After Joseph Edward Gallegos shot to death three friends from Orange County this week, his minister and friends were quick to note the 18-year-old man's obsession with hard-core rap and suggest the music played a role in the killings.

The suggestion that Gallegos, who died in a police shootout Tuesday several hours after slaying his roommates, was at least partly motivated by a form of rap characterized by violent street tales coincides with a national debate about lyrics and their message.

Colorado police say that Gallegos, despondent over a breakup with his girlfriend, listened repeatedly to gangsta rap artist Brotha Lynch Hung's song "Locc 2 da brain," which describes a street gangster who kills his enemies with a 9-millimeter handgun.