Simmons calls for removal of offensive words from artistic works, but not censorship
By Damara Popoola

Simmons says No Ho

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 4/23/07 – The public is finally gaining some insight into what exactly went down during the closed door meeting of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) that took place April 18. The meeting, headed by hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons and Dr. Benjamin Chavis, brought together various heavyweights of the hip-hop and music community ranging from rapper T.I. to Damon Dash to L.A. Reid.

In a statement released Monday, Simmons and Chavis asserted that the summit was not about censorship, but rather “about the corporate social responsibility of the industry to voluntarily show respect to African Americans and other people of color, African American women and to all women in lyrics and images.”

The impetus for the summit was public debate stemming from the Don Imus debacle and increased scrutiny on the hip-hop industry for its own use of offensive words. Though the release never clarifies exactly who of the two dozen present at the meeting actually agreed with the proposed amendments to the music industry, it does make some interesting suggestions.

While Simmons and Chavis made sure to reassert the importance of First Amendment rights, they did recommend that the recording and broadcast industries voluntarily remove or bleep the volatile words “bitch”, “ho”, and “nigger.”

It is a particularly noteworthy statement given that on April 13 Simmons said “comparing Don Imus’ language with hip-hop artists’ poetic expression is misguided and inaccurate and feeds into a mindset that can be a catalyst for unwarranted, rampant censorship.” Apparently Simmons has altered his opinion in lieu of the many detractors, inside and outside the African-American community, who cite language from popular hip-hop lyrics as being more misogynistic and racially disrespectful than anything Imus said.

Besides simply removing such charged words from the airwaves, HSAN also recommended forming a music industry coalition on broadcast standards made up of executives from music, radio and television which “would recommend guidelines for lyrical and visual standards within the industries.” The release also encouraged a better dialogue between hip-hop artists, industry executives, and fans in order to educate and to “promote understanding.”

The conclusions of the HSAN summit seem to be satisfactory, but the real issues still remain unresolved since the success of these ideas hinge on implementation by industry leaders. Whether recording and broadcast heads will heed the call of activists and organizations to restrict what some deem “offensive language” will depend greatly on the cooperation of the artists and, realistically, on how all of this might affect the bottom line.