Hip hop fans, let’s be clear about a few things.
Wiz Khalifa can’t rap for shxt.
Rick Ross is an impostor whose fabricated identity is based on betraying his own people.
And 2 Chainz has little to offer besides swag and stereotypes.
And no, this is not hate, this is the informed opinion of a hip hop junkie who has watched the art form devolve from a beautiful and necessarily display of skill and innovation, an outlet for a wide array of black perspectives, a voice for a community that previously had none — the Black CNN, as Chuck D said — to a collection of negative, one-dimensional stereotypes that send destructive messages about who we are and what we should be as black people.
Commercial rap — or Crap for short — is no longer about skill, creativity or authenticity. It is, by and large, a means to a paycheck for rappers who are willing to embody the worst that black culture has to offer and advocate for the destruction of our women, our bodies and our futures under the guise of power, partying and popping champagne.
Urban violence claims lives every day. In fact, recent violence in Chicago has claimed more lives than recent foreign wars. Blacks make up nearly half the prison population, even though we’re only about 12 percent of the national population. Educational quality in the inner-city is a constant and pressing problem. The list goes on.
Yet no one in hip hop, save for a select few, is discussing or even addressing these problems. Songs like Jay-Z & Kanye West’s “Murder to Excellence” and Lupe Fiasco’s “Bitch Bad” challenge the destructive elements of our community, but they are few and far between, and in the case of the latter, they are attacked by white male critics who fail to see that their attacks are merely an attempt to maintain their inherent privilege.
On the radio, on TV and in concert, commercial rap does not serve the black community; commercial rap betrays the community in favor of a corporate master who is quite content to see rap stars shout out brands of liquor and expensive cars, promote casual sex and casual violence, call our women bitches and hoes and generally keep black people focused on sex, materialism and false goals that distract us from uniting, creating a movement on par with Civil Rights and solving the many problems we still face.
Corporations don’t care if the social fabric of the black community steadily decays while rappers promote a whips-and-chains brand of rap that helps to keep us mentally enslaved. We need to take back our art form.
Lauren Carter is a writer and editor based in the Boston area. Follow her on Twitter and check out her blog at www.bylaurencarter.com.
So if all the rappers on the radio had a good message with sold lyrical content it would solve the black community’s problem’s? I’m pretty sure during the golden era of rap, gang banging drug dealing, and black on black crime was worse than it was now. Also why does it not have an affect on the other races? The majority of the people that attend concerts and buy albums now are white. I agree with Maximillion stop blaming ENTERTAINERS for your problems we are all responsible for our own actions. The fact that the black community looks to rappers as OUR leaders and role models is kind of backwards.
You cant have it both ways. Expecting all negative images to create goood results is just lazy.
J live, dead prez, one-be-low, brand nubian, etc…. And so many other concious Hiphop artist have albums that bang + kick uplifting, revolutionary and relevant messages that don’t disract the masses from engaging in activities that will change these wretched conditions we live under. If some of these koncious artist were heard even 1/2 the time these crap artist are heard the masses would love it. As for meek mill, rick loss and the rest with their philantrophy – it does not compare to the mental rape of the masses throughout the country! Just like one song from slave z and kanye ‘don’t like black peoople’ west making one song about peace doesn’t campare to the damage done by the vast majority of the crap the record and support – ie chief keef!!!
These crybaby bloggers are so quick to blame entertainers for the ills that plague our society, you blame movies in Hollywood, you blame misogynistic Pornography, you blame violent video-games etc etc etc.
Instead of the blame-game and pointing fingers at entertainers why don’t you offer some solutions and remedys our engage in some actual community involvements?
Stop blaming the cross-dressing of Tyler Perry for your children being homosexual, stop blaming Rihanna for teen pregnancies, stop blaming Denzel Washington for gun violence, stop blaming Wiz Khalifah for drug abuse.
This foolish article is misguided and sad.
“Before you act on the word, please consider the source.” – Jay-Z
Are we really surprised that three rappers with proven talent are forced to promote negative stereotypes in order to become successful in the commercial music industry?
Even though it’s the rappers we see, it’s important to remember that their bosses control everything they do. And they definitely aren’t acting in Black America’s best interest .
Blah Blah Blah.
Who are you and what have you done for your community besides Tweet, Blog, and Whine?
Ricky Rozay is far from an imposter, he’s what us non-squares call a “Hustler”, he hustled and grinded his way into this industry and put himself in a position to provide career and job opportunities for about 100 Black & Latino individuals who are rappers, producers, Dj”s, Videographers, managers, and other legally employed individuals.
How many Wingstop restaurants have you opened in our community to help provide jobs for Blacks and Latinos?
How many Toy-drives, Blood drives, Food-drives and school-supply drives have you funded in your community while Ross & MMG were giving back to their communities with their countless documented drives?
It’s so easy to sit behind a computer on a digital soap-box and preach about how “destructive” rap music is but it’s difficult to go out into our community and provide actual alternatives.
LOL, these keyboard preachers need to get offline and get in the community like some of the rappers whom they criticize are doing.
C.O. Roberts is disgusting for promoting drugging and raping women. I’m in the community. Are you?Have you read the news lately? Steubenville. Teen boys are drugging and raping girls and bragging about it. Once in awhile, they get prosecuted, sent to prison, a place your rapist hero is very familiar with. I hope you never have to pick up the pieces of a shattered life after rape. And don’t be fooled, it happens to men, too.
Buying toys4 kids etc doesnt excuse or make up 4 all the negative messages rick ross is putting out just to make money. Some of these guys are smart enough to not do the dumb shit they talk about but know we are dumb enough to buy it& put $ in their pockets; i can even quote 2chainz manager saying that ppl want ignorance/ignorant music & that’s what he will supply…
Rick Ross does a few drives, helping a few communities, employing a few folks.
He also sends out messages of hate, violence and criminality to millions on the radio, in their homes and their cars. He fills the community with negativity and destruction. Anyone who criticises him has valid reasons to choose from. I don’t care where this writer is from, or how active he is in rebuilding the community from the damaging effects of thesze rappers. HE. IS. RIGHT.
Rick Ross hustled his way into the game only to pimp himself to bullshit. He had the opportunity to put truth in the mic, put love, respect, anger, frustration, struggle, anything! but he chose to rap about how much of a drug dealer he can PRETEND to be.
He deserves NO repect for his music because he did nothing to deserve it.
Nuff sed.
But Rick Ross’ “Rich Forever” mix tape & his “God forgives but I don’t” LP, bang like a muhfucka. That’s high level bangin rap music, no one can front on that. 2 Chainz gets annoying, but lets face it, he’s catchy & he honestly isn’t a wack rapper. One might not “like” him, but he’s not wack. Lastly, in his defense, Wiz Khalifa is about as wack as Phife Dawg, his wife is so bad that he’s readily accepted in this world of hip-hop. Sometimes a bad enough chick on your team is a good enough look; he really doesn’t even need to rap anymore as long he shows up to spots with her
You are missing the point completely! You are actually playing right into what the media wants from us. Today, nobody cares what the artist is talking about as long as its “baingin.”
I got put in a rental, and I’m strapped like I’m Boobie
Had more guns in the car than the whole state of Missouri
Get it straight off the boat, yea my life is a movie
Got a three story mansion, big saltwater jacuzzi
Get it straight off the boat, she get it straight off the plate
Appetite disappeared, but it ate off her face
Now they tapping my phones, wanna give me the Rico
Speaking Spanish to Papi, tryna get them for cinco
Rick Ross
Off The Boat
Rich Forever
Break it down line for line. All he is doing is glorifying drugs, guns, and money. He is painting a picture that the only way for a black man to be “successful” is by selling drugs. Exactly what the system wants you to think. So you can be one of the outstanding statistics. but as long as it sounds good in the club or on the radio we should ignore the messages and images of us as Black America. Everybody sees how mainstream media sows us disrespecting and talking about killing each other and we have the nerve to get mad when other races disrespects us publicly. They are only following our lead. We have come together as a people and tell mainstream media that we have more to offer as a people than just drugs, sex, and constant pursuit of money. We aspire after those things because thats what they want us to aspire after so we wont pay attention in schools, so we wont go to college, so we won’t get the good jobs, so we will be forced to stay in the cycle and live as “second-class citizens.” It is up to us to look this in the face and say, yes, there is a correlation between our music and black progression. When we realize that and take a stand, then we can progress as a people tremendously.