To be shocked and appalled by music video by rapper "AarDee" (and also shocked that there doesn't seem to be any backlash that I can find?

[theDudesmummy]

OK, so my world would never normally intersect with the world of heavy UK teen rap (or whatever the correct name is for the genre), but I was with my DS at a barber shop today, a trendy one where they show the latest music videos, and while his hair was being cut I happened to see the video to a song called Hello Mate by this guy AarDee (Googling him I see he is 19 and comes from Brighton).

I am very far from prudish or pearl-clutching, was a pretty counter-culture heavy rocker in my day etc. I've seen and done a lot. I am not easily shocked and am strongly in favour of freedom of expression. But: this video has to be seen to be believed. Unless I am mistaken and I was watching some sort of elaborate piss-take, it depicts a couple (AarDee and a girl) going into a shop with a baseball bat and gaffer tape, terrorising and tying up the staff, wrecking the shop, stealing stuff including lots of booze and then retreating to a mansion to celebrate merrily with a huge pool party. The main dude "AarDee" has a constant arrogant and self-satisfied look on his face.

Now, I am sure many people would agree that this guy is probably an arrogant little twerp (irrespective of the merits of the music, which would be subjective, but which I imagine a lot of people like, given his apparent popularity). And the entertainment/music industry has always been full of arrogant twerps and worse, obviously. So that's no big deal. But this is a graphic video, presumably aimed at teens as the boy is a teen, totally glorifying crime and violence, revelling in it. I had a look around the internet for what I imagined would be multiple mentions of this angle, but all I could find was fulsome praise of the guy and his music, including this song. No-one mentioning what the video actually shows. This is just normal then?

Am I alone in thinking this is a real problem? Am I missing something here?

I have now discussed this with DH and he thinks I am being a pearl clutching old fogey. So that's that then.

When Eminem Stan came out, my flat mate was horrified by it and said that should only be on after the watershed. So much range of opinion. Rihanna video seems much worse to me but I can’t figure out why.

@Notimeforaname completely agree 👍🏻

He is shit though, don’t know why someone would want to listen to that when you have immaculate U.K. artists like Dave, Giggs, Stormz and a ton of others that actually have substance in their lyrics, it’s not just a one way street, all about them and how large they are, they are actually saying something.

There’s a fine line between observing, and glorifying. This is burn on he bus shelter down I’m pissed get out of my way or I’ll kick your face in type of glorifying bullshit, as is a lot of harder drill in an even darker way.

That’s why it’s shit, imo.

@Lonelycrab because some people are into that. It makes them feel good and happy. There's nothing wrong with that. Music doesn't always have to mean something.

Arrdee is 19, for goodness sake. He's just starting out.

Music doesn't always have to mean something

Hmm not sure about that. It has to mean something to be noticed in the first place.

I wouldn't say so.

@Lonelycrab sorry, pressed send too quickly.

Aardee has been signed up by quite a major record label, so they must be something about him, (and artists like him) that people like.

Of course there are more 'major artists' (like the ones mentioned in your post,) but people just might just want to listen to something that they can let their hair down to. It's just preference.

I'm not even a big fan of rap particularly, (I used to be in my teenage years) but I just think that grown adults should go easy on a nineteen year old who's clearly doing what he loves.

1979
Boomtown Rats
I Don’t Like Mondays

just saying 😂😂

Not proven.

It's just another manifestation of the hypocrisy of modern life!

People get cancelled for getting a form of words wrong, however well-meaningly (remember the fuss when poor Benedict Cumberbatch made a speech promoting more parts for 'coloured actors' instead of 'actors of colour'. Poor bloke was nearly burned at the stake.

Yet it's OK for rappers (in particular) to spout the most violent, vicious and offensive rubbish apparently.

I just can't get my head around why, in some areas of life, boy, you'd better be word perfect (however well-intentioned) with correct speech/terms and in others you can incite inter-racial/gender/class war. I remember how scared I was for my kind elderly father some years ago who was always wondering aloud if he was in the way of 'crippled' people. You wouldn't use this term now, but it's an example of the sort of thing which causes fury in some circles.