Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons gave a speech in Queens, N.Y., recently to encourage youth gangs to stop the trend of violence that has occurred in the borough recently. Queens has seen a 20 percent increase in homicides, while New York City has seen a 23 percent increase. Simmons is part of a legion of individuals affiliated with hip-hop to speak out against violence among urban teens.

The rally was held to support the Peace Keepers Movement, which works to reduce violence and to encourage youth to avoid choosing a life of crime. I applaud the move by Simmons, and I sincerely hope that others in his industry will continue the trend.

One irony of this, however, is that the hip-hop industry is responsible for the promotion of much of the violence that takes place in urban America.

Some try to do public service announcements to curb a mere fraction of the very same violence they've helped to create. Simmons and his colleagues might be well-advised to take their battle in to the board rooms of major corporations who profit handsomely from the violence promoted in urban America (i.e., ever heard the Lil Wayne song with the chorus, "Always strapped when I hit the club"?).

A broader point to be made, however, is that not all hip-hop is violent. Simmons himself is not one of the major promoters of violent hip-hop, so hypocrisy of the industry is not the sole domain of Simmons. Hip-hop is a beautiful art form, worthy of respect, and even some of the violent hip-hop deserves to have a voice. My hope is that violent music won't be the only voice our young people hear. Our music can be better than that.

Simmons is right about the need to curb youth violence, and I am glad he is taking on this issue. One of the things that America tends to overlook is the number of urban youth who are being killed in senseless violence. In Chicago, the alarming murder rate of urban youth led to serious action by Father Michael Pfleger and a hunger strike by Rev. Marcia Dyson.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, violence is the No. 2 cause of death for Americans aged 10–24. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Prevention, though, the Juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate has fallen consistently since 2006. So while the numbers can be alarming, the truth is that there is some reason to be optimistic.

One way that the increased violence in New York might be managed is for the Obama Administration to engage in targeted economic policy to deal with the black teen unemployment rate, which is between 40 and 50 percent in most urban areas. There is a direct correlation between criminal behavior and idle time when it comes to our teenagers, and leaving a teen in the street with no job and plenty of free time is a recipe for disaster.

Additionally, a continued effort to address the challenges of the inner-city educational system would have a direct impact on teen violence. When our youth have no education, they have no future. Rather than investing in the best prisons available, it might make sense to invest those funds in education and job creation. The same boldness it took to pass health care reform should be used for education reform. I believe Obama can do it.

Watch Russell Simmons talk about what it is to be cool:


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book, "Black American Money." To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.