Black Bar Behavior

Within the last few years, hip-hop has taken a hell of a beating on college campuses and towns from bar and club owners attempting to censor true hip hop dress and culture by establishing dress codes and allocating hip- hop one night of recognition. Owners claim their efforts are implemented to increase safety in these public places and to cut crime. However, most bars have specifically prohibited long or over sized garments, including: large hooded jackets, baggy denim, sports jerseys, baseball caps, and shades. The security measures seem to single out black males—the main group of individuals who commonly wear these types of clothing. These types of dress are too indicative of the aggressive black male stereotype continually perpetuated in the media, largely through music videos and news stories. So, it seems the censorship of hip hop in this context is an attempt to control the racial composition of bar and club crowds alluding to age old stereotypes about black groups and their behavior. Large gatherings of black have long been an issue for American society since the beginning of slavery, and hundreds of years later, the hip-hop culture is experiencing its remnants. Both urban and hip-hop dress and rap/hip hop music is largely associated with black audiences. By using safety codes to marginalize groups it seems these establishments are practicing underhanded form of deliberate racism that has gone unchallenged. The cultural range at most bars continues to remain stagnant as most races and ethnicities decide to socialize in segregated groups. And with the music selection and availability in bars and night clubs greatly influencing its dominant patron(races),we can most likely count on maintaining a largely segregated college nightlife—at least for the majority of the week.