Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Nas to play “A Concert for Virginia Tech” in Blacksburg
Update: Concert Lineup Angers Some Va. Tech Families - upcoming rappers, take note, lyrics like “Shoot ‘em up, just shoot ‘em up, what?” and “Kill, kill, kill, murder, murder, murder” will come back to haunt you. It turns out that some parents have issues with Nas performing at the event, though I know Nas has only a handful of violent songs, I’m certain those won’t be on the set list. It’s sad that they only hear about the ‘bad’ songs and don’t know about all the socially conscious songs he’s put out. What do you all think, should Nas perform or not?
On September 6, Nas will join the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer and Phil Vassar in “A Concert for Virginia Tech.” The event will be held at the university’s Lane Stadium and will be free of charge to all students. All of the artists have agreed to waive their fees and will perform for free. “We’re extremely grateful for the compassion and generosity of these artists who wished to create a very special event where our students, faculty and staff can come together to celebrate the spirit and resiliency of our university community as we being a new academic year,” says Charles Steger, President of Virginia Tech. Tickets are not being made available to the general public at this time. [Source: XXL]
Unfortunately in todays hip-hop society, violence, drugs, and degradation of women is all these people know. I’m saddened by Steger’s comments that it is the far right media that is trying to politicize this. He should of delved deeper into each artist’s lyrics. I think that the VA. Tech. Student council should have a say in who is performing. If they say it is OK then it should be OK.
Matt said this on August 20th, 2007 at 11:09 am
I understand why some parents and some students are concerned but they’re picking out some rare lines from Nas’ lyrics. He’s not a gangster rapper and doesn’t promote violence. If you actually listen to his catalog, you’ll see that his songs have more of an uplifting message than a violent one. Check out: “I Can”, “One Mic”, “Hip Hop is Dead”, “Still Dreaming” and more.
alisbasement said this on August 20th, 2007 at 2:03 pm