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New

York City

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is

becoming a hot topic in Hip Hop. After being mentioned by the

likes of Nas, AZ, The Cocoa Brovas, we know have an underground

group, Screwball putting out“Who Shot Rudy?” where the mayor

gets bucked at City Hall to the delight of the crowd, because

of recent cases in which white police officers killed or brutalized

minorities.

Akiba

Solomon, national affairs editor at the hip-hop magazine The Source,

says that rap music – like folk and rock – has a tradition of

political commentary, including criticism of public figures. “Hip-hop

in general is how young, urban, mostly African American and Latino

people feel,” she said. “Giuliani definitely fills a role. It’s

not necessarily him personally, but what he represents.” Giuliani

said “The one about shooting me? I didn’t like that one too much,

I did not consider it one of the better songs of the year. The

others I haven’t heard.” He added: “I stopped worrying about

threats and stuff like that a long time ago when I was U.S. attorney.”

Giuliani

said the violent lyrics of “Who Shot Rudy?” are troubling, particularly

if children hear the song. Kyron Jones, the 24-year-old who wrote

“Who Shot Rudy?,” said the song arose from his own troubles

with the law, including a stint in jail. He also said that a friend

shot was by police on two occasions without being arrested. As

for the mayor, Jones said: “I don’t want anybody to go out and

shoot him. I’m just voicing the thoughts of my people."