North Carolina A&T State University

Fuck Tha Police:

Examining the Intersection Between Freedom of Speech and Gangster Rap in

South Central, Los Angeles

Asha Abdul-Mujeeb

Law and Ethics

Guffey

27 February 2020
 Most know the first amendment as a simple phrase, “Freedom of speech” however it is a

bit more complex than that. The first amendment states, “​Congress shall make no law respecting

an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of

speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the

Government for a redress of grievances.” Essentially the first amendment protecting one’s choice

to believe in and worship whatever God they choose or no God at all. It also states that one’s

ability to voice themselves will not be restricted in any way shape or form. It concludes with

protecting the right to protest. Based off of what’s written, one can assume that you could say

whatever you want and whenever you want without consequences. However, this is not always

the case. The first Amendment is flawed. Those flaws will be brought to light throughout this

essay with the assistance of Gangster Rap by the way of South Central, LA.

Fuck tha Police has a rich political history. The year was 1988 when NWA released their

hit song “Fuck Tha Police” which appeared on their Straight Outta Compton album. This song

was ranked number 425 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Fuck Tha

Police was a protest song inspired by NWA’s encounter of harrasment with the Torrance Police

Department. The song speaks against police brutality and racial profiling. Since it’s release, the

slogan has influenced pop culture, clothing, artwork, movies, and even other rappers. The song

inspired many other rap artists to also speak out about police brutality and racial profiling in their

music as well. However while it received accolades, the song also triggered a lot of hate as well.

White House Reporter, Asawin Suesbsaend, in the Daily Reporter wrote, “When N.W.A’s

protest anthem—which includes lines such as, “so police think they have the authority to kill a

minority,” and “it’s gonna be a bloodbath of cops dying in LA”—was originally released in
1988, it was provocative enough to attract the anger and attention of the LAPD, various police

unions, the FBI, and the Secret Service. “Fuck tha Police” was among the N.W.A. songs banned

from radio, public libraries, and retail chains. The Minnesota attorney general wanted

toprosecute record stores that sold ​Straight Outta Compton​ (the album that includes “Fuck tha

Police '') to minors. Politicians, both conservative and liberal, rushed to the nearest mic to

denounce the song and the Compton hip-hop group.” Ironically, it was the federal government’s

response to the song that encouraged its’ popularity.

In late 1988, the Federal Bureau of Investigation sent a letter to Priority Records

informing them of their disapproval of the song. The letter stated, “Advocating violence and

assault is wrong, and we in the law enforcement community take exception to such action. Law

enforcement officers dedicate their lives to the protection of our citizens, and recordings such as

the one from N.W.A. are both discouraging and degrading to these brave, dedicated officers.”

The goal of this letter was to persuade Priority Record and N.W.A. to remove all traces of this

song. When this letter was publicized many political figures spoke on behalf of N.W.A. 's right

to their first amendment: freedom of speech. Danny Goldberg, the chairman of the Southern

California affiliate of the ACLU, told the Los Angeles Times. “It is completely against the

American tradition of free speech and government non-interference for government agencies to

criticize art, because such criticism carries with it an implied threat.” Don Edwards, a

Democratic congressman from California said, “The FBI should stay out of the business of

censorship.” Nontheless, N.W.A.’s song “Fuck Tha Police” that appeared on thie Straight Outta

Compton Albumn in 1988, was protected by the first amendment.

 In 2016 Donald Trump was elected as America’s President. The country exercised their

first amendment rights through protests, rallies, riots, and music. Prior to Trump presidential

election, Y.G. and the late Nipsey Hussle released their song “FDT '' from Y.G.’s “Still Brazy”

album. “FDT” is an acryonym for Fuck Donald Trump. This song is another example of

Gangster Rappers from South Central, LA using their music as a form of protest. The first 27

seconds of the song is Y.G. expressing his thoughts about Trump’s character. He states, “Just

when I thought it wouldn't get no sicker.I woke up one morning and heard this red ass

mothafucka talkin' out the side of his neck. Me and all my people, we always thought he was

straight. Influential mothafucka when it came to the business. But now, since we know how you

really feel, this how we feel.”

Hussle’s motivation for this song was specifically triggered by his meaningful

experiences working with Mexican Immigrants in Los Angeles, CA. Latinos make up the largest

group of minorities in the country, however in Los Angeles specifically, according to

pewresearch.org, Mexicans alone make up 78% of the Los Angeles County. In “FDT” hussle

stated, “Hold up, I fuck with Mexicans, got a plug with Mexicans. When the low low need a

switch, who I call? A Mexican. This Comedy Central ass nigga couldn't be the President. Hold

up, Nip, tell the world how you fuck with Mexicans. It wouldn't be the USA without Mexicans.

And if it's time to team up, shit, let's begin.” Hussle made his opinion on Trump's proposition to

build a wall on the border of Mexico crystal clear.

Law enforcement’s reaction to YG and Hussle’s song was also made crystal clear. Gil

Kaufman with Billboard.com reported that LAPD shut down the filming of “FDT” music video.

Kaufman writes, “ In April 2016, the ​LAPD​ shut down a video shoot for the song being filmed
on the corner of ​Crenshaw Boulevard​ and 71st Street, Los Angeles following a tip-off. There

were no arrests, and a police spokesman later said there was no evidence of violence.” In an

article written by Adelle Platon, another reporter for Billboard.com, She discusses YG’s sharing

his experience with the US Secret Service’s response to his album. She writes, “Secret Service

hollered at the label, ‘They asked if they could see the lyrics on my album to see if I'm talking

about it on my album. Cause I'm talking about it on my album, they gon' try to take it off the

shelf.’ (This calls to mind another L.A. based talent, N.W.A who received a letter from the

Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1989 following the release of their controversial track "F--k

Tha Police.)”

Music Censorship is the practice of ​editing musical works for several reasons, stemming

from a wide variety of motivations, including moral, political, or religious reasons. Music

Censorship has seen its way in and out of courtrooms internationally for decades. In 1735 John

Peter Zenger was acquitted for publishing lyrics to ballads critical of the British colonial

governor. This well-known case reinstated the first amendment by stating that “Music is a form

of expression that is protected by the First Amendment.” Putting a rap twist back on this

conversation, in 1989 the Florida-native rap group, 2 live crew, released their album ​As Nasty As

They Wanna Be ​with an “Explicit Lyrics” advisory sticker. This album caught the attention of

local government officials, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, and the fight with our flawed

First Amendment began. Paul Fiscer, contributor for mtsu.edu, wrote an article describing the

specific of this case. Fiscer wrote, “After obtaining a copy of the recording and transcribing its

lyrics, Deputy Sheriff Mark Wichner prepared an affidavit requesting that the Broward County

Court find probable cause for obscenity. In March, Judge Mel Grossman issued such an order.
Wichner copied the order and visited three retail stores in a jacket marked “Broward County

Sheriff '' and with his badge in plain view, warning “as a matter of courtesy” that future sales

would result in arrest. Other officers visited between 15 and 20 other stores.” In the end, this case

made its way to the Supreme Court and Florida authorities’ appeal to the Supreme Court was

denied.

The intersection of Freedom of Speech and Gangster Rap in South Central, Los Angeles

is undeniable. So I propose this question, if the first amendment states, ​“​Congress shall make no

law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging

the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to

petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Why do government officials attempt to

silence the freedom of speech of citizens? These are the flaws I referred to in the beginning of

this article.
 References

1. Brown, A., & Lopez, M. H. (2019, December 30). Mapping the Latino Population, By

State, County and City. Retrieved from

https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2013/08/29/mapping-the-latino-population-by-stat

e-county-and-city/

2. Fischer, P. (n.d.). 2 Live Crew. Retrieved from

https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1447/2-live-crew

3. History.com Editors. (2017, December 4). First Amendment. Retrieved from

https://www.history.com/topics/united-states-constitution/first-amendment

4. Kaufman, G. (2016, April 4). YG and Nipsey Hussle's 'FDT (F--- Donald Trump)' Video

Shoot Shut Down By Cops. Retrieved from

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7318933/yg-nipsey-hussle-fdt-donald-trump-vid

eo-shoot-cops-shut-down

5. Platon, A. (2016, April 27). YG 'FDT': Secret Service Reached Out To Rapper.

Retrieved from

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7348438/yg-secret-service-donald-tr

ump-fdt