Real Prison Rappers Get a Raw Deal From MTV

The Lifers Group is a rap group with an unusual credo: “Learn at the expense of our sorrow. Help keep our membership low. Help save tomorrow’s minds from crime today.”

That’s hardly the kind of tough talk you hear from Ice Cube, the Geto Boys and most of today’s new generation of hip-hop hard guys. And for good reason. Lifers Group’s nine rappers all reside at East Jersey State Prison in Rahway, N.J., where they’re serving sentences of 25 years to double life for crimes ranging from armed robbery to murder.

With the young black male prison population at a record high, the inmates’ rap songs, which include “Belly of the Beast” and “The Raw Deal,” are particularly timely, offering a chilling warning to young fans: Jail is not a hip place--it’s a horror.

Unfortunately, MTV, which plays dozens of videos by wanna-be rap gangsters, hasn’t got the message. According to Hollywood Records, which recently released the Lifers Group EP, the all-important video channel has refused to play the group’s “Belly of the Beast” video, saying its depiction of prison life--and prison language--is too graphic.

While Hollywood president Peter Paterno refused to directly criticize MTV for the decision, staffers at the label--and other record companies--have complained bitterly about the programming move.

“It sends the entirely wrong message,” says a sympathetic exec at another label. “MTV has shown videos that pretend to be set in prison or use prison imagery. So the channel is saying it’s OK to romanticize prison or use prison imagery as theater, but somehow it’s too scary when it’s the real thing.”

The Lifers Group’s songs offer a graphic portrait of prison existence, depicting its random violence, isolation and harsh living conditions. It’s a radically different picture than what young rap fans have heard from the likes of Ice Cube, who has glorified prison life, saying in a recent song: “Had to do a week in the county, a piece of cake, it was just like a party.”

So why does MTV happily play Ice Cube videos and K--Solo’s “I’m a Fugitive” clip, which features lots of mock prison footage, but reject Lifers Group, even after Hollywood Records bleeped out all the offensive language in the video?

“We had no problem with the message--in fact, our news shows have aired clips from the video,” says a MTV spokeswoman. “But even with the bleeps, we felt our viewers could still figure out what language was being used. Our decision was solely based on language. It had nothing to do with the video’s message or the people involved.”

Hollywood Records execs say they plan to resubmit the video with more substantial editing, though they remain pessimistic about the chances of MTV playing the clip. “We’re a little disappointed,” concludes Paterno, who says the Lifers Group EP has sold 35,000 copies in its first month of release.

“MTV has always shown a willingness to program socially responsible material, whether it’s been various anti-drug messages or its involvement with the Rock the Vote campaign. We thought this video, which sends a clear message to kids that it’s not cool to go to prison, was exactly the kind of socially important message programming MTV wants to be associated with.

“But we’ll find other ways to get exposure for this project because it’s the kind of message you want as many kids as possible to hear about.”