Many African Americans have been lead to believe that a life of crime is the only manner in which they will become successful. It’s glamorized in Rap, Hip Hop and/or R&B lyrics (that’s heavily associated with being ‘black music’) and videos; within various clothing lines and communities.
I’m currently 30 years old, so I was around when Rap music first started to take form. I can recall the many sounds and beats of the original rap artist like The Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, Whoodni, Cool Mo D and the Fat Boys. The lyrics in their songs where more about having fun, life in the projects and situations that many have faced and can relate to in life. But as the time line of Black Culture progressed, the quality of Rap (or hip hop) began to ‘digress’; in which artist like ICE Cube and ICE T, Too Short, and NWA (N!@@A’s with an Attitude) started to change the face of Rap into a more violent, angry and hate filled form of expression.
The words intertwined with the messages given by these popular artists in their day started to counter act the more playful and party anthem sounds that were brought forward by the pioneers. The first ‘MC Battle” I ever heard on wax was between LL COOL J and Cool Mo D, where Cool Mo D stormed off the stage after losing the ‘rap off’. From that day forward, ‘beef’ between artists became prevalent, and the art of Rap started to imitate life on the streets and slums of New York, all the way to the ‘hoods’ of Los Angles.
Rap music started to evolve the consciousness of the black community and in many ways in a negative light. Groups like 2 Live Crew begin to encourage girls to become more promiscuous in nature with songs like “Pop that Coochie” and “Freaky Tails” by Too Short. The institution of “Pimping” and “H03ing” where now seen as a glamorous life style to live and a legitimate way to ‘make money’, And black youth in many aspects mindlessly followed. With the crime, incarceration and murder rate of young black males on the raise due to the glamorization of such offenses various Hip Hop Groups and artist like KRS1, A Tribe Called Quest, Brand Nubian and GangStar came on the scene and tried to change the image of how Black people where not only seen by the nation, but within themselves. Socially couscous groups like Public Enemy where still there to keep that ‘edge’ that African Americans craved to raise awareness of their oppression, but the women started to step up to the mic and completely change the game for ever!
Queen Latifia, Roxanne, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo and Salt and Pepa; started to preach of women’s empowerment once more within the black community. Calling on all our ‘sista’s to step up and take the place of the many fathers, brothers, uncles and male friends who where either locked up in jail, murdered, or strung out on crack (During the early stages of the crack epidemic in the late to early 80’s and 90’s). To me, this lead to an imbalance with the Black community, because there where no longer any black men taking care of the children they where fathering, they where no longer positive role models for their sons and daughters and they where no longer a representation of our father in spirit here on earth in the flesh.
Black women worked hard to hold down jobs to make ends meet, thus leaving our children to raise themselves, and deepening the ‘hole’ that we as race sink ourselves into with crime, drugs, underage sex and promiscuity, and an increase in rape/sexual assault and fatalities. Music, movies, media, lack of parental guidance and community stewardship, unwillingness to become further educated (if even graduating from high school) teen pregnancy and law-breaking is what’s now contributing to the over all deterioration of the black community. And it’s more so prevalent now than ever because our youth refuse to do anything to change it. Many of our youth believe that the ‘I’m gonna do what I gotta do’ catch phrase means robbing, stilling, pillaging and killing. When it really means working hard, getting good grades in school, receiving a degree and becoming gainfully employed in a lucrative career.