Don Imus really knows how to open up Pandora's box, doesn't he?

Earlier this month, while trying to prevent his show from being canceled over his comments regarding Rutgers University's women's basketball team, the radio host attempted to divert some of the attention away from himself and onto hip-hop. During his efforts at damage control, he asked why he was being taken to task and hip-hop music wasn't.

The question didn't save his show, but it did rehash arguments that were sparked back when N.W.A first hit the scene, and again when Ice-T's Body Count released "Cop Killer" and Death Row Records first came into prominence: Does the more explicit hip-hop music have a debilitating effect on the black community — especially the children and women?

The issue seems to have infuriated MCs like T.I. and Snoop Dogg, and it's definitely struck a chord with Internet bloggers and members of the media.

The most prominent media personality to speak out against the genre and its artists was Oprah Winfrey. Last week, she had what she called a "Town Hall Meeting" on her show about the state of hip-hop, mainly over certain lyrics, and the way some songs and images are degrading to women and steering youth in the wrong direction. Boycotts and even censorship were brought up as possible punishments.

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