TIME WARNER DUMPS GANGSTA RAP

After coming under harsh criticism from conservatives for putting out records with controversial lyrics, Time Warner announced today it is shedding its 50 percent stake in Interscope Records, the rap label of such stars as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound and Tupac Shakur. The decision followed Interscope's refusal to allow Warner Music Group to review lyrics for an upcoming rap record by Tha Dogg Pound. "The sale of Interscope is not going to reduce the amount of sex and violence in American culture," says music critic Christopher John Farley. "It is all around us: in the streets, on television, in movies. There is more sex in the Packwood diaries than in any record Snoop has released." Farley notes that the Time Warner decision may prove to be an opportunity for gangsta rappers to move beyond "self-defeating nonsense obscenity, and toward music that is more political, that may make a contribution. Perhaps Snoop and Tha Dogg Pound should listen to some Public Enemy albums," Farley says.