do you think certain members of the hip hop community should be more honest about their $$ start

[tamra]

*sorry for this novel *

as in several members of the hip hop community were drug dealers and then used the drug money to jump to the top of the rap game. and I ain't talking pot. I'm talking crack, coke, heroin, and other hard core stuff.

do you think this should be exposed repeatedly so that kids today understand their success didn't come from a straight and narrow hard work process?

I love me some Dr. Dre, Tupac, Snoop, Geto Boys, NWA (tmobile has their ring tones now ), Ice Cube - damn, I think I'm a west side chick, I haven't named one east coast rapper yet. oh wait my baby's daddy LL Cool J, Jay Z and Nas. however, I'm not blind as to how some of these guys got their financial start.

it don't take much to sell drugs. some of the most illiterate persons in the world are dealers. only gotta count money. hell, even I sold pot once in high school to get rid of a bad buy. it took me 1 hour and 3 of my homegirls to dump our bag and make a profit at same time. you don't really have to make an effort to sell drugs. the effort is hiding the $$ and not getting caught, which is where the shadyness and grimyness comes into play.

but then I have to look at folks like Cheney. shit he makes a drug dealer look like a pansy assed choir boy! and he's keeping his dirt so squeaky clean, religious conservatives praise him.

but do you think for kids who are idolizing dealers (some who have shot and killed) as heroes should be repeatedly told something like: "here's a new cut from former E. Tremont Bronx dealer..." when a new song is announced? yanno, keep it real.

urban society keeps pretending and overlooking, but to me this ignorance about it is part of the f'd up mentality of some kids.

they don't wanna listen to mom. dealer who is about to become rap star has better options.

they don't wanna focus on school. sees dealer on corner not even reading a book and hanging out of a slick car. and now Fiddy has a sprawling estate in Connecticut.

they wanna jump into sex early. former dealer now rapper has pretty women all around him throwing themselves at him. (ironically it is that easy for rap artists, perfect example: Vivica Fox and 50 Cents. don't think she would have looked twice at him on the streets, but In Da Club was hottest thing since sliced bread)

the dad who gets up and works everyday ain't even respected, ain't even listened to.

just asking because I'm about to speak at a teen kids forum about options in life in spite of, and not buying into hype so they can be more empowered to *think* for themselves. a free mind could be person who creates next big positive thing.

[tis2flyyy]

tamra,

Yeah, I agree...but I also say...Get your money, nucca!

Like Nino (Brown) said: In the Reagan & Bush era, we have to ROB to get rich. Either you eat or you starve.

Being that I am straight from the hood, turned good...sometimes selling dope is the only way out for a brother. Don't make it right, but it does sometimes make a way. No matter if they blow up later on and become rap stars or whatever...THEY ALL WILL STILL HAVE TO ANSWER FOR THEIR BULLSHIT ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT.

& that is real.

But do not tell the teens that! Don;t want to scare the be-jesus out of them!

[tamra]

tis2flyyy,

when Regan was president, didn't give a damn about him. could not stand the guy. can't believe his funeral was attended by so many well wishers. I was also just starting out in corporate world where there were no other black faces but mine at the company. it's like we didn't exist. yet the product was a global service.

that was the start of an eye opening career. because I came to do work, but other folks were like "wow, a black person, let's spend the company's money finding out what she does after work"

certain co-workers assumed I came from the projects, high crime area. purses started getting locked away when I'd go to bathroom. (umm, I make more than you, jackass. I'm the one who should be worried!)
certain co-workers always used slang when talking to me, their way of making me understand. (but did you hear ebonics come out of my mouth?! jackass!)
one co-worker said I must be good at doing hair and asked if I could do hers.
one non-stop stereotype after another
and the killer: one boss thought my goal was to be her personal entertainer because only blacks she saw in Montana were on TV

and it never dawned on them that I never asked them one damn personal thing. I was picking up one skill after another, paying attention to openings to make more $$ and move to other companies.

so w/these at risk kids, my goal is not to emphasize entering into nonsense like that. makes it miserable earning your $$. but if they are, how to deal and focus on work, and not jackass.

but biggest problem is the heroes of urban teens which define their direction in life. how do you say try something else when majority around are doing something grimy to get $$? or they think the grimy stuff is only way so ignore it and look only at the payoff. one kid was saying 50 Cents is one of greatest men of his lifetime. that's just scary.

I know there are plenty of poor folks not doing grimy though, and make it out, and some even big. Oprah damn sure wasn't born w/a silver spoon in her mouth, and lived in really poor conditions. ;-p

[bingolong]

tamra,
Iliked it in the 80's when folks like Eazy E. and NWA would say Eazy got the money for the Ruthless Record label from an "inheritance" with a wink. Hell I belived that shit even though they had a song called "Dope Man" with Eazy E in the part of the Dope Man!!!


Back then they were not even promoting or glamourizing (sp) the dope game in that song!! Nowadays these niggas tell how you you cookit cutit and on what corner you can get it!!

[Murphdogg]

tamra, reminds me of the movie a bronx tale. who would you want as a role model, Lorenzo the hard working honest but poor bus driver, or sonny the maffia captain?

[tamra]

bingolong,

oh I know used to be jamming my butt off to NWA. and let's not forget The Chronic.

but you are right about today's rappers. not only telling you they are doing it, but who they smoked or about to smoke for messing up their "street corner pharmaceutical sales" business

what would be nice is take the money and buy property in the hood to establish empowerment there. as soon as $$ overflows, it's "well, we moooovin' on up..." while singing gangsta stuff still. shouldn't the songs change to "dropped my kid off at private school, kicked it with the PTA, and set it off at the grocery store"?

because once out the hood, "normal" life begins around their new neighbors. and they don't want their kids to follow their life.

Murphdogg,

I love that movie. but nowadays kids are physically attacking bus drivers because they think he is a worthless chump. or worse, bus driver has to stab a passenger because the kid was about to attack him.

and the way some kids talk to adults even scare me. I keep thinking my momma will pop up and start whupping ass. *looking my shoulder now for using the ass word *

[tis2flyyy]

tamra,
I though Reagen or Regan - however you spell the name...was the anti-christ.

His first, middle and last name all were 6 letter a piece.

Yep, the anti-christ.

[tis2flyyy]

Murphdogg,
Santino - God rest his soul, was a good son, but he was on bad Don!

[tis2flyyy]

Murphdogg,

That was fromt he God Father. I may have messed the quote up though! They were talking about his murdered son, Sonny!

[tamra]

tis2flyyy,

that is one mofo I never gave a damn about spelling his name right! he is lucky dead or alive I call him by his last name instead of what he was: bitch ass clueless motherfucker who is part of the problem!

his cracker ass would have probably even misspelled the X in Malcolm X! I just don't see how a president since the Civil Rights Act can be so detached, but look at his performance regarding humanity and civil rights while governor of California. do we need a President Needs A Clue Act??!