The skinhead and neo-nazi music scene, promoting antisemitism, racism and other forms of bigotry has been active for many years, although it rarely receives press and public attention. More prominently, in recent years gangsta rap performers have generated considerable controversy in their use of misogynistic, homophobic, and violent lyrics. 

Last year in Britain following the New Year's Eve shooting deaths of two teenaged girls in Birmingham, the Home Secretary David Blunkett sparked debate by condemning violent gangsta rap music. Despite there being some debate about the problem of 'hate music' in the media in Britain and in the United States, there has been little in-depth analysis by scholars and commentators.

Featured essays:

The aesthetics of 'hate music'

by Keith Kahn-Harris (Original AXT essay © 2004)

Rapping about cop killing

(two essays reprinted by kind permission of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences) The music of murder, by Dennis R. Martin; Rap, cops, and crime: clarifying the 'cop killer' controversy, by Mark Hamm and Jeff Ferrell.

Links to essays on the Internet:

Gangsta misogyny: a content analysis of the portrayals of violence against women in rap music, 1987-1993 by Edward G. Armstrong (Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture 2001).

Sounds of hate. The Neo-Nazi music scene in Australia and beyond by Tzvi Fleischer (The Review August 2000).

Sounds of violence. The Nazi music scene by Michael Shannon (The Review April 1997).

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JPR/Institute for Jewish Policy Research is carrying out a project to explore: The impact of 'hate' and bigotry in music upon young listeners, its

connections with hate
motivated and violent crime, the appropriate policy and educational responses to the phenomenon.

'Hate music' in the news:


Hip French rappers criticized for lyrics backing suicide bombings by Philip Carmel (JTA June 30, 2003)

Rappers swept up in French anti-Semitism crackdown by Tom Hundley (Chicago Tribune November 19, 2003)

Gangsta rap crap by Jennie Bristow (Spiked-online January 07, 2003).

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Links :

TURN IT DOWN: a campaign against white power music Should we link to your site? Contact us

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