Salutations to all,
You may or may not know but recently conservative supremacist Rush Limbaugh was apart of an investment group that tried to purchase the St. Louis Rams, an NFL franchise. A lot of people were against the radio show host owning part of the team. Personally, I could have cared less. One reason being his views probably don’t differ too much from the other owners (not players) in the NFL. Secondly, in a capitalist society as long as a person has enough money he/she should be able to purchase whatever they can afford. However, due to the negative feedback received from all over the country the investment group decided to blench* and drop Rush as an investor. That’s also apart of a capitalistic society. Anyone considered to be a hindrance to the cash flow must go. That’s why image is so important.
If you ask any reasonable person about their feelings concerning Rush Limbaugh or any of the “fair and balanced” talking heads usually words like racist, elitist, and pretentious comes to mind. I’m not certain these guys are racist because I don’t really know them like that. But the image they portray doesn’t seem like their admiration is available for anyone of color and especially for people that are not financially distinguished. I’m not the type of person that believes every bad thing that gets said about an individual. I base my judgments on what a person actually says. With the invention of youtube you can go online and see almost every ignorant thing that anyone says. Some people have more than others. Based on various comments an image develops. Anything that someone says, good or bad, is going to stick in the mind of the public. Some people are going to agree with you while others won’t. Depending on your views, you may be in the majority or the minority. That’s why when Rush’s bid to own part of the team was rejected I wasn’t the least bit surprised. Rush’s persistent inflammatory comments hasn’t endeared him to the Black community. I don’t know if Limbaugh realized it (his head seems to be stuck in his (fill in you own blank)) but the NFL is over 80% black. So really, what did he expect? He has an image. If you’re a white supremacist or a sold out minority then he has an excellent image as far as you’re concerned. You probably say the comment, “Well, the NFL let Mike Vick play and he got convicted of dog fighting.” All I can say is this: Who would you rather have live next door to you? An ex-dog fighter or a blatantly racist blowhard? The answer says a lot about you. I would rather live in a one bedroom studio apartment with Bobby Brown, Gary Busey, and Wendy Williams than live on the same block as a racist. But that’s just me.
Like I mentioned before, I don’t feel sorry for Rush Limbaugh. He has plenty of money and there will be other opportunities for him to make more. He will still have his fans and now they’ll like him even more because they feel he was mistreated by “the man”. His fans just need to keep in mind that he didn’t get dropped because of his views. He got dropped because his image was going to prevent the other investors from making more money. We may live in a black and white nation but green is still king. And if the king isn’t happy heads are gonna roll…
“If people see you the wrong way, chances are, it’s your own fault. You may think that people have the wrong idea about you but they don’t. More than likely your opinion of yourself is grossly exaggerated.” – Rallo
Dream Big. Live Bigger.
The All-American
www.rallostyles.com
http://thecatalystexperience.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/rallostyles <--Follow Me
*Word you’ve never heard…
blench /BLENCH/ verb – to draw back or turn aside from lack of courage
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
The Catalyst
Hello All,
Did you miss me? Don’t worry. I made this Catalyst extra long to make up for my absence. Enjoy!
This past weekend Atlanta hosted the BET Awards. I had to work so I missed the show and all the festivities. It seemed like it would have been fun to participate but the older I get the more out of touch I become. I claim to be a fan of Hip Hop although the only MCs I listen to are the same ones I been listening to for years (Outkast, Nas, Snoop, Jay-Z, Ludacris, etc.) Most of the new school rappers I can barely tolerate. I don’t see myself as one of those people that complain that rap isn’t what it used to be. I mean every now and then a song comes out that I put in constant rotation. But that’s kind of the problem. I like the songs, not the artist.
I was born in 1978 so you can say that I’m as old as Hip Hop. I lived in the south so of course we got all the music late but when we did it was a rap (pun intended). I remember “Rapper’s Delight” but it wasn’t until I heard and saw Run DMC that I was hooked. From there I soaked in as much as I could. My parents, more so my mom, was just getting serious into religion so I really wasn’t supposed to listen to “worldly” music. But as you well know, when a person is in love there isn’t anything you can do to stop them. The thing I like about early rap was the fun that was described in the verses. Everybody was partying, dancing, and having a good time. Not only that, these guys were rhyming and having fun even though nobody really had any money. They did it for the love as a way to express themselves creatively. Although it kept a lot of inner city youths out of trouble (legal or otherwise), Hip Hop music was frowned upon by the mainstream which a lot of kids, including myself, could identify with. I think as children we all know what its like to not fit in. Not to mention having our goals and aspirations laughed at while adults suggested we look into a “real” profession. Hip Hop was the alternative lifestyle urban youth flocked towards.
There was plenty of variety in the beginning stages of rap. You had lyricists like KRS ONE who showed how words could come together to make musical masterpieces. Then you had Public Enemy who taught us kids that although black people have a history of being slaves; before we came here we were kings and queens in Africa. And that Africa is where ALL life began. MC Hammer and Kid N Play represented the dancers and 2 Live Crew was an outlet for all the closet freaks. If you was gangsta (or at least thought you were) you had N.W.A. that represented the ghetto in a way that changed rap forever. No matter what type of person you were there was a rapper or group in which you could relate. And I think that is the most glaring difference between rap/rappers of my generation and the new school.
You’ll find most current rap is quite baroque*. I don’t live in a mansion nor do I drive a Phantom and party with big booty (fill in your own blank) all night. Just like government, church, and state universities rap has become about the almighty dollar. It’s so much money being generated rap couldn’t help but get corrupted. Anytime you do something for the sole purpose of getting paid it won’t give you as much satisfaction as you would think. I remember when being a sellout was the absolute worst thing you could do for your career. Being a sellout was like having leprosy-nobody wanted to be associated with you. Then untalented rappers started going platinum (Take that! Take that!) and selling out became par for the course. Today, you can see rappers promoting everything from deodorant to soft drinks. Unfortunately, that’s not the only way they sell out. I remember when rappers used to boycott the Grammy’s because they didn’t have a Rap category. Then, when one was created they didn’t televise the award presentation. Now, you got rappers throwing tantrums because they didn’t win. Most MCs also seem not to mind perpetuating stereotypes. When racists describe black people what do they say? They say we’re hyper-aggressive, over-sexed, misogynistic, and materialistic. Well, if you listen to 99.9% of hit rap records today you’ll find that most rap artists prove these points. Many rappers use the excuse that their music is strictly entertainment and nothing more. (Funny, Rush Limbaugh uses that same excuse for his racially inflammatory comments.) But the image that gets portrayed goes beyond the border of your neighborhood. People in the suburbs listen to rap. People oversees listen to rap. And I hate that the only image of black people they have is bling wearin’, bottle poppin’, tip drillin’ studio thugs that claim Bankhead when really they grew up in Lawrenceville. (For those who don’t know, Bankhead is the ‘hood part of Atlanta and Lawrenceville is the suburbs northeast of Atlanta)
Don’t get me wrong! I’m not a hater. I just want the new generation of Hip Hop to remember the roots. Hip Hop is a gift and it can be used for all kind of great things. Don’t do it just to get money. Even worse, don’t do it to be on TV. Use it as a way to express yourself. Don’t exchange disses on record or participate in Tweet Beefing to make a name for yourself. Just make music, man. Just make music.
“Are you an outcast? If you understand the basic principles and fundamental truths continued within this music you probably are. If you think it’s all about pimpin’ hoes and slammin’ Cadillac doors you probably a cracker, or a nigga that think he a cracker, or maybe just don’t understand.” - Ruben “Big Rube” Bailey
(Don’t be offended. “Cracker” and “Nigga” are derogatory terms which are often considered race specific but really they are not. They come in all colors.)
Dream Big. Live Bigger.
The All-American
www.rallostyles.com
http://thecatalystexperience.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/rallostyles <--Follow Me
*Word you’ve never heard…
baroque /buh-ROHK/ adj. - characterized by grotesqueness, extravagance, complexity, or flamboyance
Did you miss me? Don’t worry. I made this Catalyst extra long to make up for my absence. Enjoy!
This past weekend Atlanta hosted the BET Awards. I had to work so I missed the show and all the festivities. It seemed like it would have been fun to participate but the older I get the more out of touch I become. I claim to be a fan of Hip Hop although the only MCs I listen to are the same ones I been listening to for years (Outkast, Nas, Snoop, Jay-Z, Ludacris, etc.) Most of the new school rappers I can barely tolerate. I don’t see myself as one of those people that complain that rap isn’t what it used to be. I mean every now and then a song comes out that I put in constant rotation. But that’s kind of the problem. I like the songs, not the artist.
I was born in 1978 so you can say that I’m as old as Hip Hop. I lived in the south so of course we got all the music late but when we did it was a rap (pun intended). I remember “Rapper’s Delight” but it wasn’t until I heard and saw Run DMC that I was hooked. From there I soaked in as much as I could. My parents, more so my mom, was just getting serious into religion so I really wasn’t supposed to listen to “worldly” music. But as you well know, when a person is in love there isn’t anything you can do to stop them. The thing I like about early rap was the fun that was described in the verses. Everybody was partying, dancing, and having a good time. Not only that, these guys were rhyming and having fun even though nobody really had any money. They did it for the love as a way to express themselves creatively. Although it kept a lot of inner city youths out of trouble (legal or otherwise), Hip Hop music was frowned upon by the mainstream which a lot of kids, including myself, could identify with. I think as children we all know what its like to not fit in. Not to mention having our goals and aspirations laughed at while adults suggested we look into a “real” profession. Hip Hop was the alternative lifestyle urban youth flocked towards.
There was plenty of variety in the beginning stages of rap. You had lyricists like KRS ONE who showed how words could come together to make musical masterpieces. Then you had Public Enemy who taught us kids that although black people have a history of being slaves; before we came here we were kings and queens in Africa. And that Africa is where ALL life began. MC Hammer and Kid N Play represented the dancers and 2 Live Crew was an outlet for all the closet freaks. If you was gangsta (or at least thought you were) you had N.W.A. that represented the ghetto in a way that changed rap forever. No matter what type of person you were there was a rapper or group in which you could relate. And I think that is the most glaring difference between rap/rappers of my generation and the new school.
You’ll find most current rap is quite baroque*. I don’t live in a mansion nor do I drive a Phantom and party with big booty (fill in your own blank) all night. Just like government, church, and state universities rap has become about the almighty dollar. It’s so much money being generated rap couldn’t help but get corrupted. Anytime you do something for the sole purpose of getting paid it won’t give you as much satisfaction as you would think. I remember when being a sellout was the absolute worst thing you could do for your career. Being a sellout was like having leprosy-nobody wanted to be associated with you. Then untalented rappers started going platinum (Take that! Take that!) and selling out became par for the course. Today, you can see rappers promoting everything from deodorant to soft drinks. Unfortunately, that’s not the only way they sell out. I remember when rappers used to boycott the Grammy’s because they didn’t have a Rap category. Then, when one was created they didn’t televise the award presentation. Now, you got rappers throwing tantrums because they didn’t win. Most MCs also seem not to mind perpetuating stereotypes. When racists describe black people what do they say? They say we’re hyper-aggressive, over-sexed, misogynistic, and materialistic. Well, if you listen to 99.9% of hit rap records today you’ll find that most rap artists prove these points. Many rappers use the excuse that their music is strictly entertainment and nothing more. (Funny, Rush Limbaugh uses that same excuse for his racially inflammatory comments.) But the image that gets portrayed goes beyond the border of your neighborhood. People in the suburbs listen to rap. People oversees listen to rap. And I hate that the only image of black people they have is bling wearin’, bottle poppin’, tip drillin’ studio thugs that claim Bankhead when really they grew up in Lawrenceville. (For those who don’t know, Bankhead is the ‘hood part of Atlanta and Lawrenceville is the suburbs northeast of Atlanta)
Don’t get me wrong! I’m not a hater. I just want the new generation of Hip Hop to remember the roots. Hip Hop is a gift and it can be used for all kind of great things. Don’t do it just to get money. Even worse, don’t do it to be on TV. Use it as a way to express yourself. Don’t exchange disses on record or participate in Tweet Beefing to make a name for yourself. Just make music, man. Just make music.
“Are you an outcast? If you understand the basic principles and fundamental truths continued within this music you probably are. If you think it’s all about pimpin’ hoes and slammin’ Cadillac doors you probably a cracker, or a nigga that think he a cracker, or maybe just don’t understand.” - Ruben “Big Rube” Bailey
(Don’t be offended. “Cracker” and “Nigga” are derogatory terms which are often considered race specific but really they are not. They come in all colors.)
Dream Big. Live Bigger.
The All-American
www.rallostyles.com
http://thecatalystexperience.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/rallostyles <--Follow Me
*Word you’ve never heard…
baroque /buh-ROHK/ adj. - characterized by grotesqueness, extravagance, complexity, or flamboyance
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