Comments on: We Don’t Believe You, You Need More People

By: Kevin L. Clark

Kevin L. Clark — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 01:17:24 +0000

Yes, 50 and Prodigy have a thing going on. And it has more to do with their private lifestyle than their public personas. I mean, I can understand if my brother, my father, or son [if I had one] passed onto the next life and I had inked their likeness on me to continue to represent them amongst the living. But to have 50 tat your crew around his wrist and for the MO-B-B to have the audacity to get G-Unit on them — should be considered some sort of hood treason or something like that. Those guys were the Infamous — take no prisoners, shook ones pt. II-type MC’s. Now, they are too busy riding the 50 vibrator to understand how janky they are within the public. I don’t get it. Next, you’ll have Ma$e talking murder shit [Oh, wait -- he is...] while sporting that shiny suit draped up in G-Unit emblems.

By: Yolanda

Yolanda — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 00:29:48 +0000

Are you telling me two quarters is still making headlines? Nuccas who place another’s man name on their bodies are truly suspect. Truly.

By: brown bombshell

brown bombshell — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 23:35:32 +0000

Hmclemens, I don’t know baby, I may be a bit too much. I don’t want to overwhelm you, especially since you’re confused and all. And Maverick, I’m not coming at Panama at all, it’s all love. I’m just concerned. Monk, I do have a nice tattoo of a butterfly in a pretty place. And Panama I’m so hurt by your comment daddy. You said I was slightly freaky deaky. No baby that’s not true. I’m very freaky, if we ever had the pleasure of trying this errr one position, I’d show you. Oh well talk to you later! And to everyone else smooches.

A concerned US cictizen

By: Beloved

Beloved — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 23:28:40 +0000

I had to stop reading at the “exchange of friendship bracelets” comment. LMAO!!!

By: Panama

Panama — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 22:22:54 +0000

@T: We’ll have to agree to disagree on the “quality” argument of rap music versus older music. To me its an apples to oranges comparison anyway. Two separate genres. You don’t compare rock ‘n roll to celtic music, or classical to techno, so why are you comparing the “quality” in rap music to 60’s and 70’s era soul music? I hope it’s not just because they’re both majority black. They each have different qualities that make them good or bad and they don’t necessarily all overlap. Because Jay Z doesn’t sing like Lionel Richie doesn’t mean that he is any less talented. They are both songwriters. And you can’t tell me somebody like Nas isn’t as talented a songwriter/poet as many of the very singers (of whom many did nothing more than actually sing…much like the “talking” rappers you speak of…and some of them couldn’t actually sing that well either) you claim were providing quality music.

And for the record, I’m not saying Stevie and ‘nem aren’t quality. Clearly, they stand the test of time b/c they are quality and they are loved by millions.

Moving along…I’m often intrigued by the rap has harmed black culture argument, mostly because it seems like the people who make these arguments solely take what’s placed in front of them and generalize it onto the masses. And I’m not saying that rap doesn’t have problems…it does. However, it seems a little shortsighted to assume that modern-day rap is harming black culture as a whole. It sounds like the argument of all the black conservatives who like to blame rap for any and everything wrong with black culture. And I know you have cited examples of (I’m assuming) non-black detrimental rap, but you still feel as if rap is destroying the house that Malcolm and Martin built.

I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind enlightening (please) me, for shits and giggles and cuz I like to debate and argue, on how exactly rap is harming black culture?

And I’m playing nice…I said please.

By: hmclemens

hmclemens — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 21:13:50 +0000

Hey Still Concerned,
Im sayin’…I think I might be gay…so…ummm…I’m sayin’…can I beat those? I’m tryna do the straight thing…you gotta email address I could get at?

By: Monk

Monk — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 20:44:39 +0000

Rap music more bad than good??? I think not.

By: Xquizzyt1

Xquizzyt1 — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 19:43:21 +0000

I think what irked me about T’s sweeping generalization is that she had 10,000 exceptions to her own argument. LOL

In the beginning, rap was SUPPOSED to be marginalized. That was the point. NOW??? Heck no, it’s more mainstream than I would even CARE for it to be. There are songs that are not positive, songs that are not uplifting, but as a gabillion people have said, you find in rap what you can find in society. The positive, if you’re looking, and the not-so-positive if that’s what you seek.

You’re in your 20’s, so you were not around when hip hop made its debut on the scene. I’m 35… I’ll be 36 this year - so I was damn near the midwife at that birth. So before you go condemning a genre of music and believing the hyperbole and propaganda that you hear on TV… put down the Ying Yang Twins and dig in the crates, pull out some Spoonie Gee, some Funky Four Plus One More, some Treacherous Three, go back even before the people who claim to be the rap pioneers (like Columbus claiming to have discovered America) and learn the REAL beginnings of rap. Marginalized? Absoulutely - and rightfully so… but a detriment - and more detrimental than good? I disagree with that assessment as it applies to the entire genre.

By: T

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 17:55:03 +0000

Oh yeah, and how dare you compare me to the “concerned” commenter…sorry my comment IN NO WAY reflected hers/his…I’m so insulted at that.

Okay, just had to get that out, gone on this subject…

By: T

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 17:53:50 +0000

GASP! I can’t believe I was called…hmmm…let’s see “fool,” “total ass,” and other uh shall we say less-than-favorable names by commenters. I’m really shocked, in NO way expected that…especially since the OWNER of the blog didn’t insult me is such a way.

Dang, Hip-Hop lovers, chill. We’re actually not that different. I’m a 20-something Black chick who has the likes of Kanye, Common, Talib Kweli, Tupac, etc. in my MUSIC (not anti-music ) repertoire. I even tried to put a little disclaimer in there when I mentioned Outkast in my first comment…but I guess I didn’t make myself clear enough. ANOTHER attempt…

I am beyond anything else, like you all, a MUSIC lover. I appreciate REAL talent. Yes, rhyming and putting together a “song of talking” that’s actually interesting HAS to be a skill. But I’m coming from the standpoint of a Stevie Wonder, an Aretha Franklin, a Ronald Isley, a Lionel Ritchie, etc. Sorry, but you CAN’T HONESTLY tell me “rap” even comes remotely close to the quality of MUSIC as the aforementioned. You.just.can’t. So, that’s all I’m basically saying. I’ve heard rap aficianados such as yourselves claim over and over that “back then” rap meant something, actually had something to say (ala “Ladies First” as someone mentioned). Back then, it was in THE MARGINS (that’s for the commenter who said that speaks volumes, lol), that is, oftentimes when “music” forms become mainstream, they lose their integrity, enter: rap. Yes, there are some who manage to shine in spite of (look at aforementioned list), but you have to admit it’s not a significant number…and you have to admit that on the whole, modern-day rap has done more harm than good for BLACK culture.

That’s all I was saying…dang yall.
Happy Monday!

P.S. Thanks for the defense, Mav.

P.P.S Sorry so long…