric Dyson wants to define "racism" in a way so that only those in the dominant culture (i.e., whites) can be "racist." I don't buy it. I define "racism" as, simply, the application of negative stereotypes to a a group or members of a group defined by their race (or ethnicity). Clearly some, but not all, rap is racist and misogynistic under that definition.

Prof. Dyson's assertion that it wasn't until the Imus incident that the main stream media "noticed" that rap contains racist and misogynistic elements is ludicrous. This has been a matter of discussion and debate in the main stream media and, as he rightly points out, the non-main stream media, for years.

I also disagree with Prof. Dyson's assertion that whites had to "blame" rap for Imus's comments in order to criticize him. As some commentators have pointed out, Imus would never have used the term "nappy headed ho's" had the term "ho's" not been popularized (as Stanley Crouch has said, "normalized" through rap music and comedians. That does not make Imus's use of it, particularly in reference to real, specific people, OK--it is simply a fact that should be recognized.