Who's Fault Is This?

Post written by Guest Blogger Inner City Slim

The parents? Or lack thereof? Maybe the community. After all it takes a village right? Or maybe its the television, movies and music. Perhaps. Or maybe...just maybe its a combination of all of the above.

Taking all aforementioned variables into consideration, I strongly believe its the music. After all, music binds us all, no matter how many parents raised us, what community we lived in or what entertainment we choose to indulge in. Going even further I would have to single out Hip Hop music. I for one LOVE Hip Hop music and the culture. With that love comes an understanding. An understanding of how strong a force it is and how it can move people to change their thinking, eating, dressing and way of everyday living. How do I know this? Because I see rich Russian teenagers in St. Petersburg with 50 cent shirts on and the latest Jordans, reciting every word of P.I.M.P. in English, when they only speak Russian.

Yes, Hip Hop is responsible for the way some live their very lives. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. It started out as a revolutionary music rooted in change sprung by acts such as Public Enemy and Fab Freddy. Then it changed to gangsta rap with NWA, and Bling Bling rap with Bad Boy and the Hot Boys. Then thug music and then cocaine rap. Nowdays its backpackers, skateboarders and dopeboys. Along the way though, our people changed each time as well. Their walk, their talk, their clothes, their spending habits, their dreams. Life began to imitate art instead of the other way around.

So who do I blame? I blame the popular rappers and hip hop acts who have the power to sway masses in the right direction, but choose to dwell their messages upon the tales of the pimp slappin', hoe-baggin, drug pushin, luxury car leasing, 8 chain wearing, project hall way dwelling scum that infests our neighborhoods and our childrens minds. No, Im in no way bashing the Hip Hop culture, but I have to call a spade a spade.

Two things have to happen for a change to come so we see less of the young man pictured above. Our generation has to do a better job of raising independent thinkers. Raise children who are not sheep and who dont follow what the other kids are doing because it looks cool. After all, who doesn't want to be cool? We have to overtake the idealism that Hip Hop is currently trying to portray. The idea that dumb is cool and smart is not. The most clear example of this is the rapper Plies. The self-proclaimed Goon is a college educated, well versed, articulate man. Just listen to him talk in interviews. Why does he choose to act like a dumb, ignorant criminally minded bafoon is clear as day.


We also have to raise a new generation of children who become more socially conscious rappers. More indiviualized in their take on whats in and whats not.If we want less of pictures like above, then there has to be a change in our music and in our culture. If not,then in the future when asked the question "Who's fault is this?", we'll have nobody to blame but ourselves.