Music is the language of love and concerts have been held to commemorate heroes and victims and to unite people in great causes.
Woodstock, Concert for Bangladesh, Monterey Pop Festival and No Nukes: These historic concerts evoke images of peace, celebration and brotherhood.
The horrific images of the Virginia Tech massacre are still fresh in our minds; our tears have not fully dried; it seems this dark day in the history of Virginia happened only yesterday.
A free concert is just the ticket to help the healing process and to bring a little bit of sunshine into the lives of the families who were most affected by this tragedy.
A free concert will be held and scheduled to perform are the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Phil Vassar and the New York rapper Nas.
“A free concert organized to lift the spirits of the shaken Virginia Tech community is instead angering some parents of the victims, who say the decision to feature a New York rapper known for his violent lyrics shows a blatant lack of respect for the people killed in the April 16 shooting rampage.
Vincent J. Bove, who said he is a spokesman for seven of the victims’ families, said yesterday that the parents are outraged that the Sept. 6 concert at the university would include the rapper Nas, who in one 1999 track chants, ‘Shoot ‘em up, just shoot ‘em up, what?’ followed by whispers of ‘Kill, kill, kill, murder, murder, murder.’”
Quote from the Washington Post
As a Virginian I am aghast at the inclusion of Nas, his violent and profane lyrics represent the same sickness that afflicted the Virginia Tech gunman.
An artist who raps, “Let the trigger blow, seven shots now he lying on the ground. Blood on the floor. Then we shot some more.”, has no place in a concert meant to promote peace and the brotherhood of man.
Nas is considered one of the most enlightened rappers, but this only demonstrates the total depravity of this genre of music. I hope the organizers of this concert remove Nas from the lineup.
