People who listen to “black music” are ignorant criminals who smoke marijuana and sell drugs. These stereotypes are obviously created from and outsiders point of view, but are they seeing something that we are not? or is there a little bit of truth to these STEREOtypes?
Growing up in NYC was probably not as bad as most people make it seem. The City does have its way of teaching you how to take care of yourself, whether you want to or not. The most important thing I remember growing up is my music, rap. In Jr. High School classes were made up of 30-35 student and the 30 of them who spoke good English listened to rap music. I grew up cursing a lot, calling girl’s bitches and hoes; in my little world this was still acceptable. Your boys in school were your niggas, and if somebody wanted to start shit you would just say, FUCK THAT NIGGA! Whenever I came across something I didn’t like I would automatically call it gay. That is how I used to express myself. When I moved to Florida I was called out of class for saying “fuck that nigga” to a white boy who was starting shit with me. I was called racist, for using a word that I grew up with. Back then I was a little boy, now I know that you can say things depending in the context/community you say it in. I guess that I was somewhat ignorant back then. Yet I was ignorant because I was young and did not yet understand the concept of using language in context, not because I listened to rap music. I would also like to add that I did NOT sell drugs, smoke trees, kill people. I was not a criminal. While there are kids in NYC that sell, some of them in their early teens or younger just sitting in the front stoop “got that fire”, I don’t think this can account for enough of the population to call all listeners of rap drug dealers and criminals. After all many entertainers, who were once just listeners, are successful entrepreneurs. If indeed rap music warped the minds young people into criminals such success would not be possible.
When Jay Z gets on the mic and spits people listen; he is an icon. I believe that Jay Z lyrics may have come from previous experiences, yet he lives a completely different life now, he is where he is now because of his experiences. Experience is after all the most sought-out quality, sometimes even more than a diploma. Jay-Z is now an experienced CEO of Roc-A-Fella Records, as well as RocaWear. Many would say that one must be well educated, experienced and outgoing to become the CEO of a Multi-Million business. Yet many people forget about all of this when stereotyping, or maybe its possible they don’t know how accomplished he is. In Jay-Z’s song 99 Problems, from The Black Album, he talks about his experiences. In one part of the song Jay Z refers back to the year ’94 and states he was pulled over by a cop for speeding and the cop asks him if he is carrying a weapon on him because a lot of “them” are, referring to black people. Despite whether this is true or not, the statement tells the listener how cops stereotyped him, and others like “him”. Yet Jay Z was not always a CEO, he used to be like us a listener, whether he committed any crimes we will never know.
Stereotypes say that people who listen to rap music get blazed (get high off marijuana). People across the borders smoke marijuana, some like rap, some like rock, I know some people who listen to classical music and get higher than the guy working the drive-thru at taco-bell. Yet the media portrays people who smoke marijuana as loosers and people without a future. Some commercials even go as far as saying Marijuana Kills. Snoop Dogg, a well-known rapper, is an Icon for Marijuana. Snoop Dogg is also a known actor is playing a role in the sitcom weeds People who know Snoop Dogg automatically think about marijuana when they see him. Dave Chappelle and Katt Williams also speak about marijuana and their experiences with trees in their stand-up acts.
The truth is I have never met anyone who only listens to rap music smokes trees and sits on their ass all day. On the other hand I know of plenty people who smoke trees, listen to rap music, go to school, have a job, raise a family and live an all around good life. Just because you smoke trees doesn’t mean you listen to rap music, or even identify with the culture. Rap listeners are not criminals. Yet we have noticed a trend in many entertainers, they smoke trees, but can you blame them? With so much shit on their mind I think their damn right to spark up if they feel the need to relieve some stress.
