Hip-Hop Artists Seek to Beat a Bum Rap

Words are their specialty, coupled with a driving beat. But hip-hopsters--under attack for explicit lyrics, misogyny and glamorizing drugs and violence in their music--feel misunderstood.

After a three-day summit here, hip-hop artists and music industry executives have decided that it’s time to try different ways to get their message across.

An unprecedented coalition of artists, scholars, executives and activists announced a plan of action Thursday to transform the music’s cultural influence into political and social power and to give back to their communities. Among the initiatives: a more aggressive program of voluntary warning labels on explicit content and the formation of new charities and political action committees.

“What you’re witnessing right now is history,” said rapper-entrepreneur Sean “Puffy” Combs. “Hip-hop, it cannot be denied, is the most influential art form. It’s not just the music, it’s a lifestyle, it’s a way of life. . . . We realize how much power we have and are prepared to use it in a positive way.”

They will start by forming a political coalition to influence legislation, register voters and endorse candidates. The first target: lobbying critics in Washington who are trying to regulate the content of lyrics. Legislation recently introduced by Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), they argued, infringes on artists’ freedom of expression.

The theme of the event was taking power back into their own hands. Though there were no apologies for the graphic images in their music, the artists and music industry heads agreed to an expansion of the record industry’s current voluntary labeling system warning about explicit content in recordings.

Within a few months, said Recording Industry Assn. of America President Hilary Rosen, consumers will see warning labels on Internet sites that promote or sell music deemed explicit.

Inspired by intensive discussions with civil rights leaders and social activists, artists and the heads of their record companies announced several new charities and community programs, while lamenting that those already established have been ignored.

“There are so many stories about rappers and their cars, but not rappers and their charities,” said summit organizer Russell Simmons, whose Def Jam label also sponsors the 7-year-old Rush Philanthropic Arts.

Combs said he would ally his charity, Daddy’s House, with a National Urban League literacy program. And Def Jam said it is buying a Harlem brownstone to house a hip-hop mentoring program to develop young artists and teach them business and management skills.

“There’s no sector of the music community, no genre that actually gives back to their community as much as the hip-hop community,” said Rosen. “It is a fact that they don’t get enough credit for.”

Finally, the group outlined ideas for joining artists with social institutions to get their listeners politically engaged. Rap stars will record public service announcements and join with the NAACP, the Million Family Movement and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to develop educational and political programs. Projects include expanding “Rap the Vote” registration at concerts, an effort that enlisted 1 million new voters last year, and backing candidates they believe represent the black community.