Home > Gwinnett > Rick Badie / My Opinion > Archives > 2008 > November > 29
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Let’s hope the Obama era will change thug rappers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My son has finally hit that age in which music means just about everything. So for his 13th birthday, we bought him an iPod. He’s downloaded a dozen or so songs, and his tastes expand all genres — notably rap and rock-n-roll.
Occasionally Miles will hand over the iPod so his Old Man can hear what he’s listening to.
Of the lot, rap presents the biggest parental headache. I try desperately to listen without prejudice, prejudgment and free of the baggage that weighs the art form down. Can the ubiquitous Lil’ Wayne be that much different from the artists of my teen years? Man, it’s like comparing night to day.
If there’s a story or message behind the lyrics, it’s buried somewhere amid magnificent beats and horrific rhymes about sexual prowess, fancy cars and pronouncements of being the best in the game. Humility as a trait has left the train station. It’s been replaced by the unfettered use of the n-word and the b-word.
Much has been made of the Nov. 4 election of President-elect Barack Obama. The first African-American president of these United States takes helm at one of this country’s more disparate periods. Expectations as to how his administration will govern run high.
On the periphery, another issue has been laid at his administration’s feet, though it’s not policy matter. Some wonder whether a black man’s occupation of the White House will affect music. Force the low-rent, explicit end of hip-hop to sing anew. To clean up. To add more dollops of decency so that fewer offensive lyrics need to be bleeped out. To produce for kids an actual “clean” version of songs that are indeed non-explicit and a showcase of the genre’s brilliance. It’s an issue that’s been discussed forever and a day among black parents.
In a Nov. 18 article, the Rev. Al Sharpton shared his opinion on the subject with Greg Kot, the Chicago Tribune music critic.
“You can’t be using the ‘b’ word, the ‘n’ word, and the ‘h’ word when you have Barack Obama redefining overnight the image that black people won’t have. Here’s the greatest political victory in the history of black America, and the thug rappers can’t come near it. They will have to change or become irrelevant.”
Notice he said “thug rappers” and not all. It’s a worthy distinction. Without question, rap/hip-hop music isn’t the sole source of crass pop culture. Turn on the TV.
I hope Mr. Sharpton and like-minded individuals are on to something and that that “something” catches fire. Surely the artists of such a powerful genre of music marketed to children can find ways to express points with less raunchiness yet still maintain their street swagger.
Will they? Who knows. I, for one, would welcome a sea change, the day when a majority of the “thug rappers,” as Sharpton described them, reinvent themselves.
It’s highly unlikely Miles will turn a deaf ear to any specific type of music just because I disallow it in our crib. Besides, he’ll get plenty of exposure outside my purview.
For now, though, Lil’ Wayne has got to go.
Permalink | Comments (84) | Post your comment | Categories: Rick Badie
.JPG)
-1.JPG)
Services »
