Political hopefuls who once courted rappers, before suddenly realizing that “filthy rap lyrics” are the leading cause of all problems in society, are now calling for hip-hop’s head on a platter.

Ignoring the larger issue at hand, the role played by corporate sponsors who make huge dividends from derogatory rap songs and the socio-economic climate that breeds such music; politicians have been quick to rail against the usual scapegoat, hip-hop.

The truth of the matter is hip-hop as we know it is packaged and dumbed-down to degrade our society, blacks and whites all alike. Rock and Roll used to be the tool of Mass Mind Control, but now it is hip-hop.

Rappers that are famous or being pushed into mainstream are the least talented of the lyricists out there and with the emptiest message. The easiest to control, are the hungriest for fame, are the ones that will do what their handlers will tell them and rap what they are given for a small IOTA of success. Most rappers don’t have any wealth but yet that’s what they rap about and portray however they influence people’s priorities and push a Dopeboy lifestyle.

The funny thing is they are using our skills and talents for purposes that are not of our own making or for our betterment.

Who do you know in the hood, that wants to stay there, that doesn’t dream of getting out? Nonetheless rappers glamorize negative aspects of our society, and flip the script to change what’s important or acceptable, and No they are not just describing the environment.

They are setting the backdrop and influencing the youth to a lifestyle. Selling drugs and being a kingpin is not the only way to be successful, and even more glaring is Most of these rappers don’t actually do what they said they Did. They are lying to you! Every rapper that glamorizes the hood doesn’t live there anymore and only goes to visit, for ‘street cred.’

So what’s the solution…I only listen to underground rappers that are so much more talented lyrically and have a message, that is I don’t listen to anybody in the mainstream. At the very least these famous rappers don’t even elaborate on why ‘They are the Best, and The Illest, and Sickest’…their songs are all chorus, mainly repetition of an Idiotic Motto  and limited verses.

I am not calling for hip-hop’s head on a platter like the politicians, but I am asking how come they don’t push rappers with a positive message or excellent vocabulary?

Anyways this is a local rapper from Maryland doing his thing, he used to rap like the industry, and wanted to be in the industry. Until he realized you have to sell your soul, compromise who you are and your message in addition to having no positive messages to make it mainstream.

He was approached by Virgin records, and would have signed a deal, however they wanted to REPACKAGE his whole being, I for one am glad he did not do it. Listen to MYRAGE and tell me what you think of his skills, he is currently based out of Houston and is touring nationwide.

Africans view of African Americans is like that of a white person. We as Ethiopians are black in the eyes of the white man and we should be black in our self-portrait.

There are many reasons that blacks do not support black owned businesses. Black businesses are limited in numbers, and usually do not offer the same services as other competitors. Other minorities such as Asians and Latinos have taken advantage of the many business opportunities in our communities. But to understand why blacks do not support each other’s businesses, we have to understand the connotations of what it is to be black.

“Blackness“, or behaving “black,” is perceived as acting “ghetto” or similar to the stereotypical black person. However, acting “ghetto” is a resembling aspect of low-income people, and does not have a correlation to blacks. In the black community acting “black” is suggestive behavior of the hip-hop influenced urban culture, but in reality “black” is a race, not a behavioral trait.

“Blackness” is a phenomenon in which different kind of people imitate the urban style of the African American way of life. Various people associate blackness with a behavioral trait of being “ghetto enough.” But what does that really mean? You cannot act black because black is a race; hence you are black based upon your race, not upon your behavior. This “blackness” can be seen in all types of different people in urban areas: in their dress, in their actions and in their speech; they reflect the influence of hip-hop and black stereotypes.

The definition of black is precisely an indication of skin color and nothing more. Roberto Santiago asserts, “Acting black. Looking black. Being a real black. This debate among us is almost a parody” Santiago indicates that one merely is black based on race, and the debate whether someone is black enough is ridiculous. Somewhere along the line it became a consensus that black people are only good at such things as athletics and entertainment and not able to do other things associated with whites, for instance talking properly, working hard and sustaining economic prosperity. This stereotypical belief, in clearly defined roles and accepted behaviors for blacks is restricting us.

In ‘The Handicap of Definition’ William Raspberry illustrates how black people define “black” and how it is confining to African Americans. Raspberry states, “…if we could infect black children with the notion that excellence in math is ‘black’ rather than white, or possibly Chinese,” that would extend the definition of what blacks are good at and therefore blacks would work hard enough to be good at math.” Raspberry uses the word “infect” because once the idea is in place, that one can flourish and fail in a particular venue, it is nearly impossible to change.

These stereotypes and ideas that have been present for so long are evident in our society and they have to be stretched and elongated or the only perception of black will be an unconstructive one.

There is a negative connotation of “blackness” as a behavior and blackness as a word. In “The English Language Is My Enemy” Ossie Davis tells us that, “the word blackness has 120 synonyms, 60 of which are distinctly unfavorable, and none of them even mildly positive.” The negative image of blacks and their limited potential is embedded in the English vocabulary.

Consequently it is “cool” to act and dress black, but when it comes to important affairs, it is unacceptable to act in that manner. Raspberry outlines that if you describe an entertainer or athlete by using the word “black”, he or she might thank you. But if you describe a doctor or lawyer in the same manner, he or she might file a grievance. This is so because of the prevalence of black stereotypes.

Black accurately refers to the human group having dark colored skin, especially those of African descent. In American English language the word black has a negative denotation, which implies that we have negative perceptions and stereotypes that are clearly set.

The Black Image in the eyes of society may be a negative one. These negative images of the black man possible could come from stereotypes, overall lack of respect for the black man, and the negative image the media places on the black person.

There are a lot of factors as to the current state of affairs, but if we choose to break the mold, we must have a positive image of black and what we can do to encourage each other. And more importantly support and uplift black owned businesses in our communities.