SPIKE LEE HATES GANGSTA RAP’S INFLUENCE ON KIDS:

Director speaks out during conference on cultural diversity in Tennessee.

Spike Lee received two standing ovations during his speech at Middle Tennessee State University Wednesday, part of which touched on the topic of gangsta rap and its influence on today’s black youth.

"Young black kids didn't grow up wanting to be a pimp or a stripper like they do now," Lee, 48, said as the featured speaker at a conference on cultural diversity. "Back then, we were not called sellouts for using our brains. And being intelligent was not frowned upon."

The filmmaker, who is currently working on a documentary about Hurricane Katrina, compared the images from some rap videos to the distorted view minstrel shows of the 19th century gave most of the world about African Americans.

Lee said he has worked hard to show the diversity of the black experience through his films, which include "School Daze," "Do the Right Thing," "Jungle Fever" and "Malcolm X."