Rap fan pays fine rather than listen to classical music

I like that the judge came up with a clever sentence option, and the man just said 'no I'm not going to do that, it's pretty stupid.' I feel like that's another point for hip hop.

I wouldn't stay anywhere to hear 20 hours of Music. Not even in 2-3 hours intervals. I would just pay the stupid fine. Yet, I come to ask, why was another style of Music enforced and why Classical?

Without classical there would be no Jazz, without Jazz, no funk, without funk.......no hip-hop. Know your roots, see your fruits. Read "Blues People" by Leroi Jones aka Amiri Baracka. It's like the family tree of music, starting with the afro-caribean beats that were preserved at Congo Square in New Orleans.

I couldnt last 5 min. with country music

A little culture never hurt anybody. Just goes to show that the guy in question would rather be a following than a leader.

I find that studying the roots of music makes me appreciate modern music more, especially world music. If I were that kid, I'd save 150 bucks, grow a pair and wrap my head around some culture.

Judges are disgusting people with inflated egos and elitist pretensions. Music is never one-fits-all and never will be.

So what he really said was screw all of us, he will continue to play his childish rap music full blast so the rest of us are forced to listen to it...

He was given a choice, and we are not. I would gladly pay money to shut those thumping cars up for good!

$135? Thats not a punishment. pfffff....I would have paid the fine and not even wasted 15min. I do like classical music but still, 20hrs? That was just stupid on the judges part.

A punishment would be to have installed a device on his car that would not allow the car to start as long as there is music playing over a certain decibel. Have it there for one month.

So let me get this straight, by listening to classical music, he would be "getting some culture", but listening to HipHop music, he lacks it? I disagree.

Though Classical music is great to listen to, I doubt I could take 20 hours of forced listening. Maybe if I could choose...the strings in some pieces are outta control! In a good way...

This was simply a young man who didn't have 20 hours free for a judge to try and prove some point about his personal feelings on rap music. I wonder if the judge had ever listened to 20 hours of rap music without passing "judgement"?

"$150 fine ... But a judge offered to reduce that to $35 if Vactor spent 20 hours listening to classical music."

That works out to getting $5.75 an hour.

The minimum wage in Ohio is $6.55 per hour.

So if he got a minimum wage job, and worked the 20 hours instead of listening to music, he'd have $16 left over after paying the fine.

Turning classical music into a "sentence" is not a clever idea, its a heavy-handed attempt to ram the judge's obviously very limited idea of culture down somebody's throat.

First of all, there's no good reason to believe that Vactor dislikes classical music. But I have to imagine that this is more of an economic calculus. $150/20hrs... I'd rather spend a few extra hours at work than a few days serving out my sentence.

I can see why so many people are playing the "get some culture" angle, but it's just stupid. For one, he specifically says he elected to pay the fine so he could attend his basketball practice. Second of all, you don't have to listen to classical music to be "cultured", or to be a good music listener - some people just don't enjoy classical music, and hip-hop is just as valid as a genre.

And finally, speaking as a music lover and musician: Even I won't be strong-armed into listening to 20 hours of music. I'd just as well pay the $115 and spend my free time listening to whatever I want.

The judge lost. But then again, it is not about winning or losing, it is about respect. People who play their music so loud that neighbors must endure the noise pollution are disrespecting the rights of others. Gas stations are notorius for people leaving their stereos on in an effort to show off their sound system. Fines should be the same as talking on your cell phone while driving, driving in a car-pool lane when driving alone, or not stopping at a stop sign.

It shouldn't have been a choice.How many people has he forced to hear his music.Key word being forced with no other option.sorry about being late for whatever was he sorry for his inconveniences on others

I didn't realize the banter on this post was going to be so negative. So the kid wants to show "the man" that he would rather give up money than be forced to endure this part of their culture.

Who cares? He's saying exactly what everyone on this post is saying about his rap music.

If he wasn't going to appreciate the music then what's the point of having him listen to it in the first place? Let him do his thing and if he wants to eventually he will come around.

so if he was blasting classical music, what would he reduced sentence be?

My question is.... how do you enforce 20 minutes of classical listening???

And why choose Beethoven, Chopin, and Bach.... why not Debussy or other surrealist composers that he might actually respect the art for?

Who cares if he blasts his music loud at a gas station, or anywhere other than a residential neighborhood. This is AMERICA, you shouldn't have that type of law in the first place. It's a free country and you're not harming anyone. If anything, it's the close-mindedness of the judicial system and old out-of-touch people that create this problem...

20 hours of classical music isn't much either. I could easily do 20 hours sitting at my desk at work within 3 days... big deal, the kid might learn something and become the next Scott Storch or he'll be able to say "i listened to it, and don't like it"

I think the concept was clearly not to "ram culture into him" but to demonstrate that not everyone wants to have to listen to the same stuff. Chances are a lot of the people driving beside this kid didn't want to hear his music as much as he didn't want to sit and listen to whatever music the judge gave him to listen to. So the judge just wanted to show him that he should turn it down and be respectful to people around him.

I don't care what kind of music you listen to, just don't play it so loud that I can't hear what I'm playing in my own car.

Common sense always seems to be the underdog in America...

That's a clever sentence option, and it's rather telling that the guy preferred the fine. Ha, he might even have developed a liking to it, silly guy.

The comments have been rather negative
But it's because of some code words

Rap music and Basketball practice

I guarantee had you posted this and it said

Rock Music and Hockey practice

the comments may have been a little different

The judge thought he was being clever, he wasn't.

The guy shouldn't have had his music up so loud, the judge should realise you can't prescribe taste.

Classical is one of the worst instigators of road rage anyway so not all that different from the rap game.

Everyone who has posted negative comments is doing so because rap is not their "preferred choice of music". Most young people listen to their music loudly because they like it that way. Yet, because he chooses to listen to rap it becomes a problem for others who don't like it.

I don't like to be forced to listen to pop music when I walk around 90% of the establishments I've entered or worked in, but I'm not going to make a legal case of it either.

However, if this was a kid playing any other genre of music too loudly, this wouldn't have even been a court case, let alone national news story. In addition, you all shouldn't assume that just because he only listened to 15 minutes of the sentence that he does not like classical music. It is possible that he prefers rap but listens to other genres when he is not forced to do so, and it is therefore unfair to associate that behavior with "not being cultured". It is far more likely he really needed to get to basketball practice as he said.

I saw this story yesterday and I have to say I think the whole thing is ridiculous.

Like lifestudent said, if this was another genre of music they wouldn't have gotten a ticket- how many people do YOU know have gotten ticketed for playing their Bach too loud, or even the Rolling Stones- how many white people do you know have ever been pulled over for playing their music too loud?
I'll tell ya, it sounds pretty fucking racist to me and if it's not racist, it's in the least culturally insensitive. For this judge to say "listen to classical music" is like some kind of statement that classical music is "cultured" but hip-hop is not- which is craziness. This whole thing has a subtext of discrimination!