Al Sharpton is calling for a 90-day radio and TV ban of performers who fire guns to settle scores or promote albums in an effort to curb the recent spike in rap-related shootings.
“There has to be a way to step in and regulate what’s going on with the airwaves and with violence,” Sharpton said in the New York Daily News. “The airwaves are being used to romanticize urban violence.”
Sharpton’s plea comes on the heels of a recent shooting outside New York’s Hot 97 studios that was reportedly sparked by a feud between rappers 50 Cent and The Game. While The Game has reportedly said little to investigators about the rap rivalry, he speaks about it freely from the stage.
“I’m real from the streets. I’m a real person,” The Game said. “If you don’t like me, then kill me. I ain’t afraid.”
Fearful of attitudes like The Game’s, Sharpton said he plans to ask the Federal Communications Commission and the country’s major radio broadcasters to back his boycott proposal.
“We may not be able to stop people from shooting, but we can stop people from profiting from the violence,” he said.