Whitlock Hits Another Out of The Park

My point was that stats and numbers are often times meaningless and open to interpretation. But if that went over your head, so be it.

 

Some of us did get get. We just hoped the topic would die afterwards.

 

"In fact, as rap music has become more popular, homicides committed by blacks have decreased."


Yes, sir, it flew right over my head. I read that sentence and came to the weird conclusion that you said "homicides committed by blacks have decreased."

Damn, I feel stupid. I feel really, really stupid.

 

This is slightly off topic, but I think there needs to be a distinction made when discussing "Hip Hop" as a culture. I have written thesis papers on the differences between hip hop and rap. And frankly, it's quite a gap. In the traditional sense, hip hop has been about uplifting themes and positive beats. At the core of it, people like Common, Jurassic 5, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest very rarely put out anything that was misogynistic or encouraged violence in any way. I had the fortune of interviewing some of these people and they take it very seriously that they aren't lumped in with some of the rappers out there that talk all day about gun play and violence.

It might be splitting hairs a bit when it comes to this discussion, but hip hop and rap aren't the same thing. Talib Kweli is not the same as 50 Cent and people who draw that comparison are simply wrong. Hip Hop (and it's associated "culture), when it's recognized properly, provides a positive outlet for a lot of kids.

 

Sorry, but Whitlock's got to be part of the discussion too. Unless he stops listening to Tech N9ne and other rappers in his iPod who use those terms, then he's not following his own actions and would still be part of the problem that he's talking about, that he hopes to solve.

It would be like writing a column blasting the use of "Redskins" but still using the term in future columns or every day use. When you make a stand, you've got to follow through with actions to back your own words. Otherwise, they ring hollow.

 

football, has someone suggested that talib kweli is the same as 50 cent?

 

Hint: When I said we needed more white rappers, I was kidding.

 

I haven't seen it in so many words, but I have seen in a few places on here where the term hip hop is tossed out as a synonym for rap or where people draw the connection that all "rappers" are the same. That's simply the point I am trying to get across. Sad as it is, there is a section of people in this country that believe just because you rap means you must be talking about violence, degrading women or both.

 

You bring up a good point, and I am not being a smart ass by asking this.

How do you tell the difference from a youth who follows hip hop and a youth that follows gangster rap when you meet them?

Would it be the difference between Gilbert A. and AI? Is it the tats? The corn rows? The style of dress? How the clothes fit?

 

Oz

If I said McDonald's is unhealthy, is that fact discounted because I'm overweight and occasionally eat McDonald's?

A truth is a truth.

I LOVE HIP HOP.

i like a lot of the slang in hip hop. i don't like that too much of mainstream hip hop promotes violence, disrespect, drug dealing, etc... is that really that difficult to understand?

 

sorry, andyouare. i didn't mean to run you out of here. there's nothing wrong with saying you're wrong and moving on.

 

That's an impossible question to answer, but if you believe that music has the power to influence the type of person a kid becomes, then I think you would probably find kids listening to hip hop are extremely creative and have a better grasp on the world around them and their place in it.