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."
