As reported in newspapers across the city, Power 105 DJ Troi Torain was arrested on May 12. Torain, known as "DJ Star" on the New York City hip-hop radio station, was arrested for threatening on air to molest the four-year-old daughter of rival DJ Raashaun Casey from hip-hop radio station Hot 97.
Clearly, Torain's rivalry with Casey had reached an inappropriate level and Torain's words were completely out of line. But this is not surprising. Torain's words are completely in line with the hip-hop culture that currently exists in our society.
A co-worker of mine who listened to Torain's morning show everyday for years told me after the incident, "He said things almost just as bad daily." From this perspective, it was inevitable that one day he would say something a bit worse, and there you have it, front page news is made.
I don't mean to confine my critique to Torain or to Power 105. Torain's rival was from Hot 97, a station notorious for the violence and tasteless sensationalism surrounding it. Most recently, in February 2005, gunfire was exchanged between posses of the hip-hop artists 50 Cent and The Game in front of the Hot 97 station. Also recently, the station itself broadcast a competition where women slapped each other on the air for money and prizes. Hot 97's list of shadiness includes more shootings, tasteless songs about those who have died, and other events not worth mentioning.
The current hip-hop music, also known as rap music, generally glorifies and inevitably encourages a preponderance of phenomena that would have been easily recognized in the 1950s as bad: violence, fornication (sex outside of marriage), drugs, and so on. Many readers may think that these things done in moderation or on appropriate occasions are okay. To that, I say I'm not here to judge you, only you can judge yourself—but it doesn't take a genius to clearly see in Torain's words the results of a culture having thrown off all restraints in the name of self-gratification.
A few years ago, I was driving with my close friend, a lover of hip-hop and anything with a strong bass beat. As he turned up the volume on the local hip-hop radio station, he said, "I don't really care if the music has a good message or not, I just like it to sound good." Notably, at this point in his life, my friend had gone from not fornicating or doing drugs (or even drinking) during college, to being involved with both.
My friend, whom I love and respect, is unfortunately taking a passive role in the hip-hop culture he is a part of—letting it influence him, rather than trying to have a positive effect on it. I think we can all agree that Torain's threat to sexually abuse a four year old is horrendous, but arresting him and taking away his handgun are really only short term, shallow solutions. I think all parties involved—hip-hop radio stations, their corporate entities and hip-hop listeners—need to think about taking an active role in changing the music culture they are involved in. After Torain was arrested, I'd like to ask everyone involved: Will you go on playing the same gangsta rap songs? Will you go on listening to the same gangsta rap songs?
For six months I sat beside my co-worker, who listened to Power 105 for years. Whether I wanted to listen to Torain or not, I heard a lot of him. While Torain likely deserves whatever punishment he gets, the truth is that he is a very funny and charismatic man with a likable personality.
That's what I fear most. In the future, there will be another irresistible hip-hop DJ who pushes the envelope, but maybe next time, he will actually molest the 4-year-old girl.
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