Is James Lawrence separated 6 degrees from Ryan Seacrest? Yep.
I was in the Pittsford Wegman’s checking out and I spotted a young girl wearing a tee shirt that simply said “G is for Gangsta”. Oh my GOD. Gangsta culture made it out to my beloved Pittsford Wegmans.
Then I was reminded of a recent D&C Op-ed musings about Gangsta culture. Kamahria Hopkins is leading the Editorial board’s efforts re gangsta rap but, I’m assuming Mr Lawrence either wrote it or approved it. Regardless, they managed to tie the passing of Oliver Hill to his Gangsta craze. Damn James - write about something else.
His editorial page actually wrote this upon the death of civil rights pioneer Oliver Hill. A seven paragraph (actually 6 paragraphs and a throw away sentence) extolling the virtues of Oliver Hill. The tribute was moving - really - as it should be. I think it took a long time and America needed heroes such as Hill to ensure equality for all. I think we still have a ways to go, nevertheless, at least the 1st three paragraphs were OK.
But then it transitioned into the virtues of postive rap and why rap artists don’t write songs about civil rights heroes. Finally there is the entire American Idol audition thing and the Ed board is looking for talented artists to write and sing postive rap songs.
Simmons should use his considerable influence to promote positive rap. He should encourage gangsta rappers, in particular, to tell the life stories of trailblazers like Hill, who graduated from Howard University’s law school in 1933, second in his class behind Marshall.
But this page doesn’t believe that the story of Hill and others who stood against racial injustice has to be told by big-name artists. If you think you have the skills, send us your lyrics and we’ll post them on our Unplug Gangsta Rap Web page at DemocratandChronicle.com/gangstarap. The authors of the three best submissions will be invited to perform their lyrics for audio posting, too.
Mr Lawrence - it’s your page and you can write if you want to (sung to the tune of it’s my party and I’ll cry of I want to) but geez. Tying an American hero - probably an overlooked American Hero, to your gangsta cause well - that’s a bit over the top.
Oh yes my gangsta jihadist friend, the music is a result not the cause. Focus your considerable energies on poverty, opportunity, and hope, and maybe you can resolve your gangsta rap crusade.
Good post.
Don’t worry about the kid in Wegman’s, she’s just a suburban idiot. The main consumers of Gansta rap are white middle-class teen-agers, who are just writing a new chapter in the old book of “pissing off your parents by pretending to be a member of the black underclass.” They will recover from their foolishness in about a decade and will do no harm in the meantime, except possibly to their own eardrums and dignity.
In answer to your question, there are non-violent hip hop artists out there, but they don’t get the same airplay as the ganstas, nor do they attract the same headlines. From what I know of them (almost nothing), they rap about current social issues, not about civil rights pioneers. If you’re young and political, you don’t care about history, you care about what’s happening NOW, so that’s what you rap about. And, if you’re young and desperate to be cool, you just can’t listen to raps about people as old, or older, than your grandparents.
Everlast scored it big with a rap/rock album entitled “Whitey Ford Sings The Blues.” Whitey Ford is an old Yankees baseball hero. Not all youth are allergic to history. U-2 also had a breakout hit with “In the name of Love,” which referenced MLK, jr. Anyone think of any other historical folks in rock/rap?
[...] the same Op-ed as Michael Vick paper so ARE THEY ALSO WORTHY OF REDEMPTION? Or are they, like famed civil rights pioneer Oliver Hill, simply to be used as props to support a failed [...]