lemme start by saying im not dissing any region of the country. there are wack jokers everywhere. rap/hiphop in a lot of ways has become a victim of its own success. i like to call it the "jordan effect." you see our music and our culture was always a medium for both entertainment and education. skills was always the standard. the gansta rap movement changed the game just as mj did in bball. it opened the country's eyes to a segment of our community that was for so long ignored. while our west coast brothers were making their mark, their stories served as cautionary tales just as a lot of the stories emcee's told, but somewhere it got twisted, just like everybody wanted to be like mike, now everyone wanted to be gangsta just for being gangsta's sake. hiphop just like the black experience, is made up of different hues of the same color. we are all not from the hood, we all dont gangbang and trap, and we are all not impressed by the bling and circumstance that comes with fame. that message needs to come back to the game. rappers back in the day spoke to issues that were important to all black america not just the hood or even the hiphop community. we have a generation now that actually believes rap/hiphop started with biggie and pac. to me that is sad, because while they are two of our greatest, there are brothers and sistas who put it down hard before they came on the scene. i think of "self destruction" and "were all in the same gang" not just because they were stop the violence anthems, but because it showcased some of rap/hiphop's best talent from the east and the west. now that the south has emerged from the shadows, its important that we do not forget that a true emcee is someone who has something to say, we have them from all corners of the globe, not just the us, if not we will continue to have what we have today alot of folks "talkin loud, but aint sayin nothin." i will never hate on those getting money, but at the end of the day, can you look in the mirror and know that you contributed something to this rich culture of ours, or did you just do like the majority in power does and exploit our culture for personal gain. there are many things to talk about in our world other than money, cars, clothes, jewels, the hood, the trap, and the block. get yo paper boo boo, but grow while youre doing it and dont become a 21st cen minstrel show. help our youth see a better way, by your actions, help these hoods and traps and blocks you repping so hard, because to me, a gansta and a rapper dont mix, you gotta be one or the other. be hard, militant, rebellious, etc. but point it towards the system that keeps us in a cycle of poverty, ignorance, and despair like our forefathers and mothers did. if not you just another nigga with a mike wasting time. cee-lo said it best: "the fact is, you aint a nigga because you black, you a nigga cause how you act"!
