21 years ago from today, The Reverend Calvin Butts, of Abyssinian Baptist Church of Harlem kicked off his campaign protest against 'gansta rap' by steamrolling CD's and cassettes of artists such as 2 Live Crew, Scarface, NWA, and Tupac to name a few. His plan can up short only after crushing a few cassettes as counter-demonstrators stood in front of the steamroller. His protest gained exposure, but that's about it.21 years later and Hip Hop has Tupac lyrics gracing a Broadway stage (here), Scarface is a community leader, and some members of N.W.A. are household names (Ice Cube, Dr. Dre) from their business maneuvers. So what if anything did Reverend Butts achieve? Let me answer that, "Nothing. He achieved nothing." Hip Hop and the culture embedded lives on globally.
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