Hit Rap Song Asks: "Why Did Bush Knock Down The Towers?"

Reuters | July 12 2004

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Musicians often voice political opinions in their songs, especially during an election year, but most hip-hop acts have remained quiet on the current political environment -- until now.

Ruff Ryders/Interscope artist Jadakiss -- also a member of rap trio the Lox -- is receiving a lot of attention for his single "Why?" The song questions President Bush's involvement in the events of September 11, 2001, with the lyric "Why did Bush knock down the Towers?"

The line has prompted some radio stations to edit the song. According to sources at MTV, the "Why?" video arrived at the network without the lyric.

For Jadakiss, the song is a way to reach people.

"I wanted to make a song that could appeal to a broader -- and not only the hood," he says. "I wanted to make something that would touch people at home in white America.

"I was thinking, 'What's the one thing that everyone has in common? Questions.' Everyone asks why, so I decided to write a song asking questions that everyone wants to," he adds.

As for the controversial line, the Yonkers, N.Y., rapper's view is unwavering. Referring to the events of September 11, Jadakiss says: "That's why I put it in there like that. A lot of my people felt that he had something to do with it."

Some programmers say they received only the version that omitted the line -- in both the radio edit and the "clean" version.

"Actually, the uncensored version of that line is probably my favourite in the whole song," says one program director, who asked to remain anonymous.

"Since they can hear us in D.C., and I don't want Secret Service knocking down my door in the middle of the night," the program director adds, "I'll stick to the clean version."

While some stations air an edited version of the song, other stations, among them WGCI Chicago and WWPR New York, have opted to play the unedited track.

"I saw the video, where they edited the, but when it came to playing it on the radio, we never thought we should," WWPR program director Michael Saunders says. "Freedom of speech gives him the right to say what he does. No one edited 'Get Low' by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz."

Saunders says the lyric has not been an issue at WWPR.

"No one has called about it," he says. "Even with women, who listen to lyrics more, no one has noticed it enough to call."

Interscope head of rap promotions Kevin "Always Bet On" Black isn't concerned about the controversy. "'Why?' is the biggest record," he says. "It touches the heart and says things that a lot of people are afraid to say."

Black isn't the only one who thinks that. Jadakiss' second album, "Kiss of Death," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last week, selling more than 246,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Meanwhile, "Why?," which features R&B singer Anthony Hamilton, continues to climb the charts. The second single from "Kiss of Death" debuted at No. 71 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The single is No. 16 this week.

The type of controversy that surrounds "Why" can end up helping an artist, and Jadakiss knows it. "They're censoring me all over the place, and that's good," he says. "That means it's reaching out to everybody. When I made the song, I wrote it to be political, controversial, and to stir some things up.

"Somebody has to take the forefront and sacrifice," he adds. "That's what I do -- I sacrifice myself."