Now I have no beef with Mr Knight. I have no doubts that he runs his business in an ethical fashion, that's the American way. Hanging someone out of a 20th storey window is no more morally reprehensible than employing child labor at scandalously low wages say, or polluting on a major scale. In this respect, Knight (if the allegations are to be believed) was simply following the example of some of America's greatest corporations.

My problem is that a whole generation of talented white rappers may now be too afraid to perform in public, and that the much-anticipated return of America's best ever white rapper may be jeopardized by the threats of violence that are likely to ensue.

Now, I am not proposing that Mr Knight be kept imprisoned for crimes he may or may not intend to commit in the future. That would be ridiculous and hypocritical, since Mr Ice himself is no stranger to the world of violence and mayhem coming as he does from the tough streets of Miami, Fl, and as this lyrical sample will testify he is quite capable of handling himself in any situation:

Girls were hot wearing less than bikinis
Rockman lovers driving Lamborghinis
Jealous 'cause I'm out geting mine
Shay with a gauge and Vanilla with a nine
Reading for the chumps on the wall
The chumps acting ill because they're so full of "Eight Ball"
Gunshots ringed out like a bell
I grabbed my nine -- All I heard were shells
Falling on the concrete real fast

[Editor's Note, by dmg] - for those adequacy readers who are unfamiliar with gangsta rap subculture a 'gauge' in this context refers to the twelve-gauge shotgun. 'nine' refers to the compact 9 millimeter caliber handgun (e.g Beretta) popular amongst 'gangsta' rappers like Ice. 'Eight Ball' is an alcoholic beverage - Old English 800 Malt Liquor, popular in the inner cities. Originally brewed by Pabst, now being brewed by Miller

What worries me is that Ice may be seeking revenge for his humiliation at the hands of Knight, and that it might all go off and one of his concerts will erupt in a hail of gunfire.

Both these men have a history of extremely violent behaviour and irresponsible attitudes toward firearms (an issue adequacy.org tackled in an earlier article). Given Knight's release, how long will it be before there is an all-out gun war at one of Ice's upcoming concerts, with our children getting caught up in the crossfire ?

I am a staunch supporter of freedom of speech, and so I am reluctant to impose censorship on anyone, but in this case, Ice must be banned from performing live until such time as he can demonstrate that he will not cause trouble. This is the only way to protect the children from the inevitable violence and carnage that would otherwise ensue.

What do others think ? Is white rap threatened by Knight's release ? Why is Vanilla Ice universally despised by the 'rap' community despite his hardcore rhyme skills and street background ? Is reverse racism the real issue here ? Are African Americans afraid that Vanilla will 'do an Elvis' on them, and steal their music just like the 'King' did all those years ago ?

Can't we all just get along ?