Dumb Rappers Need Teaching

What is the deal with all these dumb fucking rappers? Too dumb to realize that the Five-O is hawkin'. Publicity stunts? I doubt it. Most of these jack-offs (see Lil Wayne or TI) will spend at least some time locked down. And rightfully so. I don't think they should be allowed to stay in the vision of the impressionable youth. They gave that privilege up when they were too stupid to distance themselves from the bullshit. I don't want to hate, but I feel obligated as a Hip-Hop fan to speak my mind. I know we shouldn't expect too much from them, it's not like a high school diploma or college education was ever a logical step in the path of rap super stardom, but fuck. I heard an interview with the rapper Plies when I was down in Florida, and this clown might be one of the dumbest cats out there. Just listening to him speak was a struggle to any reasonably educated person. Then, one of my dude's pointed me to a VIBE interview he did. LMAO:

When asked about his name the rapper responded: "Plies is a tool, You can use it to put the squeeze on things, like I'm doing to these n*ggas in the rap game. I got the squeeze on them real tight, they feeling the pressure, or you can use it to pull things out. I pull out all the bullsh*t and keep the real you feel me? It also a word you can use in terms of things goin' on in yo life, ya dig. You may hear something I say and say that it plies to me. Plies straight to me."

Vibe: "I've heard of a tool called a Pliers and the term applies."

Plies: "You know what I'm trying to say my n*gga, just buy my album, I'm from the South my n*gga, we don't learn no grammar. My Album out August 7, 2007, cop three copies each, it's Christmas in July fo' real, ya dig? "

This is a perfect example of the "artists" filling the ipods of today's youth. You would think that if you were going to be known by a name, you would at least want it to be accurate enough that the general population could see the correlation between the slang variation you're using and the actual word, but maybe not. People in the south are a little slow and supposedly, they don't learn no grammar.


So, according to his verse on his "daddy's" song "100 Million dollars", Lil Wayne says "I all night it, I everyday it". Evidently, the DEA and Arizona Piggies figured he would be riding dirty when they stopped him the other day. After all, he does "everyday it". My question is, if you have "100 Million dollars" why not pay a flunky to carry your creative inspiration and thus, avoid these legal complications? But why attempt to decipher the thoughts of a fake blood who kisses men? It's like trying to shit in the kitchen sink. It makes me wonder what would cause someone who is currently on top of the game, despite his quasi-homoerotic escapades and drug induced drooling on half his appearance's, to have such a lapse in judgment. I am not saying that Wayne is even educated enough to understand the ramifications of his actions, but you think someone in his camp would be at least semi-paranoid about the bacon wagons.

This rap shit is like a real life version of the Dave Chappelle episode of "when keeping it real goes wrong". We all know that the listening community likes to correlate the street credibility of these rappers with the persona they portray on their records, but does that make it necessary? Is being a G the only way to talk about G shit? And if you really think about it, wouldn't the cat without the criminal record or gang affiliation be the more gangsta one? I mean, since when is getting knocked a good thing? Or, as Jada says, "Since when is it cool to get shot and not shoot back?" Somebody needs to explain to me why the hip hop fans worry about how real these artists are when the larger majority of them never touched weight in their life. Shouldn't the emphasis be on the flow, lyrical strength and the overall ability to keep the listener interested for an entire album?

Not to say that this falls solely on the audience though. Its not like the artist are not playing right into it. For instance, we can look at the Game or Lil Wayne. Wayne, a new found affiliate of the Bloods, has been signed to Cash Money since he was 11. He's been shot, (by himself of course) which is seemingly mandatory now-a-days ("niggas is acting like slugs is awards and they proud to get em"). Yet, he portrays this gangsta image when the hip-hop community would probably accept him more wholeheartedly if he came out real. How about the Game? Also a new found affiliate, gets a tattoo of a butterfly on his face as a symbolic representation of his Grandmother. That is not the problem. The problem is that a real G would have keep it there instead of quickly covering it up with a LA sign and now a red star once he got a taste of the ridicule. (Side note: tattoos on your face might be the sign of the lowest educated members of society, I mean, its your face!)

I say that to say this: Hip Hop is resurrecting itself. The whole Hip Hop is dead campaign has really swept through the game. Fact is, Hip Hop is healing itself. We are beginning to weed out the bullshit. Hip Hop isn't dead, but record sales are. And if you look back at the beginning of this whole shit, record sales were not up in the millions. In fact, the whole problem started when we began to determine the value of an artist based on there first week sales. That's the germ that started this whole Hip Hop is Dead epidemic. But Hip Hop isn't dead. I would call this the great depression of Hip Hop. All we need now is the rap version of FDR to come through and new deal this bitch! Bad news though, its not Lil Wayne or Kanye West. Sadly, its not this new blood of Papoose or Joell Ortiz. More then likely, the savior is yet to be discovered.

But fact is, the rappers of today need to realize that ignorance is not the way to the top. Maybe for a ring tone deal or something, but not for sustained longevity in this game. While I enjoy the "I'm so Hood remix" as much as the next man, its just not the representation of Hip Hop that we should be idolizing. As you get older, you begin to realize that a song with substance is far more stimulating then a song about moving weight with a catchy hook will ever be. When you can walk into your local high school and see a group of white girls humming the "I wear my pants below my waist...." shits gone sour. There is a huge difference between a "Can't Knock the Hustle" and "5000 ones" or between "Everyday Struggles" and "I'm so hood". At least I think so.

Basing your opinion of an artist, hip hop or otherwise, on their credibility outside their respective genres or based on the popularity of there work, is shortsighted to say the least. It's also the characteristics of the weak minded and immature. Denzel, Dr. Dre and Kobe were all once local hype with little support. Now, you could argue they are the best at what they do. So, let these dumb rappers weed themselves out. If these hip hop fans truly give a shit, stop supporting the mindless bullshit overflowing youtube and flooding you local radio station. Supporting fake shit by fake thugs....what part of the game is that?