Rick Landre, Mike Miller, and Dee Porter

Gangster rap often glamorizes the gang lifestyle, Rick Landre, Mike Miller, and Dee Porter claim in the following viewpoint. They cite the experiences of famous rappers whose brief lives and popular careers were marked by arrests and controversy as proof that the gangster image can influence gang violence. However, the authors note, this influence is not limited to gangster rap; white racist bands can have a similar impact. Rick Landre, Mike Miller, and Dee Porter are the authors of Gangs: A Handbook for Community Awareness, from which this viewpoint is excerpted.

As you read, consider the following questions

1. What is the tragedy of gangster rap’s popularity, in the authors’ view?
2. What do the authors believe was the likeliest cause of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace’s murders?
3. Why...