This is something I recently wrote on the comment Board of my Boy’s Site cuzbuzz.com.

This was the topic of discussion: Cuz Buzz Discussion: Are The Main Stream Rappers Perpetuating Ignorance?

I am writing from the perspective of an emcee/rapper who is socially aware but also has lyrical content and songs whose subjects span violent material to love to conscious.

The debate here is over opinion. Opinion of who is to accept responsibility for the outcomes of our youth. And if someone is justified in writing quesionable material based off of thier own experiences. Well, first we must evaluate the purpose of this individual’s music. Some make music for the artistic merit, some make music to convey messages, while others make music to get money and live a certain lifestyle.

For example, 50 cent has supposedly lived a hustlers lifestyle and writes from that perspective. his music generally glamorizes violence, hustling, and masogeny. But, what is his purpose? Here is someone who came into music for the purpose of making money and getting famous. And if anyone knows anything about entertainment is that sensationalism sells. so the more exagerrated of a character you are, the higher your chances are of movin units. So not only do you have to be gangster, you have to be super gangster at that. But is it fair to hold him accountable for the ripple effects of his music. This is like those old Charles Barkley commercials in which he used to say ,”I am not a role model”.

Who’s more responsible for the ripple effects, 50 cent? Or the record company that pushes his music? The execs who make the most profit from his sensationalism. Or the buying public whose demand keeps his records in rotation. America has always had a fetish for violence. war stories, gangster flics, cowboys in the wild west. This is no different.

Rappers writing about what they see in the ghetto is nothing new. Melle Mel and the furious 5 had “the message” told from an observers point of view. “it’s like a jungle sometimes it makes mr wonder how I keep from going under.” the difference is that now rappers are assuming the roles of characters spitting street tales in a first person perspective in a very vivid and graphic way. But media in general has become more graphic these days. The things that network t.v. gets away with now would only appear on cable when I was a kid. Even news programming is full of sensationalism, sex, and violence. It increases ratings.

Phil Donahue realized this when someone got snuffed on his talkshow. The very next day his ratings went through the roof. And following that his talk show continued to be based on sensational content. So if you are going to hold 50 and lil Wayne guilty, then there is a long list of other celebs and forms of media to hold guilty along with them. You cannot pick and choose who to hold accountable an who not to because it is individually offensive to you.

However, the problem with hip hop in current times is that there has been a lack of interest and support for positive, conscious, or abstract artists. In the 90’s we had biggie, but we also had tribe. We had wutang but we also had pete rock and c.l. Smooth. Now. The only thing that really ever reaches airwaves is the violent and “negative” music. So there is only a single type to choose from.

I am also not on the tupac bandwagon. I never really cared for dude. And I challenge anyone that claims he was a “positive rapper”. Because for every “brenda’s got a baby, he had an” I get around”. And for every “Keep your head up” he had a “hit em up”. At the minimum he was a complex artist. A paradox, which is the catagory I believe most people fall into.

When I write songs, it is based off of inspiration. However I am feeling at a particular moment, I put it down to music. There is no prethought of how an audience will recieve it. There is no catagorizing of it being conscious or gangster. It is a reflection of a moment of time in my life and mind. Taking on the responsibility of an entire community through my art may be too much to ask an individual artist.
It is the freedom of expression. However, to limit how or where the content can be presented based on the maturity level of the audience would seem reasonable. but all that Is in place is a small parental advisory sticker.

I have worked with youth who are far more influenced by realistic, first person video games of war, such as call of duty. I see much more mimicking coming from that, and WWE wrestlers.

As of late, I feel that there has been a movement to revive a more accessible and playful form of hip hop. Not that I would catagorize it as conscious but rather more artistic and eclectic. Lupe fiasco, drake, kid cudi, and even kanye, have been some artists who are currently moving to the left of the mainstream but still garnering commercial success. So long as the industry sees that there is a profit to be made in pushing this sort of music, then they will make an effort to make it available.

I grew up listening to violent hip hop. I remember when onyx’s ” thow ya gunz in the air” was on repeat in my tape deck. I must say it definitely did influence me in a negative way. But I also had a pops that would beat my ass          If I did try to pull some foolishness. No amount of negative stereotyping will ever out influence that of the true role model, a good parent.

But that void is a whole other conversation.

Peace�

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-AR.change.L = Art+Rhymes+Change+Life

“Long is the way and hard that out of hell leads up to light.-Milton”