(Michigan City, IN) - A leader of the local black community feels strongly that rap music needs cleaning up for the health of society.

Wes Scully, President of the La Porte County Chapter of the NAACP, said the lyrics glorifying things like prison, guns and other forms of violence are causing a lot of damage particularly among youth.  He said anyone listening to such lyrics are prone to acting out what’s programmed into their brains.  “Even white kids get caught up in that music,” he said.

Scully said healthier lyrics are in order but money is doing the talking for rap artists who care more about profits than the harm they’re causing to humanity.  “Because they make so much money saying things that’s detrimental to our culture, it’s like poison.  You got a group of people that’s constantly poisoning our children.  They’ll say anything.  They desecrate our women,” he said.

Scully said the lifestyle portrayed in rap songs does not reflect the actual culture of the many hard working family oriented members of the black community.  However, Scully said the image portrayed feeds a negative impression people might have about African-Americans and enhances the risk of them being discriminated against or targeted.