Inner city = urban = hip hop

Local, Race 1 Minute

First it was “inner city.” Then it was “urban.” Now it seems that the code for young blacks is “hip hop.” Or at least that’s the way I see it. When the Granby Theater in Norfolk was shut down for a shooting there, it was blamed on the “hip hop” crowd. One of the promises made as a condition for it to reopen was that it would not book hip hop acts.

Earlier this week, the Virginian Pilot ran a story about a Virginia Beach martini bar that was allowed to have an ABC license as long as the owner agreed to not provide hip hop as entertainment, along with several other conditions. From reading through the comments, it appears that the proprietor of the establishment is black.

In both cases, the discussion was about it being a “public safety issue.”

Does this not play directly into the stereotypes? Further, does it not play into the whole culture of fear of young blacks, particularly young black males?

I’m not seeing a whole lot of difference between the racism demonstrated by such restrictions and the ban on allowing blacks to sit at lunch counters. It’s discrimination, pure and simple. And it’s wrong.

Further, I have to wonder if the restrictions placed on these venues would have been done had the proprietors been white.

Overt racism – at least for me – is much easier to deal with. But it is this subtle form that is more insidious.

Published

30 thoughts on “Inner city = urban = hip hop”

  1. It’s contrary to the theme of your post in that it indulges in stereotyping, but all the same I can’t help but wonder: where the hell are Virginia Beach’s city attorneys going boozing if they think a typical martini bar plays “hip hop or gangster rap music that incites violence?” Because whenever I partake of a vodka martini, tapas and overpriced veal I always find myself asking, “how hard is it out here for a pimp, really?” and that’s precisely when I need a song to answer that question for me. (In case you’re wondering, it is apparently rather difficult for a wide variety of reasons).

    Honest to God, if they’d complained about putting in another bar that you pretty much have to drive to and home from, that would have been an excellent point, but making it a matter of how black the background music is….

  2. Vivian,
    Are you telling me that the there is no violence, drugs, etc. directly associated with the “hip hop”, “inner city” or “urban” crowd? Are you denying it was the “hip hop” crowd that was the result of the shooting at the Granby Theatre? Are you denying that “hiphop”, “innercity” or “urban” promotes violence and criminal activity? There is more than enough examples to place blame on the impact of the these crowds. I am in complete agreement that it is a matter of public safety. I also don’t think that black males or young blacks are shooting each other at the lunch counter. You need to be upset at the black community for allowing such violence within there own society and culture. This is not “whitey’s” fault.

  3. Well, anon, after getting the money for the rent, for the Cadillacs, and the gas money spent, sometimes you just need a good Grey Goose martini. Up with a twist. Then the the fool brings you one made with Belvedere. And clearly, at that point, someone will have to be capped.

    It’s the only civilized response, really.

    ~

    RLewis, do you feel persecuted? Clutch your purse and cross the street a lot?

  4. Wow. I hope all of you caught that rlewis just equated blacks with promoting violence and criminal activity.

    Now THAT’S the old overt racism that I was talking about 😉

  5. I did notice that! Did you notice how it was pointed out that we didn’t have this problem with blacks shooting other blacks at the lunch counter back when we made you use your own damned water fountains?

    By the way, we prefer “milk toast” to “whitey,” dude.

  7. “City Attorney Les Lilley is outraged by the license conditions. ‘I went ballistic,’ he said. ‘I’m embarrassed by it…. It’s terrible and it’s wrong.’

    “I asked if he thought the restrictions were racist. ‘It sure has that inference. And I don’t want any part of it.’

    “Lilley plans to write to the attorney general to ask that the stipulations be removed from Uroma’s ABC license.”

  8. I like the do-rag part. Not a backward baseball cap, not a head covering, but just a do-rag. Why don’t we just look at how low their pants hang, or, to simplify it, how dark their skin is? Oh, wait THAT would be discrmination.

  10. Brian – I did see Kerry’s article this morning (which is here) and it is good that the City Attorney as well as the lawyer who handled the negotiation are trying to get it fixed.

    Note, however, that this information was not reported by the Pilot in the news section.

  11. Maybe young Blacks should stop committing so many crimes. Then they might not engender the stereotype that they commit so many crimes.

  14. I just stopped at the local convenience store. Behind me pulled up a black car with fancy silver rims and the obligatory “thump, thump, thump” of hip hop. Guess who got out of the car? A young white guy, his pants down so low that the crack of his butt was showing.

    Tell me again how hip hop = black.

    Stereotypes only make those using them look ill-informed.

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