If hip hop really does encourage violence and misogyny?

Does that mean that all the murderers and rapists in prison right now should have their sentences overturned on the grounds of diminished responsibility if they can prove they've listened to hip hop before they commited their crime?

I'm asking because I seem to get plenty of haters answering (not properly though) my questions about hip hop. So, I want to know, if you honestly believe that hip hop encourages violence, does that make the perpetrators of the crime innocent?

If hip hop really does encourage violence and misogyny?blocked myspace

good question i still don't get why people say that. do they think terrorists listen to Nas then go blowing people up, or maybe the police officers that beat up Rodney king just listened to some 2Pac. its crazy.

Hip Hop does not encourage violence. end of

If hip hop really does encourage violence and misogyny?girl myspace myspace.com

Hahaha you tell 'em Bonnie! Great question.
Encourages violence? no. i've yet to hear a song that says "it's cool to shoot the block up" or "youshould go catch a body today". i can't even recall a hip-hop song that says "i LIKE to kill"

Reflect violence? YES. as it reflects all the other all-to-common problems in poor communities. I am no psychic, but I believe that with the decrease of poverty and injustice, will come the decrease in violence.
I have listened to the type of songs to which you refer, have not felt the need to go out and rape or murder anyone as a result of this, have grown up to be a responsible, normal member of the public.

So, no. I don't believe they can claim anyhting more than being degenerate pieces of human waste, who, after perpetrating vile acts, got what they deserved.
Great Question and I like So-Since's answer.

I have been listening to 2 live crew and snoop since i was in elementary and i have never wanted to go out kill someone or slap a woman because a song says so.

If the gov't put money into the neighborhoods and improve the economy and the well being of the people who live in those situations and teach people that through hard work comes rewards then the US would be a better place. Rapping about the slums and killing in the streets would be an afterthought but the US is more interested in other stuff than their people dying in the streets.

Hip Hop is not to blame for anything because what a person says into a microphone has no bearing on what stupid people go out and do.

When Oprah and al Sharpton turned on hip hop and not Don Imus they made their own people the scapegoat and not the person(Imus) repsponsible for his actions. To blame hip hop for individual's actions is basically doing the same thing in my opinion.
I love hip hop especially gangsta rap and listen to it all the time. But never once have I listened to NWA, or Dre, or the Game, or anyone else and thought, "you know what? I think I want to kill somebody today!!" Hip hop is so big and I think they're using that as an excuse to try and throw hip hop under a bus. They want the youth to stop listening to it. But as long as rappers keep rapping I'm gonna keep listenin'. Thats just my opinion.
As someone who doesn't like rap or hip hop I wouldn't goes as far as saying it makes people crazy enough to murder someone. In America today we have a serious issue on our hands wanting to blame someone or something other than ourselves for horrific crimes. No I don't think rap, rock, video games, movies, and t.v. drive us to do things we shouldn't. Its the individuals who are to blame not big industries. BY THE WAY RAP SUCKS!!!
WHOA.............you know what I think so I am only gonna say that people do what they want.......no matter what...stop looking at other reasons to place blame EXCEPT on the person that did the crime. Life has choices, and either you are gonna choose the right ones or the wrong ones... so take your pick.

Although you are the only one who will have to live with the consequences, you need to realize there are others who will also suffer behind what you have DECIDED to do...people need to think before they act cause its a lot of useless crimec being committed....hip hop has nothing to do with a person choice to encourage violence...
i've said time and time again that hip hop is used as a scapegoat for bad parenting. Some hip hop songs emulate violence but not all....it's our job as parents to educate children the difference between actuality and entertainment. People are so quick to pass the buck when it comes to social awareness issues....I like artists like Eminem...does that mean i'm going to throw my boyfriend in a trunk and drive off a cliff with him??? of course not.... i think young minds are impressionable and that carries thru into the adult life if they have no one to turn to, to give them the guidance and survival skills they need in life. The average "vilonce" induced hip hop song is penned by an artist who had a tough up bringing, so they felt that was their only outlet.... I think it's ridiculous when all these Bill O'Reily/Don Imus type people get on air saying that all hip hop is about is sex, money, cars, degrading women...these oh so intellectually aware people debate hip hop no differently than the average Y!A RHH hater....I don't think anyones sentences would be over turned, because even if u say ur sister made u commit the crime...u are still going to jail....at the end of the day people will try to debate the fact that hip hop has made their client do "bad things"...but fortunately most jurors and judges dont let that weigh too heavy on their decision of guilt in a case.
Hip Hop itself has nothing to do with violence and misogyny. SOME extremist hip hop artists talk trashy in their songs, encouraging racism (X-Clan), riots and fights (Three 6 Mafia's "Tear the club up", Lil' Jon's crunk **** "bust a ***** head") and misogyny (Too $hort's "biaatch" Eminem's "Kim"). But they can't compromise the whole hip hop culture, or rap music. Rap is basically a reflection of human's life, our emotions, fears, joys, our pains, dreams, wishes and pleasures.

Like others said, people should THINK before ACT because it's a DECISION. A music can't make nobody mess around.

Only weak-minded people would do some ish because some music said so. Others might act smart-*** and act loony or say that it was some music that did they do the mess.
Yes it does encourage violence. same with video games.

it depends how person absorbs it in. Iv been listening to gangsta rap since I was young and used it positively.

but some go rob and kill people.
^^^what is he talking about?(prodgen)smh

Robbing and all these things that supposedly cause these ppl to do these things have been around for ages...Cant start blaming urban societial ills on hip hop thats only been around for 30 to 40 years...Stop playing its a big deal now because folk that dont understand hip hop has kids that glorify everything they see...Y because they think its cool...It always works that way...Its okay long as "Josh" isnt listening to it. Lil Josh gets in trouble tryna be "gangsta" and now hip hop music is a bad influence...smh lmao
I grew up listening hip hop and ragga/bashment. I also grew up watching a lot of action movies. It has an effect on peoples behaviour it is not the root cause though. just like the effect the fashion industy and media has on young girls and females self esteem. We must be careful what we expose ourselves too.
Hip Hop is used as an excuse. Im sure all people that commit crimes do not like hip hop. I saw Snoop dog say the other day no one ever writes about all the good things hip hop artists do but only can comment on the bad..and that is true. I have listened to hip hop since the first rap song came out and have never been violent or commited a crime. Society never look at the person and what they have done..always wanna point blame..oh its hip hop,...oh they watched Kill Bill..oh they played some video game. People need to open their eyes to the real problems.