Here's what rapper David Banner had to say about the shooting of rap music mogul Suge Knight last weekend at a party in Miami the night before the Video Music Awards: "I don't think what happened was any different than at any other event where you have a lot of people. It's tragic that it happened and that the media magnified this so much."

Right. Because we in the media ignore all the shootings that take place at parties before the Golden Globes and the Country Music Awards. We're biased that way.

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Even if you couldn't name one single from multiplatinum-selling superstar 50 Cent, there's probably one thing you know about him.

That's right. He was shot nine times and lived to tell the tale.

In the hip-hop world, bullet wounds are badges of credibility. And in 50 Cent's case, the shootings didn't just beef up his thug cred -- they actually contributed to his signature style. As a cover story in Rolling Stone explained:

"Part of 50's success is his unique voice, with a slur that's the result of the hole in his jaw from a bullet to the face.

"But a larger part is his credibility. When he talks about drugs and guns and death, you know he's speaking from experience."

And that's a good thing?

The rap sheet

Even though a lot of rap is crap, the same could be said for a lot of pop and a lot of rock. Some 10 years ago, I wrote that rap was the dominant force in pop music commentary, and to this day I can appreciate some hip-hop music.

I also believe you can't blame music or art of any kind for the actions of the individual. If you rob a liquor store or shoot a rival after you've listened to one thug-life CD too many -- you're the one who's to blame, not the artist.

That said, the level of violence that permeates the hip-hop world is obscene. There's little distinction between the gun-waving posturing that dominates so many songs and the real violence that plagues the hip-hop community.

After I read about the shooting of Suge Knight in Miami, I started compiling a timeline of violence related to rap music, beginning with the murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. in 1997.

Most of these stories received play on sites such as The Black Table and ALLHIPHOP.com ("The World's Most Dangerous Site!"), but many were largely ignored by the mainstream media.

I couldn't list all of the hip-hop-related shootings of the last half-decade, but here's a sampling:

1999

*Lamont Coleman, a k a Big L, 24, is the victim of a drive-by killing in New York City.

*Rapper Freaky Tah is murdered in New York.

2000

*Rap producer Ronald Blackburn is shot and killed outside a restaurant in San Francisco.

2001

McKinley "Mac Da Assassin" Phipps is convicted of manslaughter in the shooting of a 19-year-old man at a New Orleans nightclub.

2002

*Zachary "Noncents" Zazueta, 18, a member of the group III Grand, is shot and killed after a block party in Tucson, Ariz.

*A Suge associate is murdered at a gas station in Compton, Calif.

*Rapper "Lil Flip" is shot and wounded in Houston.

*Jam Master Jay is shot and killed in his Queens, New York, studio.

2003

*Snoop Dogg associate Tray Dee is charged with firing at two people in a car.

*Corey "C-Murder" Miller is convicted in the shooting death of a 16-year-old at a nightclub.

*Rodney Walker, nephew of Jam Master Jay and member of the Rusty Waters group, is shot in the leg in Queens.

*Hip-hop executive Bernard Harris, 33, is shot and killed in a barbershop in Miami.

*Freaky Zeeky is wounded and a friend is killed in a drive-by.

2004

*Robert Montanez, road manager for Akon, is shot to death outside of a New Jersey bar as he tries to prevent a man from robbing rapper Capone of his jewelry. Montanez had served a four-year sentence in the 1990s for murder.

*Bennie Sigel does a year in jail on federal gun and drug charges. He faces a retrial for attempted murder in a separate incident.

2005

*The 36-year-old owner of the studio where Eminem recorded "The Slim Shady LP" is shot to death on the floor of the studio. Detroit rapper Maddog is charged.

*Tab "Turk" Virgil is convicted of three felony charges connected to a 2004 drug raid in which a SWAT team member was shot.

*Rapper Beelow is hospitalized after being shot in the head.

***

So it goes. Young, black men make the music, live the life and kill each other. Young blacks -- and many more young whites -- buy the music and blast it from their car stereos, nodding their heads and singing along to the tough-guy lyrics. Older blacks -- and many more older whites -- own the labels and get rich from the music.

And the hits, musical and otherwise, just keep on coming.

E-mail: rroeper@suntimes.com

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