Before Frank White, There Was Frank Zappa

Written by Rizoh. Posted in Videos

Published on September 26, 2007 with 28 Comments">28 Comments

“It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them.” (Mark Twain)

Shame on Master P and David Banner, whose sub-par representation of hip-hop at the congressional hearing has forced me to unearth this classic Frank Zappa testimony. While most of us were still in underoos, Zappa was invited to testify before Congress over the PMRC’s decision to adopt a rating system/warning sticker for music recordings. Unlike Banner and P, Zappa didn’t bite his tongue. Not only did he stick it to the Senate committee, which included would-be Vice-President Al Gore, he also laid his mack game down on a female senator.

Boys and Girls, I give you The Frank Zappa Files.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4


“The PMRC proposal is an ill-conceived piece of nonsense which fails to deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not children, and promises to keep the courts busy for years dealing with the interpretational and enforcemental problems inherent in the proposal’s design. It is my understanding that, in law, First Amendment issues are decided with a preference for the least restrictive alternative. In this context, the PMRC’s demands are the equivalent of treating dandruff by decapitation.” (Frank Zappa)

Bonus: Frank Zappa on CNN’s “Crossfire” in 1986

TRU

Rizoh

Rizoh is the most powerful man in all the lands. He lives in Houston where he earned a BS in Nerf Herding. He's the founder of The Rap Up, the editor of Roc4Life.com, and is in the Grammy-awaiting band Pervertable Disciples.

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  • http://dgonzart.blogspot.com david

    frank zappa westcoast legend …he from down the street reaally

  • http://dgonzart.blogspot.com david

    frank zappa westcoast legend …he from down the street reaally

  • http://dgonzart.blogspot.com david

    frank zappa westcoast legend …he from down the street reaally

  • http://dgonzart.blogspot.com david

    frank zappa westcoast legend …he from down the street reaally

  • vida

    yes, zappa is gangsta

  • vida

    yes, zappa is gangsta

  • vida

    yes, zappa is gangsta

  • vida

    yes, zappa is gangsta

  • moneda

    Riz did you catch BET’s “Hip-Hop vs America”? I thought it was a pointless circle-jerk, personally.

  • moneda

    Riz did you catch BET’s “Hip-Hop vs America”? I thought it was a pointless circle-jerk, personally.

  • moneda

    Riz did you catch BET’s “Hip-Hop vs America”? I thought it was a pointless circle-jerk, personally.

  • moneda

    Riz did you catch BET’s “Hip-Hop vs America”? I thought it was a pointless circle-jerk, personally.

  • moneda

    Nevermind, I’m late.

  • moneda

    Nevermind, I’m late.

  • moneda

    Nevermind, I’m late.

  • moneda

    Nevermind, I’m late.

  • http://dahshyt.blogspot.com Belize

    *salute*

  • http://dahshyt.blogspot.com Belize

    *salute*

  • http://dahshyt.blogspot.com Belize

    *salute*

  • http://dahshyt.blogspot.com Belize

    *salute*

  • http://hiphopisread.blogspot.com Ivan

    damn…Zappa kept it gully…..R.I.P.

  • http://hiphopisread.blogspot.com Ivan

    damn…Zappa kept it gully…..R.I.P.

  • http://hiphopisread.blogspot.com Ivan

    damn…Zappa kept it gully…..R.I.P.

  • http://none pedmurder

    wow. zappa shits all over the senate. this is much better, rizoh, than the endless linking of kanye miscellenia rap up seems to traffic in.

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  • Spee Chen

    i viewed banners and master p’s appearances in congress as a stroking of their ego’s. It’s like a facial, fuck all that shit, they couldn’t even complete a sentence. When someone told Frank that he was “going political” in terms of the PMRC stuff, he responded by calling it a “civic obligation” Words aren’t going to corrupt you, Zappa had valid arguments and he stuck to the issue of lyrics when the media threw video clips at you.

  • Spee Chen

    i viewed banners and master p’s appearances in congress as a stroking of their ego’s. It’s like a facial, fuck all that shit, they couldn’t even complete a sentence. When someone told Frank that he was “going political” in terms of the PMRC stuff, he responded by calling it a “civic obligation” Words aren’t going to corrupt you, Zappa had valid arguments and he stuck to the issue of lyrics when the media threw video clips at you.

  • Spee Chen

    i viewed banners and master p’s appearances in congress as a stroking of their ego’s. It’s like a facial, fuck all that shit, they couldn’t even complete a sentence. When someone told Frank that he was “going political” in terms of the PMRC stuff, he responded by calling it a “civic obligation” Words aren’t going to corrupt you, Zappa had valid arguments and he stuck to the issue of lyrics when the media threw video clips at you.

  • Spee Chen

    i viewed banners and master p’s appearances in congress as a stroking of their ego’s. It’s like a facial, fuck all that shit, they couldn’t even complete a sentence. When someone told Frank that he was “going political” in terms of the PMRC stuff, he responded by calling it a “civic obligation” Words aren’t going to corrupt you, Zappa had valid arguments and he stuck to the issue of lyrics when the media threw video clips at you.

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