Sharpton proposes ban on rappers

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A request for comment to Universal Music Group — the parent company of 50 Cent’s label Interscope — was not immediately returned, nor was a request put into MTV or Sony BMG.

A representative for Hot 97 (WQHT-FM in New York) said the radio station meets Federal Communications Commission standards.

“We in no way condone acts of violence,” station spokesman Alex Dudley said. “We hope that the perpetrators of these violent acts are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by the proper authorities.”

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Bryan Leach, a vice president at TVT Records (home to platinum-selling rappers such as Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz and the Ying Yang Twins), said he wasn’t sure Sharpton’s proposal was the right way to resolve rap-related violence. But he conceded the issue needed to be addressed.

“I think we can be vocal and I think we can show people that it’s something that concerns us just like piracy concerns us,” he said. “Violence in songs and violence in terms of how it translates in society, in particular the black community, is something that concerns a large part of the record industry.”

Leach said he was also concerned that the media was sensationalizing the events of the past week and potentially inflaming the situation.

“A lot of it doesn’t seem to be coming from people who really understand the history, really understand the parties involved, really understand a lot of the facts,” he said.

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