Commercialized Rappers Have Become Modern Day Drug Dealers
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, KultureKritic.com
I was speaking this morning to the family of Maria Lloyd, the woman who wrote an open letter about her experience of having a father who was given 15 life sentences for drug distribution during the 1980s. During our conversation, Maria mentioned that one of the comments she saw in response to her open letter consisted of a woman who lashed out at her because her mother was hooked on drugs.
Maria said that she felt the woman’s pain because she herself has lost relatives to drug addiction. She also stated that in the drug war, the primary culprits were not just the actual dealers, who were primarily young people seeking a way to make money in a bad economy with poor educational opportunities. An even bigger culprit was the federal government, which made deals with international groups that allowed them to sell their drugs in America, as long as they sold them in the black community.
A narrator in a documentary made an accurate point when discussing the reigns of drug kingpins Frank Lucas and Nicky Barnes. He said, “The powers that be would rather see you getting high on heroin than to see you getting high on the teachings of Malcolm X.”
So, the broader point here is that an attack on a community is every bit as psychological as it is physical. If your oppressor controls your thinking and gets you to destroy yourself, then you are going to do the hard work for them. Even worse, those in power are more likely to use operatives within your community to get the job done, positioning them as the ultimate scapegoats for negative consequences of their own devious behavior. Thus, the war on drugs became a triple whammy for the black community: We became the addicts, we were hit by the violence and we were the ones who went to prison for what went down. That’s one reason that I believe that reparations are called for in response to damage that was done during the War on Drugs.
Rappers, to some extent, have become modern day drug dealers. Grabbing young, hungry kids out of the ghetto who are willing to sign d**n near anything to pay the bills, multi-billion dollar corporations provide them with financial incentives to expose a very toxic, insidious message to the African American community. The message presented on the radio for black men is very simple: Stay high and drunk as much as possible, you should sleep with everything that moves, going to prison is something to be proud of, kill other black men if necessary, waste all of your money without saving or investing it, and remain uneducated and ignorant.
Of the messages that black youth receive from hip hop music, almost none of them position that young person to live an empowered and fulfilled existence. Rather, they are messages that teach a young person to kill themselves before they even begin to realize an ounce of their potential.
As a result, many of the worst hip hop artists have become the delivery boys of death, destroying millions of black minds in the process. Like the old men who were sent to kill Jesus as a newborn baby, they drop into the black community like assassins seeking to murder the potential of any young black male who might grow up to become the next Malcolm X. Our current urban media social machine is not one that is designed to produce doctors, lawyers and professors. We are, unfortunately, much more likely to produce “n****s in Paris.”
This is not to say that we should reject hip hop or even reject the men who produce it. But it is absolutely essential that we all be educated about the impact of these artistic platforms and remain encouraged to seek a higher standard. The power of hip hop was designed to build, not meant to destroy, and most true fans of hip-hop know that.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To receive Dr. Boyce commentary in your email, please click here.
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thank you for your insight and perspective; I wholeheartedly agree!
Maria’s father was a big time drug kingpin and not a petty street level drug dealer. Stop being misleading.
You are so right doctor Watkins. I can’t understand why our churches are not more involved with this problem. Whenever I say this to a preacher, I’m told “the people who need help don’t come to my church”. What about OUTREACH? Isn’t that what Jesus did?
This is what a lot of us have been trying to get across for years. These gangster-rappers are dupes for the Racist/Fascist/Capitalist/Imperialist, that run the so-called Western Civilization.
Agree 100%
HIV is synthetic. It has been developed over a number of years and it has an affinity for people of color. What the science and medical evidence concludes is that the HIV enzyme seeks out a receptor site in the blood of the Black genome. The receptor site is the CCR5 Delta 32+ (positive) gene that all people of color have. In the same sense, on the other end of the spectrum, is the 15 percent Caucasian population of the world, which is CCR5 Delta 32-(negative) gene. That means that under no circumstances, whether HIV came through the air, intravenous drug usage or any form of s****l activity, would the virus be transferable in Caucasian sector of the world’s population, which is basically of northern European descent.
It is speculated by some experts that, in a worse case scenario, 85 percent of the world’s population could potentially perish under these designer viruses and designer synthetic biological agents. What we’re looking at here—because of this identified gene of the Black genome, this CCR5 Delta32+ (positive)—we are potentially looking at the eradication of all people of color.The bible states “My people perish for lack of knowledge. The true devil doesn’t wear red tights, a cape with horns protruding from his forehead instead, the devil incarnate are diabolical Caucasian scientist (men and women) in white lab coats.
Along this same line of thinking, has anyone questioned why foreigner’s from the country of Yemen are allowed to open smoke-shops and sale drug paraphanelia and cigorettes in urban black communities throughout America? More specifically, can anyone deny the fact that this is a coordinated effort to target the black community with death sentencing commercialization?
I agree. It is definitely a coordinated effort. A lot of people, not just whites are scared of black men. That is why they are always accepted in western society and we aren’t
“really? skrew a terroristic middle eastern muslim. I would much rather kick it with my boy Jay any day.” the words from my white boy Scott. Open up your own racist eyes people.
Back in the sixties if someone was in the community doing negative things there was a boycott. We were told not to go into the store. I guess we are not born with a brain cell and other have to do our thinking for us. Or there are no real men living in the community. They must be all hiding behind some women dress tail. When will the real men stand up and protect our community.
This past Sunday during a live webcast on The Nation of Islam website Brother Abdul Muhammad dedicated his sermon that day on this very topic. Go to NOI.org and click on webcast archives and view it. It was enlightening , real, and true.
Duh?!?!? They ARE THE DEALERS that migrated from the streets to the music industry…. BUSINESSMEN ALL THE SAME, not giving a d**n about who they hurt in the process… Sick of BLACK PEOPLE chasing material things like THEY MAKE THEM important or something!?! Wtf!?! Who NEEDS A BENZ, ‘EXPENSIVE’ house, or clothing.. NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT COMES OUT MY MOUTH!…stop living up to THE JONES.. They were WHITE!!!!.. Not talking to EVERYONE…#iftheshoefits…. L’union fais la force!…
As a real Emcee, this is a topic that most of us in the “Underground” have been speaking on for several years. And as I grow older the realization of the need for education has become the backbone of the message that I represent to my listeners. Most want to say that it’s boogie, sidity, white, or that it’s preachy. But it’s ok to degrade our people and speak nothing but death into their lives. Even older generations have seemed to take a backslide in positive Hip Hop, asking nothing more of the artists but a banging beat and a catchy hook no matter what the message. The blame does not fall to one particular person but instead the whole village. We as an entire global community need to ask more of the people that hold influence in our media seeing as how media has such an over whelming effect on us. This is just my two cents on the matter and take it how you will, but at the end of the day we need more education, accountability, and positivity in a world so flooded with just the opposite.
Now this comment makes sense. I agree with you sir!!
Some one made a statement in another blog that the white man brought drugs into the country maybe so; but we are to be smarter than ants when you put ant killer on the mound they take inside and feed it to the queen and other ants and they die Man should be much smarter and not take killer drugs into the black community and destroy whole generations. the drug dealers have two friends #1 those who buy this death #2 those who see this activity and say nothing if the druggie get these two working BINGO.
“”She also stated that in the drug war, the primary culprits were not just the actual dealers, who were primarily young people seeking a way to make money in a bad economy with poor educational opportunities. “”
WTF, that statement is a bunch of male bovine excrement, it seems to me they are a bunch of opportunistic dirt bags willing to distribute poison in their own neighborhood. This country has the best educational opportunities of any nation on earth, these dirt bags choose not to take advantage of it, then the liberals make statements like those above.
Black people we don’t need another government program etc to help us ,we need to start being responsible for our own actions and communities. Lets quit blaming others for our downfall and get the drugs out of our communities.
Why do you never see community watch associations in the black community but you can d**n sure see young males hanging on the street corners, porches etc?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY7pM8k8moY&feature=player_embedded
Blame the government all you want. Drug dealers, especially big time ones, know what they are doing. They have made a conscious decision to destroy our communities for their own selfish gain. It’s pathetic to make excuses for them. It literally makes me sick. What kind of person attempts to justify drug dealing, when the consequences are immeasurable devastation both currently and for generations to come. We have some very mentally ill people living among us.
Dr Boyce, I reps ect you agreat deal but putting blame on entertainers is far from the truth. Hip Hop artists are purely entertainers. I agree that they rap about money,clothes, drugs, and hoes way too much, but they are lying and are studio gangsters. None of them are moving weight, none of them are bringing drugs to hood. The majority of the people that listen to rap are little white adolescent kids.
I’m sure all of you know about Freeway Rick Ross. He was funded, giving drugs, and supported by e DEA. We support the middle East leader now because his brother is the biggest drug lord over there, our government is seizing the poppy fields, and like my man Lawrence Fishburne said in Boys In The Hood. Where are the drugs coming from, for the most part black folks aren’t making it. The war on drugs is a way for America to enslave minorities to fund the privatized prison. Before pointing the fingers at rappers, point the fingers at the people that can’t discern right from wrong, the people who are bringing the drugs in, and for white America for wanting to lock us all up.
Dr. Boyce..Dr. Boyce……….This is what I’ve been waiting for! Thank You, Thank You.
The synposiums never touched on the TRUTH! Yeah, Black people took the bait in the trap, but that same bait has been around for centuries.
We as Black people have to face the facts of HISTORY and TRUTH! We have to start NOW educating our children from DAY 1 how Black/African people became the STEP-CHILD of the world.
Our history did not start with a ship ride that ended with us being sold as slaves around the world. We were the first civilization of the world. CIVIL NOT UNCIVILIZED. We had a rich culture that has been HIDDEN and MANIPULATED. We need to start asking WHY AFRICAN HISTORY has been EXCLUDED from world history. The Romans and the British acient history has been talked about. Queen Elizabeth’s 60th Jubilee was just celebrated. Where did she get all her riches from? It came from the RAPE of AFRICA!
I’m glad you brought up the governments involvement in the increased drugs and guns into the Black community in the mid 80′s. You didn’t say it but I will. It happened on Ronald Reagans watch and it’s called IRAN CONTRA!
Same thing with Rap. It was positive, fun and social conscientious music. Than gangsta Rap came. Those that control the music industry and the power structure knew exactly what they were doing. Bob Johnson with his cable channel geared toward Black people helped in the destruction on his own people.
Let all learn as much of our real history as we can and teach the young. We cannot be distracted by calls of being racist, hate-mongers, radical, militant or controversial. Like Malcolm X said “I come here today to tell the truth and if the truth is anti-America, then blame the truth, not me!
Everyone is talking about the increase in shootings in Chicago and some has suggested that the president come to Chicago and address the situation. REALLY? This ish was going on long before he became president. If he threw Rev. Wright under the bus and didn’t stand up for TRUTH what make them think he’s going to come to Chi and for a speech that’s going to include the TRUTH. He’s indoctrinated into westernized mentality. I’ve just come to the conclusion that we as Black people really need to be careful as to who we call the 1ST BLACK this or that. Colin Powell and Condi Rice along with Obama and Johnson. They are all being used by the power structure to advance their agenda.
This has nothing to do with being racist. This has to do with saving our children and the legacy of those that came before us that were silenced for speaking THE TRUTH.
KUDOS TO YOU DR BOYCE FOR HAVING THE COURAGE TO SAY WHAT NEEDED TO BE SAID. PLEASE DON’T STOP. HOPE AND CHANGE, ALL DAY, EVERYDAY!
I see a lot of comments here about Black people blaming other’s for the problems in the Black community. It is true, it’s our fault for taking the bait.
But look at history, just the history of the Black Experience in America. The slaves that tried to rebel against their slave owner. What happen when slave had their freedom than money was lost and it was decided by the power structure to enslaves Blacks again in Jim Crow and Segregation. What about the Blacks building their own communities in Rosewood, Fl and Oklahoma and they ended up being destroyed because a Black man was accused of raping a White woman and the towns were burn down. What about what happened when Black people were tired of oppression and started boycotts and were attacked by dogs and fire hoses.
Yes today we do have more opportunity some of us are taking advantage of it some are not. There is something else you have to understand. The power structure is still at work, they did not stop. It’s the mental brainwashing that’s the problem. Just because the put all this negative stuff in the media, doesnt mean it’s true. Just because they say something is good or bad for you don’t mean you have to take their word for it.
All you have to do is look at US foreign policy to see there are evil people who are running this country. Look at the money in politics. Look at the money being spent on wars to protect the profits of the oil companies. These wars are not to protect you. Look how they bailed Wall Street out and left working people with mortgages they owe more than their homes are worth. Look at the people who lost their retirement saving when the economy crashed in 09. Look at what they do to leaders of countries who do not want to be under the West (France, Britian and the US) foot and when the refuse to let them influence and run their countries, what happens to them. Their called terrorist or killed. Why do you think Iran, Venezuela, Argentina nationalized their oil? Because the West was trying to steal the oil and profits.
They still have their foot on Africa, though they were given their independence, they are really not free from colonialism. The Latin countries have awaken. The Middle East is fighting against imperialism of the West to save their culture and protect their national resources from the greedy West.
I know we can do better, but it’s not that cut and dry to say stop blaming everyone else for the ills of the Black community. We need to wake up from the brainwashing and pay attention to what is happening in this country and world events, it’s in our best interest. Don’t think for a minute that everything is all fine and good, it’s not. Pay attention.
All of that jewellery literally look just like SE, which of course they are. In many senses.
All of that jewellery literally looks just like shackles, which of course they are. In many senses.
In reponse to Jimmy Edwards….What happened to Fred Hampton when he and the Black Panthers tried to do exactly what you stated? What happen to the Conservative Vice Lords in Chicago when they changed from being thugs to being motivated and dedicated to cleaning up the community? What about what the Black Panthers were doing in California? J Edgar Hoover and the FBI?
Look at the pattern and it is a pattern. If we would just take the time to read history, the past, we will have more knowledge in moving to a better future. You’re right, we need to stop blaming other’s, but looking out the history is not blaming, it’s learning and changing our mentality will go a long way. Education is not only about going to college and earning degrees. We need to understand how the world works, what imperialism is. Money is not everything, it’s self respect, pride, motivation, foundation and spirit. We should never be ashamed of our ethnicity, our hair, skin tone or anything else about our Blackness. They playing field is not equal because the world has been taught that we are not equal to them and we are, we just need to act like it!
We as black folks are the most dangerous race on this planet when it comes to each other. It’s called GREED by any means NECESSARY period. What part of Dr. Boyce’s message we’re not getting Be STRONG,BLESSED & EDUCATED it’s never to late to be EDUCATED! Churches and Pastors follow the same trend as drug dealers everything is okay until you get caught up in your own BS it’s GREED get EDUCATED Thanks Dr. Boyce I get educated daily by you and your colleagues columns. Keep up the good work
I’m an older black male who missed out on the serious part of EDUCATION at a younger age but I appreciate the knowledge you send THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH TO YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES.
What is happening now is these hip hop artists are dealing psychological drugs, which are as dangerous as real drugs in that it sets an environment that is utterly destructive.
This is a good article and Resa, you need your own website. Very good responses here. I am like you Head, the Dr. is educating me daily, thanks Doc!
This is a good article and Resa, you need your own website. Very good responses here. I am like you Head, the Dr. is educating me daily, thanks Doc!
ps. Scoot Dubbs, I too am a naptowner
317-459-6506
Here we go again… Blaming hip hop for every wrongdoing in the black community. Everytime I hear these comments it makes the black community sound like we can’t think for ourselves because so and so says they got shot or robs people, or has s*x with 100 women that’s what every young black kid has to do. I guess individuals can’t think for themselves and do the right things. If Joe the rapper who is popular says go join a gang, get shot, shoot somebody, and impregnate 10 women I guess the black youth of our society will go ahead and do exactly that! I guess no one who listens to rap will ever become anything or be a productive person in society. I wish people would stop looking to blame something as simple as a song or lyric and instead point the finger at the individual who is just dumb enough to believe what these rappers are saying and buy into these negative images and lyrics. White people are the majority of consumers of rap music and I guess they turn out okay. If these kids commit these senseless acts of violence against one another or their own race or any other race they should be given the same fate as what they have done to others. I bet these fake tough guys would not commit these crimes. Once they get caught they turn into little kids and cry like babies. If they knew their life would be over I’m sure they would not commit half the crimes and aggregious acts they do now. But there are no consequences severe enough to scare them. I just think blaming a culture or blaming hip hop for tainting the minds of individuals in my opinion is wrong. Just like your parents use to tell you… “If so and so said to jump off that cliff would you”?
One of the best threads to come along in a while. It seems to have hit some nerves. Most of my two cents has already been said.
& the more you insult your own (black) people, the bigger the payoff. Con-yay & daze-zee have never been so prominent, paid or powerful than they r right now. & extra bonus points for degrading black women!
The truth hurts but the truth is: I thought that I was done with my postulation over this c**p RAP that is emanating from the ghettos of the City of Chicago thanks in large part to a misguided and exploited Negros such as the known as Chief Keef (he soon may be known by a prison number). This week in one my intellectual meeting of the minds with my best friend Drew, I got an opportunity to see exactly how someone such as Chief Keef is rising to the top, while spewing loads of nonsensical bullsh*t; and then having it labeled by exploitative executives in the music industry as rap (perhaps it should be called c**p RAP). In all fairness, I realized that not only are the music industry Slave Masters the only ones perpetuating this c**p RAP lie. Mainstream media is starting to join the c**p bandwagon and together with the music executives they seek to make Chief Keef (and others like him) one “hood-rich” Ni$$a.
The truth hurts but the truth is: The music industry executives salivate at the opportunity to make Chief Keef their industry slave. This is the “Prison Industrial Complex” for the new age because now you have miscreants like Chief Keef helping to populate the prisons. Here you have a young reprobate who doesn’t give a d**n about himself; the young African American children that he is catering to; or his family who he is totally disrespecting with his bafoonery. However, as I stated earlier, he is not alone in perpetration of this fraud. Here in Chicago (where the rate of gun violence is going through the roof), mainstream media in the form of WGCI-107.5FM has jumped on the bandwagon of ignorance and bafoonery. Yes, I am calling them out: WGCI-107.5FM is the most popular radio station in the 3rd largest market in the Midwest. So how did they decide to stand on the issue of miscreants like Chief Keef? They decided to give him a 30 minute interview on their station. They decided to put a d**n fool (Chief Keef) on a pedestal as if he is some kind of hero to the “poor little Negro children” of Chicago. Given all of the violence that has permeated the Black and Brown community here in Chicago, WGCI’s morning show “The Morning Riot” has attempted to entertain this notion of Chief Keef is a legitimate role model by 30 minute interview with him at the behest of some no-name underground “hip hop” blogger.
The truth hurts but the truth is: Chief Keef needs to have his a*s in school trying to get close to reading at grade level. For those of you who do not know who Chief Keef is, let me pull your coattail to this young reprobate. The truth hurts but the truth is: He is a 16 or 17 year old Special Education student from the City of Chicago who no-longer attends school; rather, he promulgates himself as some type of role model that all the children in Chicago Public Schools wants to be like. He even has visited some of the other Chicago Public Schools (we need to fire those principals). He purports that he is telling the story of being from the hood, but really he is telling the story of how easy it is to exploit the uneducated little Negro children who have no clue about the real world (entertainment included).
But I digress: WGCI and others have begun to embrace Chief Keef and his c**p RAP as if he is a Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, or Common. However, there is an indelible difference between Chief Keef and these others who have demarcated a line between Chicago Hip-Hop and that bullshit that I call c**p RAP. HIP HOP TELLS A STORY, rap often tells a story, but Chief Keef is simulating rapping about c**p. Check him out and listen to “Bang Bang” where all he talks about is shooting people (as if the City of Chicago needs any more shootings); or check out “3Hunna” where he talks about more killings while hanging with his clique called 3Hunna; or you can check out his video “I don’t like” shot with a fellow miscreant Lil’ Reese. So if someone can find some positive in the erroneous postulation of a reprobate such as Chief Keef….DEFEND YOURSELF.
The truth hurts but the truth is: We have to understand that at times we give our enemies the stick that they beat us with. Chief Keef is: a miscreant, a reprobate, a degenerate, a malefactor, but most importantly he is being exploited by label executives who see the prospects of making a quick dollar; however, Chief Keef has been broke for so long that he welcomes that exploitation because it will be the most money that he has ever “legally” had. The truth hurts but the truth is: he won’t have to worry about his immediate future because he will just keep making a bunch of nonsensical bullshit c**p RAPS for the executives who will be get his grandmother out of the little apartment that she lives in. The truth hurts but the truth is: This time next year, Chief Keef will either be in prison or in a grave (a martyr) because of his ignorance. Then they all well sing: FREE CHIEF KEEF; or R.I.P. CHIEF KEEF t-shirts will flood the hood. C’mon people (especially parents) WE CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER.
The truth hurts but the truth is: Chief Keef illustrates a very good point – that we don’t have to worry about our children being disenfranchised by White (and Black) pseudo-leaders because we will do it to ourselves. Chief Keef is his c**p RAP is nothing short of coonery and bafoonery and WGCI-107.5FM just made legitimacy out of it. WGCI has just gone the way of BET (Black Exploitative Television): GARBAGE. Their reputation as garbage was solidified in their 30 minute interview with this miscreant Chief Keef. So WGCI 107.5FM (especial Tony Scoefield) should be held directly responsible for contributing to the level of violence that is pervading the poorest neighborhoods of the city of Chicago for their perpetuation of a reprobate Chief Keef.
I would be remiss if I did not take to task some others who are perpetuating this bullshit, such as the local entertainment newspaper The Red Eye who also did an interview with Chief Keef while he was on house arrest and printed a story about him. Then there is the New York DJ who interviewed him for Sirrius/XM’s Shade 45 satellite radio station. But then there is one of my favorites: Chief Keef being interviewed at a NYC gun range that wasn’t supposed to allow him access because he is definitely under 21. Perhaps this would by cause to send this video to the Cook County States Attorney’s office (yes, I don’t mind snitching on reprobates).
The truth hurts but the truth is…
I agree with about 95% of what the good doctor wrote..but not all. I mean.. Why is it always us rappers who are targeted for being the ones spreading destruction? What about Rockers? What about television and cartoons?? If you actually took the time to listen to the most popular rock artists/heavy metal bands, you’d be appalled at the negativity spewing from THEIR mouths..BUT, THAT is never addressed or talked about OR policed smh… It’s only when blacks do something that it’s a problem… Also, people can control what their kids listen to for the most part…but look at all the violence on cartoons and animated series that are reaching our CHILDREN!! No one points this stuff out. There’s a hip hop police, but no other kind??? And furthermore, I rap. And I don’t promote violence and negativity although I may speak about it in my songs because it’s a reality! I promote Jesus Christ and doing good by others! I have brung alot of people to God with my “gangster music” being the catalyst between the two worlds that bring them from the negative to the positive side…. Before just bashing hip hop and modern day rappers, you should single out the rappers you feel are spreading poison… Some are spreading knowledge, and have plans to lead the people in the church! The thing is, you have to get the peoples attention and support FIRST , and then you can make a difference… How many rappers coming out these days rapping Christian music or clean Will Smith type rap are getting heard or getting national recognition????? I feel that this article does more to help the “powers that be” paint blacks in a negative light than it does to point out the problems rappers are causing in the black communities because of their negative lyrics.
I agree with about 95% of what the good doctor wrote..but not all. I mean.. Why is it always us rappers who are targeted for being the ones spreading destruction? What about Rockers? What about television and cartoons?? If you actually took the time to listen to the most popular rock artists/heavy metal bands, you’d be appalled at the negativity spewing from THEIR mouths..BUT, THAT is never addressed or talked about OR policed smh… It’s only when blacks do something that it’s a problem… Also, people can control what their kids listen to for the most part…but look at all the violence on cartoons and animated series that are reaching our CHILDREN!! No one points this stuff out. There’s a hip hop police, but no other kind??? And furthermore, I rap. And I don’t promote violence and negativity although I may speak about it in my songs because it’s a reality! I promote Jesus Christ and doing good by others! I have brung alot of people to God with my “gangster music” being the catalyst between the two worlds that bring them from the negative to the positive side…. Before just bashing hip hop and modern day rappers, you should single out the rappers you feel are spreading poison… Some are spreading knowledge, and have plans to lead the people in the church! The thing is, you have to get the peoples attention and support FIRST , and then you can make a difference… How many rappers coming out these days rapping Christian music or clean Will Smith type rap are getting heard or getting national recognition????? I feel that this article does more to help the “powers that be” paint blacks in a negative light than it does to point out the problems rappers are causing in the black communities becauAse of their negative lyrics. And like Allen said above, why do people make it seem as if only black people aren’t wise enough to know the difference between right and wrong if it comes out of a rappers mouth? Like he said, blacks aren’t even the biggest consumers of rap music, so that theory is full of holes.. Furthermore, everyone has a job to do. You can’t get mad at a d.j. for interviewing an idiot like Chief Keef because,(sadly), it’s what their listeners wanna hear. If he doesn’t give the people what they want, he will be fired. That’s like a defendant getting mad at a prosecutor for trying to get them convicted. He has a job to do. If his a*s isn’t getting convictions, then he’ll lose HIS job..and so on and so on… The point is, I’m living proof that kids are more influenced by the people around them and the things that are actually going on in THEIR respective house holds and neighborhoods than by what they hear on songs. Period.