Bill O’Reilly recently criticized Nas (whom he alleges the title of “gangsta rapper” to) and the governing body of Virginia Tech for allowing the rapper to perform at the Virginia Tech memorial concert.
O’Reilly, who in the past has criticized rappers such as Ludacris and Cam’Ron, expressed qualms with Nas’ violent lyrics and a past gun charge. In light of those things, O’Reilly lambastedthe decision to have the rapper at the concert, which serves as a memorial to victims of gunfire in the recent Virginia Tech massacre.
O’Reilly called the decision “insulting the murder victims of Virginia Tech.” Calling Nas’ recordings “as violent as they come,” O’Reilly cited songs such as Ether and Got Yourself A Gun to back up his claims. He then went on to criticize Virginia Tech President Dr. Charles W. Steger, claiming that Steger “knows Nas is inappropriate, but is too cowardly to do anything about it.”
The video, which can be viewed here, shows O’Reilly citing some Virginia Tech’s own students’ protests against Nas performing, as well as further criticism of Steger’s administration for past events such as allowing Marcus Vick (younger brother of NFL star Michael VIck) to play after numerous offenses. O’Reilly even claimed that Steger’s administration was responsible for deaths in the massacre due to a slow response.
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Guests on the segment were Robert Woodson, CTR for Neighborhood Enterprise, and Bakari Kitwana, author of The Hip Hop Generation.Woodson claimed that it was “outrageous” to allow Nas to perform, while Kitwana explained the Nas has songs of a positive nature such as I Can.
Kitwana turned the argument back onto O’Reilly, stating “I think there is a history of media personalities, such as yourself, attempting to paint this blanket condemnation of hip hop.”
