Rap star 50 Cent caused controversy when billboards for his movie Get Rich or Die Tryin' were placed near schools. The billboards depicted the rapper holding a gun in one hand and a microphone in the other. Following protests from community groups that the advertisements promoted gun violence, Paramount Pictures removed the offending billboards.

The G-Unit rapper, nick-named 'Fiddy', was apparently unrepentant, seemingly pleased that the protest had generated extra publicity for his movie. Gun violence seems to follow 50 Cent, who has himself been shot nine times, and always wears a bulletproof vest. Two known associates of the rap star were arrested at a 50 Cent video shoot in New York City after police found they were carrying loaded weapons. Then a 30 year old man was shot dead after a showing of Get Rich or Die Tryin' in Pittsburgh. In Syracuse police said that an increase in shootings was linked to a fight that began between two rival gangs when members of both groups saw 50 Cent's movie. In the UK anti-gun campaigners called on stores to withdraw 50 Cent's computer game Bulletproof. Players follow Fiddy from crack-dealing gangsta to superstar by gunning down, stabbing and strangling rivals. Campaigners were angry that Bulletproof glamorises the gangsta lifestyle. The graphics allow a bullet’s-eye view of a gunshot as it ploughs into a rival’s exploding head. However, Fiddy’s bullet wounds miraculously heal, angering gun crime campaigners. Gleen Reid of Mothers Against Guns said: “The game glorifies guns and gangs at a time when we are trying to prevent real-life shootings. 50 Cent makes a profit out of the misery of parents who are burying their children.” Despite this, Fiddy says parents should buy the game for their children because he claims it will teach them right from wrong! "Just because it is rated mature doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it for your kids."

50 Cent Movie Poster

50 Cent caused an outcry in the UK when a Reebok campaign featured TV ads showing Fiddy counting to nine — the number of times he was shot; at the same time, print ads showed him with finger print records. A Canadian MP tried to ban 50 Cent from touring Canada to protect what he called 'impressionable young men' from being destroyed in the prime of their lives. Fiddy was only allowed to perform after obtaining a temporary resident's permit. Canadian Police reported that one man was killed in Toronto and another shot in Montreal following previous 50 Cent concerts in 2003.

50 Cent Reebok campaign

50 Cent has a clever publicity team. Make a controversial poster. It gets banned but makes the pages of every paper in the world. — Letter to London's Metro newspaper after the UK advertising watchdog banned a Get Rich or Die Tryin' poster.

50 Cent’s movie features Asher D from the UK’s So Solid Crew. The south London collective has repeatedly found itself at the centre of negative publicity regarding guns and violence. In 2001 an 18-year-old fan was beaten to death in the street after a performance; two months later band member Neutrino was shot in the leg during a scuffle. There was a double shooting at a club in central London at a birthday party for one of the garage collective's members; in a separate incident, producer G-Man was jailed for possessing a loaded handgun. Asher D himself was sent to a young offenders' institution for possessing an illegal firearm. However, after his release, he was among those who joined the Disarm campaign, urging others to learn from his mistakes. Another band member, MC Harvey, was ordered to do 150 hours of community service for assaulting a police officer. He expressed remorse, saying that he had learned his lesson and had set a bad example to young people. The murder conviction of So Solid producer Carl Morgan brought the crew back into the headlines in 2006. As someone who knew a couple of the members of the So Solid Crew before they became famous, I am dismayed at how apparently easy it was for them to be sucked in to the "gangsta" image. I was particularly saddened by the shooting involving Neutrino, who I knew for many years. Neutrino, or Mark as I knew him, was not someone you would ever associate with that lifestyle.

Oxide and Neutrino

I shot myself in the leg, cuz I'm f****** crazy like dat! — Neutrino on Rap Dis

Puma's Bonnie and Clyde sneakers have a machine gun logo on them and the words "I steal for a living" on the inside. Anti-gun campaigners claimed that the limited-edition shoes were aimed at young black men and 'glamourised' crime.

The Mayor of London criticised rap musicians at the launch of an anti-gun campaign. "Gun crime, knife crime — they are the only crime categories that continue to rise. With role models like rap groups there is almost an inevitability about that and people in the public eye should consider the role models they set.”

Can listening to rap music lead to violence? Do rappers make good role models? Let me know what you think.

Rap music is a form of art or expression like any other type of music. Rap music in itself is not violent. Rap music of today is merely a reflection of the violence that many urban dwellers deal with daily in America. The art of gangsta rap reflects life as the rapper knows it and he or she in no way invites anyone to recreate their lives. Condemning gangsta rap music is an empty attempt by politicians and older generation individuals who are unable and unwilling to tackle the true problems that grip urban American cities. — Carmayne

We have become a society which searches for someone to blame. This is what we are teaching our young people, you've done wrong, but it's not your fault, it's the rap music. I am in day to day contact with young people, personally and professional. It's time we started teaching them about choice, about personal responsibility. Just because someone says it to a nice beat, doesn't mean they have to do it. So let's stop looking for scapegoats and do more to empower our young people to make change. — Stephanie

I think most of 'em are hypocrites. We all understand that most of us (includin 'em) had a hard childhood life, single pops 'n moms, projects 'n all that, but now they’re able to sell records 'n make some money. So then, why do u have to make tracks about the lifestyle that u think is not good, esp for kids, 'n dedicate it to the hood or streets, if u’re for the streets? If they want to make money through gangsta life then why do they get into music 'n move out from the hood when they're well off? Ask urself whether they want to make money from u or help u make ur own money? Smarten up kid! — Riky J

I believe that rap can control your mood. Just as love music makes you want to be in love, dance music makes you want to dance, rock and roll makes you want to jump up and bump heads, rap music makes you want to hurt someone, and lose respect for women. Rap music is violent in nature; it speaks of nothing but violence and degradation of women. — Kyonna

I think that some rap and hip hop can promote violence, but mainly to young people; they won’t know if it’s right or wrong to shoot somebody. I like all of Fiddy’s songs and especially his movie; he is a great inspiration to me and to millions of people worldwide. — Ben

Yea, I strongly believe that hip hop can lead to violence. — Corinne

Yes, yes, yes! Music is the prime reason why we have so much violence. I know for myself when I sat back and listened to a Tupac record I wanted to hurt someone and when millions of adolescent minds listen to these kinds of music they lose their respect for the lives of their fellow human beings. — Kyerra

Not all rap portrays violence and women. People like Nas, The Roots, some of Dead Prez and a li'l bit of Mos Def don’t really bring a person down — it’s about love. — GurlUShouldKnow

GurlUShouldKnow, u should really listen to Nas' music a little closer. Do u remember the song "U Owe Me," in which he collaborated with Ginuwine? That song is quite nasty and misogynistic. Most of these rappers and R'n'B artists have justified their own lifestyle because of the fame and fortune. We can all sell out at some point, but the point is, when you have given your life to Christ, u should change... not change the Word to suit you. — JD

JD, how about Atmosphere? Eyedea & Abilities? Murs is another good one. Hip-hop/rap isn't violent in nature. It just seems to be what’s selling to the mainstream crowd, and people trying to make money sell to that very same audience. Definitely tells you something about the majority of society today. It would seem like there is a lot of anger in my generation and believe me I definitely used to listen to that music back in my angry days before I ended up in a RTC and then a slightly less restrictive boarding school. But I just have to defend hip-hop because the stuff I listen to actually brightens my mood and is usually pretty upbeat and positive. And if it isn't particularly positive (not meaning violent), I enjoy the poetry anyways and I can usually relate to what they are saying. Just some real people you should check out if you think hip-hop is inherently violent. — Jason

The question is can rap lead to violence? Yes. Some rappers create the feeling that you cannot survive without weapons and glorify occasions where they have used guns, making them bad role models. The only role model that we need is Jesus Christ. No man alive can live up to things he has done. Putting someone as your role model is like modeling your life after them, making them an idol or false god, which may be some of their intentions. Don’t fall into the trap. Get to know God. — B Mighty

50 cent is an awful rapper and is completely commercial. I'm not denying the fact that he used to be a gangsta but he's not any more so stop wearing a bulletproof vest! What r u scared of 50? — Ben

GurlUShouldKnow, the artists you named, I can name more than 1-2 songs that they're violent in. Please re-read their lyrics again, and think again. — PM

I have watched many movies and in them I have watched many different ways of people getting killed. But I don't go around killing people. Who is documenting all the crimes committed after watching music? The question is why focus on rap? I think because that is the only platform the black youth can air his views and be heard. Watch the news tell me if you're going to see a successful black man/woman air his/her views for more than 3 mins on TV (hey don't count Oprah) so if their kids can listen to rap, tell them what the ghetto is like, maybe one day they will let us speak longer. — Wezhira

I don't think that rap music makes violence because people listen to it. It's not actually rap music's fault. If people want to do what it says then its their fault not rap music's fault, so go somewhere with all dat. — Samantha

Rap music has a major influence on young adults today, but I don't believe that that it causes violent behavior. Young people know right from wrong and they determine what they want to do because they have a mind of their own. — Stephanie

I think hip hop can be used as a warning, telling people the truth, and feel sorry for those unfortunate people who have to live an everyday struggle for their life, living literally on the edge and having to do things they don't want to do but have to just to survive. If you are not living in these circumstances stay away from it, but if you are living the thug life then their music is the only way to tell people what to do to survive. Reverse psychology, you just got to have the brains to figure it out. It is a jungle out there, kill or be killed, survival of the fittest and all that, so those who haven't lived Fifty's life, feel privileged. Full respect Fifty, and all those who got themselves out of hell. RIP 2PAC! — Drummond

All you people who say rap causes violence are just stupid. Y’alls opinion are all the same. It’s based on stereotypes of black people but you can’t blame dumb people for bein dumb. I think that Fiddy and 2Pac are great people with great minds, and you people are wastin your time with all this "it causes violence” shizzle nizzle kabizzle. — Elvis

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Queens Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip Hop Hustler This engrossing portrait of the trigger-happy hip-hop demimonde explores the origins of the gangsta-rap ethos in southeast Queens, home to legendary narcotics gangs and many of rap's biggest stars, including 50 Cent and Ja Rule. Ethan Brown begins by chronicling the careers of three Queens drug kingpins during the 1980s crack epidemic, when maintaining a fearsome reputation for violence was a must for doing business. He continues through to the 1990s, when a younger generation of hip-hop artists and impresarios idolized such criminals and adopted their twisted moral economy of street cred. Rappers dissed rivals' lack of a criminal background while burnishing their own; the war of rhymes occasionally escalated into gunplay between hostile entourages; prison stints and shoot-out wounds were coveted markers of hoodlum authenticity. Drawing on interviews with gangsters and rappers alike, Brown looks behind the tabloid headlines. USA UK Canada

Why White Kids Love Hip Hop Why White Kids Love Hip-Hop is a provocative book that reveals how hip-hop has altered conventional 'racial politics.' Bakari Kitwana does not shy away from the lingering truths, stereotypes, and contradictions related to hip-hop, that result from a long-standing racial hierarchy. He is clear that everyone can enjoy and experience hip-hop-but not at the expense of young blacks who now, as in the beginning, remain its driving creative force. Kitwana has provided a myth-busting, stereotype-shattering, paradigm-shifting examination of the complex relationship between white youth and black popular culture. Eschewing tired cliches, refusing racial pieties, and resisting old habits of thought, he clears a brilliant path to fresh insight. In fact, it's crucial for understanding youth culture and contemporary racial politics. USA UK Canada

Rap and the Eroticizing of Black Youth Are rappers raising Black youth? What kind of values are being taught? Do rap lyrics contribute to the STD and AIDS epidemic? How can we save Black youth? Showing that in its early days rap music led to black consciousness, this book goes on to argue that the current preoccupations of rap — especially the erotic themes expressed and their dramatization in music videos — have led to an unthinking youthful acceptance of profanity, vulgarity, sexual abuse, and violence. The book advocates for a return to rap's origins, for young people to become more selective and critical of today's music, and for parents to take a more active role in monitoring their children's listening habits. USA UK Canada

I am Hip Hop, I am Health I am Hip-Hop, I am Health is a movement utilizing the global cultural phenomenon of hip-hop to increase the consciousness and enhance the practices of positive health and wellness among hundreds of millions of youth throughout the world. Three young health professionals who grew up within hip-hop culture have identified an opportunity for the hip-hop community to merge with the health care community to influence a positive change in health and wellness. Dr Ross Flowers, Dr Gary Davis, and Dr Che Joplin are licensed health care professionals who have researched, written, and dedicated their professional practices to mind and body health. Through the venue of hip-hop culture, these health professionals have taken a creative approach to introducing health disparities that are associated with morbidity and mortality and recommending methods and resources for positive change in order to enhance hip-hop community health and wellness. USA UK Canada

Not content with marketing everything from water to condoms, rapper 50 Cent has moved into publishing. His new books have prompted opposition from campaigners who see them as a cynical attempt to exploit young readers and glorify violent crime. G-Unit Books: Urban Fiction or Literary Crime?

Kanye West brought conflict diamonds to the attention of many with his video for Diamonds from Sierra Leone. Now, movie Bling: Consequences and Repercussions looks to further educate the hip hop generation about the murder and carnage caused by the world’s greed for diamonds. Bling: Consequences and Repercussions

If, like me, you were surprised to see Pastor Mason Betha rapping with 50 Cent on his single Window Shopping, you might be wondering what's going on. Mase's conversion to Christianity in 1999 is well documented, not least in his autobiography. Has Ma$e exchanged Creflo Dollar for half a dollar?

Is it all too easy for politicians and the media to blame gangsta rappers for the fact that young people carry guns and knives? Could it be that the alienated youths that do so have been far more influenced by other factors such as poor education or family breakdown? Taking the Rap?

So Solid Crew star Ashley Walters’s career goes from strength to strength. After bouncing back from a jail sentence for firearms possession, via roles in a string of movies and prime time TV series, rapper Asher D is now starring in new British urban thriller Sugarhouse. Asher D: Rising To The Top