10 White Artists Who Could Have Faced Jail Time If the Courts Treated Other Genres Like Hip-Hop

The Beatles The Beatles had several songs with violent lyrics cleverly hidden away in their catchy lyrics and sultry tunes, and if they were hip-hop stars “Run for Your Life” may have landed the iconic group behind bars. The instructions to “Run for Your Life” are no metaphor as the lyrics warn a young woman that her rock star lover would consider killing her before he just let her go. “I’d rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man,” the lyrics warn. Marilyn Manson It’s pretty much impossible to find just one song from the iconic rocker that isn't packed with violent, troubling lyrics. From “This Is the New S**t” to “President Dead,” a majority of Manson’s work not only discusses violence but is believed to promote it as well. According to VH1, people took serious issues with this dark music following the Columbine High School shooting back in 1999. Reports came out that the assailants were fans of Manson’s music and influenced by his violent lyrics. Ozzy Osbourne Osbourne is, after all, the man who bit the head off a bat during one of his concerts, so it’s no surprise that his music comes with a host of violent lyrics. Osbourne hits like “My Jekyll Doesn’t Hide” and “Suicide Solution” are believed by some to have influenced some teens to take their own lives with lyrics like “Why try? Get the gun and shoot.” One of the teen’s parents tried to sue Osbourne for their child’s death in 1986, but the case was eventually dismissed, VH1 reports. The Dixie Chicks The country trio released "Goodbye Earl" back in 2000, and if you don’t pay too much attention to the lyrics you might think nothing of the country-pop hit that climbed its way to No. 19 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. A closer listen, however, reveals a story about a woman who actually kills her husband. Foster the People It’s a song written for hipsters to enjoy despite promising to kill that very same crowd of music lovers. Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” explores the twisted thoughts of a homicidal young man ready to take aim at his peers in a fatal shoot-out. “All the other kids with the pumped up kicks/ You better run, better run, outrun my gun…You better run, better run, faster than my bullet,” the song states. Florence & The Machine Florence Welch, the vocalist who catapulted the group Florence & The Machine to stardom, belted out a tune about domestic violence back in 2008. "Kiss With a Fist" featured a variety of violent lyrics like “You smashed a plate over my head, then I set fire to our bed.” Aerosmith When hip-hop stars rap about violence, they run the risk of having it used against them in court. When a rock legend like Aerosmith does, they run the risk of going home with a Grammy, which they did back in 1991. The song “Janie’s Got a Gun” is actually a disturbing tale about a young woman seeking revenge on her father who sexually abused her as a child. The chart-topping song includes lyrics about putting a “bullet through his brain” and leaving the victim “in the pouring rain”— lyrics that were actually considered less violent than the original version of the song. Lily Allen A song called “Smile” can’t possibly be about violence, but Lily Allen’s own music video confirms the track’s dark content. The foul-mouthed track describes the twisted joy the songstress feels when she sees her former lover in pain. “At first when I see you cry, yeah it makes me smile,” she sings. But that’s nothing compared to what the video shows. In the music video, a group of strangers are paid off to go attack the former lover and destroy all his records and other personal property. Carrie Underwood If country was treated like hip-hop, Underwood might be dealing with some serious vandalism charges among other things for her 2005 hit “Before He Cheats.” The entire song is about a woman discovering her lover is cheating before taking a “Louisville slugger to both headlights” and slashing “a hole in all four tires.” That’s, of course, an easy break compared to what Underwood sings about in “Two Black Cadillacs,” where she sings about a man’s wife and mistress teaming up to kill him. Tom Jones Hard to believe Tom Jones could possibly be behind a violent hit, but he most certainly is. The Welsh crooner’s “Delilah” has a happy, peppy sound that cleverly disguises a story about a man stalking his lover before he kills her for cheating on him. Among the troubling lyrics are lines like “She stood there laughing/I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more.”

Related Stories

‘Stop with the Fillers’: Carrie Underwood Looks Unrecognizable as Fans Say Plastic Surgery Has ‘Hijacked’ Country Star’s Natural Beauty

As Drake Ties Beatles’ Record Of 14 Simultaneous Hot 100 Hits, Internet Trolls Work To Downplay His Accomplishment

2013 Grammy Awards Fashion Winners and Losers