Thug, "What's My Motivation," The New Actor

I grew up during the time when rap music, nay Hip Hop, was born and began to prosper. The lyrics were quick, witty, and meaningful. Songs like "Self Destruction" educated the youth on how we were entering into a society where black on black crime was beginning to run rampant. Drugs were taking over our neighborhoods more so than before and violence was on the rise in black communities. Run DMC gave us music to bob our heads to, laugh to, and relate to. Special Ed spoke about how he had it made. Rakim and KRS 1 gave lyrics that made you say, "Damn, you heard what he said?" L.L. gave the ladies someone to love and swoon over, while Biz Markie and Dougie Fresh hyped the parties. Hip Hop was about the music, teaching, and entertaining. In no song did the lyricist kill a bunch of people, unless it was lyrically, beat his woman or call her a bitch or ho, glorified the drug game, bragged about how rich they were and how broke you were. Life was just as hard for them, but they found a way to express that in a way that showed how good it was to leave that behind and not bring it with you. Life was hard enough without having to hear it in every song on the radio as a reminder. That's like having a life threatening aliment and having somebody remind you of it everyday.

Today "rap music" has taken over the airwaves and the "thug" is the new face, well has been since the early 90's. It all started with a group called N.W.A. (Niggas With Attitudes). Myself, along with the rest of my generation and those to follow, embraced the new hardcore lyrics of "F, the police", "Bitches aint Shit," and "She Swallowed It." It was new, it was different. It was the new Jordans. It became so popular that now, suburbanites are creating the image of having a rough life, selling drugs, not having their father around, mother on crack, whoa is me mentality and making what they call, music.

Now our youth are brainwashed into believing that everything they hear on the radio is real. News Flash, this just in: 99.9% of the rappers today are merely rappers pretending to be thug rappers. Most of them went to and graduated from high school, never sold aspirin at a gas station, let alone crack on the streets, had curfews, and was raised by both parents in good neighborhoods. They even respected women before they got a record deal. Rappers have now become actors. Violence, drugs, being disrepectful to women, etc, it sells. The corporations have determined this is what makes them the most money, and like our president, they don't care who is killed in the act. Artists like Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Common, Mos Def and so on, are labeled as conscious rappers and don't receive as much of the limelight as the "thug" rappers have obtained. "Major" labels rarely sign them, with the exception of Common, Mos Def and Outkast.

Rappers today like Lil Wayne, Plies, Young Jeezy, T.I., etc, lack the lyrical skills, creativity and talent of the aforementioned rappers, but unlike them they get more coverage, limelight, and attention. Why? Because they glorify what's destroying the black community? They believe that killing their enemy is a better option than talking it out? Our youth flock around them and praise them as the new emergence of what they call hip hop. It is this kind of thinking that will make it difficult for Barack Obama to become president, but that's another blog.

I, however, do purchase the music of the mainstream rappers today. I take caution on who I buy. I tend to stray away from one hit wonders, or rappers who use gimmicks to sell records. I recently purchased Lil Wayne's "The Carter III" and Plies' "Definition of Real." As highly anticipated as Wayne's cd was, I believe it to be a complete failed attempt at trying to prove you are the greatest rapper alive. Most of his lyrics don't make sense, he stumbles over rhymes, since he attempts to freestyle everything, and it makes for a sorry excuse for a record. Plies on the other hand, chooses to focus on the profanity that has elevated rap. I am no saint and have used my share of curse words, but wow! I listened to one song in particular with my wife, and we had to close our ears! Every other word was negative. If it was on the radio, it would sound like this: "Beep, beep, beep beep, yeah, beep beep beep, ok, beep beep beep. Know what I'm saying."

They can't tell their woman they love them without having to degrade them first. "Bust It Baby is what I call you." And the young girls are eating this up. They see this as a term of endearment. What does this say about the future of our women, our future mothers? I understand you must maintain your thug mentality, but does that constitute having to tell her you love her with abusive language? Last I recalled love was sensual, not violent.

Does everything have to be so hard? When we start praising rims, jewelry, cars, and clothes over what matters. Does anyone realize there is an election going on where we may make history? Our neighborhoods are run down? Children are being passed through school? Black fathers are rarely seen? But this is what makes you a better rapper? I have to listen to my nephew say he wants to be 50 cent when he grows up. Which means I have to prepare for a call saying he has been shot 9 times, beefs with every rapper to sell a record, is lyrically imcompetent, and lacks self confidence? Not a bright future for our youth.

Bottom line. Most of the so-called, "thugs and goons," are merely wannabes. They take what they have seen on the streets, incorporate it in their ryhmes, act like it was part of their life and sell records. They are merely actors who take their roles off screen. They can't fight, won't fight, won't shoot basketball let alone a gun, never been to jail except to visit a family member, aint scared to die until they get shot and are about to die, both parent having, school educated, church going, respectful young men who only curse on record. Parents need to raise their kids, and let them know that Thug Rappers are as fake as Santa Claus. Beeyach!