# racism and rock music (avid rock fans please read)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 1, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633 "2004-04-01T00:07:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@chefIL11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefIL11)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633/1 "2004-04-01T00:07:11Z")
Are there any examples of racism in rock or rock and roll music? If so, which songs? (Please don’t give the lyrics if they are racist or questionable)
Who has pushed hard for censorship in music? (Besides tipper gore)
Finally, why is there censorship in music? Just to protect the children? 😃🆒
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### Author:  [@Pashnish\_Ewing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pashnish_Ewing)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633/2 "2004-04-01T00:47:58Z")
[Spinal Tap]
Marti: Is your music in any way racist?
David: We say “love your brother”…we don’t say it, really…
Nigel: We don’t literally _say_ it.
David: No, we don’t _say_ it…
Nigel: We don’t literally _mean_ it
David: No, but, the message should be clear…
Nigel: We’re anything but racists.
[/Spinal Tap]
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### Author:  [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633/3 "2004-04-01T01:01:33Z")
one of my favorite songs (but for different reasons)
check out the lyrics to “One in a Million” by G 'n R.
As a whole, I wouldn’t think so, as most metal bands are actually pretty damn liberal.
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### Author:  [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633/4 "2004-04-01T01:21:12Z")
Why shouldn’t we post the lyrics? Otherwise, how will we know what we’re talking about?
Brown Sugar has been called racist. It certainly reinforces stereotypes.
From the last part of the song:
_Brown Sugar, how come you dance so good?
Brown Sugar, just like a black girl should._
There have been calls for various kinds of censorship of rock music since the very beginning. Check out any comprehensive history of rock’n’roll.
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### Author:  [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633/5 "2004-04-01T01:27:19Z")
**Green Bean** , the line is “How come you _taste_ so good”.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633/6 "2004-04-01T01:41:34Z")
There’s alot of “hate” music out there. All the Neo Nazi kids listen to it. I’m not gonna google it or post any links, don’t want to support those f’ers.
But it’s rock/punk, and sometimes country, and it’s out there without censorship. That’s how alot of the Neo Nazi groups get more kids to join - throw big concerts.
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### Author:  [@conczepts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conczepts)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2004, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633/7 "2004-04-01T01:53:41Z")
Check out “one in a million” by guns n’ roses.
Having just recently discovered power-metal and perusing some of the bands’ forums, there are a heck of a lot of racists who listen to this sort of music, particularly in Europe. None of the bands I listen to do anything but condemn racism, but there are quite a few metal bands that are openly racist and facist (I don’t understand why the two go together so much).
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2004, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633/8 "2004-04-01T03:23:43Z")
Axl claimed a number of times that _One in a Million_ wasn’t about him, but was a representation of an attitude he’d heard from a lot of people. Take that for what you will.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2004, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633/9 "2004-04-01T03:25:52Z")
> [@Johnnyt27](#):
>
> Who has pushed hard for censorship in music? (Besides tipper gore)
Dan Quayle made a few speeches at the height of the Ice-T _Cop Killa_ scandal, decrying WB for making money off a song that suggested killing police offficers. I don’t know if you’d say he pushed hard for censorship, though.
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### Author:  [@conczepts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conczepts)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2004, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633/10 "2004-04-01T03:47:00Z")
> [@Really Not All That Bright](#):
>
> Axl claimed a number of times that _One in a Million_ wasn’t about him, but was a representation of an attitude he’d heard from a lot of people. Take that for what you will.
This quote from Total Guitar in June 2003 from someone who asked Axl in person doesn’t suggest that:
> [@](#):
>
> When I first heard One in a Million, I asked Axl, ‘What the fuck? Is this necessary?’” Adler exclaims. “Axl just said, ‘Yeah, its necessary. I’m letting my feelings out.’” Rose was openly condemned for this musical outburst by many people, although, apparently, Axl resented being accused of being homophobic or racist.
[http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/articles/showarticle.php?articleid=61](http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/articles/showarticle.php?articleid=61)
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### Author:  [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-rock-music-avid-rock-fans-please-read/237633/11 "2004-04-01T05:02:44Z")
General Questios is for questions with factual answers.
Posting racist lyrics comes a little too close to hate speach to be allowed on this board. We would allow a debate over why there is censorship, but not in this forum. Great Debates is our forum for debates. Please feel free to open a thread in Great Debates.
This is closed.
**DrMatrix** - GQ Moderator