Rap About Nothing: Hip Hop Chat Thread

I’ve said it in here before and I’ll say it again…

There’s a reason labels push music that pushes violence/drugs/sex

Sure, you can say “cuz that’s what sells,” ummmm yeah, cause that’s what they are promoting.

There’s a reason there’s very little music of substance and consciousness that is promoted in the mainstream.

Either you get it or you don’t.

Is the music to solely blame? Of course not. But to say it doesn’t have an influence is just ignorant.
 
While I do agree with some of your points, others are shakey for me.


Let me start by saying I truly respect and appreciate what you do. I worked in education and it can often feel like a thankless job. What you have done and continue to do is to be commended. No bs.


When you compare white and black students you have to take into consideration that Black students are seeing entertainers that look like them and often come from similar places as them. Of course fewer white students would emulate that culture, they aren't being told that "this is who your people are". By and large Black People are fed an image of what it is to be Black and most of the time its negative or submissive to Whites. I do agree that parents play a key role in helping their children to form an identity of both who they are and what it means to be (black, brown, white, whatever).

You kinda downplayed the influence of Wayne, Idk if this was specific to Thug or to culture in general. Either way Wayne was hugely influential to both. Idk if you remember 06/07 but fake Bape resellers will tell you Wayne was culture for a while. We still see remenants of him today whether it be the gang heavy gang culture, tattoos, names, even hair.

Seeing someone that big not only rep the gang but glorify its culture was attractive to a lot of young people. Many of those young people are now artist in their own right. They've taken what Wayne did by wearing red (and blue) rags and turned it up a notch.

I would hope at Wayne's peak he never did some of the **** Thug's circle was accused of (I'm sure he did a bunch of drugs, and we know he ****ed a bunch of women). However, I'm not sure the kids (or Thug) realize some of that **** was for show.

I had a bunch more to add but I keep having to go back and forth to work. I just wanted to reiterate, I appreciate what you do and you sharing your perspective. I hate being hard on hip hop and our culture in general but sometimes you gotta call a spade a spade.

I mean, thug was part of a crew…Raised on Cleveland….that was a robbing crew, and into ****, way before Wayne took off heavy with the blood ****. I moved to the A in like 07, and them local crews 30 deep etc, was already a thing, and functioning the same way, before later matriculating to more organized ****. OTG OTG can tell you.

It was outside of his door. The poverty. The drugs. The terrible schools. They sent that man to juvenile for years, for allegedly swinging on a teacher. What could’ve been a teachable moment…for a child born into poverty..was incarceration. Y’all know like 13/14 is when we all get into trouble. I got to go to an all white school got a couple years in high school, and they F’d up way more than *****s I knew from around the way…but those moments never hindered them. They failed up. While the system punishes our children for f’n up.

I posted this earlier today. But these dudes in Philly were doing the exact same **** as the kids in Grease or west side story. This is the 1960s. Lil Wayne was not born. Rap music wasn’t around. Same issues. The larger issue.



While movies like Grease, West side story, The Outsiders and etc popularized and gave “heart” and empathy to childhood “white” gangs (which was a real thing for European immigrants living in ghettos before they were GRANTED access to power, because they suddenly became “white” in the 60s when it was convenient for demographics and politically. The Mafia is original gangland. The Godfather showed y’all how little street kids matriculate from corner hustlers, into prohibition and then politics/power. Watch boardwalk empire for better understandings. Shoot, Gangs of New York even.

Our people *****s for sure gotta do better, and know what it is….and the reality of the situation that we live in. And rap music, does not help. But the larger issue really is more systemic and historical than we doing. Surface level ****.

I say that to say, Charleston White is right more than he’s wrong. He digs too deep in the character.
 
Can I bring Walter White into the equation?

“N***** selling dope, white people is the addicts, white folks act like they ain’t show us how to traffic. All that dope to China you don’t call that trappin? Breaking bad, learned that from a TV, so don’t say it’s politics when you see me”



Yeah, so even though I don’t think Tarantino movies are to blame for violence, I think the that many of the folks behind all these forms of entertainment have no issues with pushing negative things that hurt communities through entertainment, it makes the money and helps keep things they way they want them.


There’s no direct answer. And yes, some of it starts at home and with the family as well, but think about how black families and black relationships have been portrayed in the media for decades, if you grow up seeing a certain portrayal of your people in the entertainment you consume, you’re going to be influenced to an extent in one way or another.
 
I would argue Doe Boy but I get your point

Doe Boy been out since 2014. Never been on an official Future project. And Future released a ton in that time.

Future took his own brother off of “Karate Chop” and “Move that dope” :lol

To be fair to Future, he put his money to use and helps *****s in a lot of other ways..and still got his day ones with him, and in position. Plus the clothing, merch (RBG) and other ****. So he do his part for sure. But if you wanna be a rapper, he ain’t helping too much. I wouldn’t sign to him…as an aspiring RAPPER. The association gets you lit tho.

You could argue Gucci did more for Scooter on the surface level musically. Although, Scooter was featured heavily in the beginning. But that’s the closest Super came to putting his dudes on. And I get it. His brand is solo projects, with only him…and a feature artist outside of that.

FBG the movie dropped in 2013. There has been no follow up. They had something right there.
 
“A letting off of Boyish steam”….with guns and knives in the 50s…get “street club workers” to rehabilitate them.



Later turned into organized crime…who with the right moves and connections can become politicians and even presidents (Kennedy) in a generation or two.
 
Gangs & violence + entertainment, are American culture





All these movies have poverty, as the theme in common. It’s never addressed. The only ones that get up, outta poverty…are the ones with the closest access to whiteness. Who then forget/criminalize what’s left behind…and also profit off of it.

And that’s just like 5% of the convo.
 
Lets peep the game from a different angle
Matt Dillon pulled his pistol every time him and someone tangled
 
-2pac - partly influenced by mafia movies/Italian culture “Makiavelli, Don”)
-Biggie - Frank White/Gangs of New York/mafia
culture.
-Nas - ESCOBAR
-Jay Z- First album in 1930s Gangster mafia suit

Those are just 4 of the most famous rappers who’s influences came direct from Hollywood…to to rap.

And I didn’t even include SCARFACE, or Capone N NOREAGA

It is not just rap music.
 
If you don't dig me, than ***** you can sue me
Because the **** that I be saying ain't worse than no western movie
Don't blame me blame your man Gotti
 
I'm glad the police don't have this approach to violence. There was always violence, so nothing to see here.

You grown enough to know the history of policing …

But anyway, this is a perfect example of what VARNELL HILL VARNELL HILL said about *****s completely throwing any nuance out the window, to just get…..

A “point”

:{ :lol
 
I mean, thug was part of a crew…Raised on Cleveland….that was a robbing crew, and into ****, way before Wayne took off heavy with the blood ****. I moved to the A in like 07, and them local crews 30 deep etc, was already a thing, and functioning the same way, before later matriculating to more organized ****. OTG OTG can tell you.

It was outside of his door. The poverty. The drugs. The terrible schools. They sent that man to juvenile for years, for allegedly swinging on a teacher. What could’ve been a teachable moment…for a child born into poverty..was incarceration. Y’all know like 13/14 is when we all get into trouble. I got to go to an all white school got a couple years in high school, and they F’d up way more than *****s I knew from around the way…but those moments never hindered them. They failed up. While the system punishes our children for f’n up.

I posted this earlier today. But these dudes in Philly were doing the exact same **** as the kids in Grease or west side story. This is the 1960s. Lil Wayne was not born. Rap music wasn’t around. Same issues. The larger issue.



While movies like Grease, West side story, The Outsiders and etc popularized and gave “heart” and empathy to childhood “white” gangs (which was a real thing for European immigrants living in ghettos before they were GRANTED access to power, because they suddenly became “white” in the 60s when it was convenient for demographics and politically. The Mafia is original gangland. The Godfather showed y’all how little street kids matriculate from corner hustlers, into prohibition and then politics/power. Watch boardwalk empire for better understandings. Shoot, Gangs of New York even.

Our people *****s for sure gotta do better, and know what it is….and the reality of the situation that we live in. And rap music, does not help. But the larger issue really is more systemic and historical than we doing. Surface level ****.

I say that to say, Charleston White is right more than he’s wrong. He digs too deep in the character.

My boy went to a all boys private school with eastside egg roll and he said that mfer was a menace. Putting **** in teachers drinks prancing em, saying whatever he wanted doing whatever. Most he got was a couple day suspension.
 
“A letting off of Boyish steam”….with guns and knives in the 50s…get “street club workers” to rehabilitate them.



Later turned into organized crime…who with the right moves and connections can become politicians and even presidents (Kennedy) in a generation or two.


Whenever you watch these mafia documentaries they all have the same story. Family came to america with nothing. Father and mother worked low paying jobs, living in poverty and young Lucky Luciano, Al Capone turned to crime to. Don't that sound familiar? You drop any people into poverty and some will take the faster route to success.
 
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