Hey Adrian,
Couldn't agree more. The definition of the word "music" or "song" suggests actually singing, and that "music" contain a melody.
Rap isn't singing; it's chanting, and it isn't music 'cause there's no melody.
I was just discussing the "Money for Nothing" ban with an old friend in London, Ontario, this morning. He did point out that on the phone-in talk show he heard on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's state-supported radio/TV broadcast network), all the usual racial slurs were used by a caller and not bleeped, which is to the credit of broadcasting in Canada. Even the f-word goes unbleeped in Canada. The caller, who was African-Canadian said his mother told him, "They're just words; get used to it."
It's a complex issue. I used to maintain that "All in the Family" reinforced entrenched prejudices in people who viewed it and there is considerable scientific evidence to back that up. I never bought the argument of Norman Lear, who created the show, that it forces viewers to confront these issues. When my son was little, I didn't like him watching it because I thought why expose him to all this ugliness? He'll find out soon enough. .
Regards,
Alan
