Reality Bytes and Pieces

Rapper Q-Tip of Tribe Called Quest, which I’ll admit sounded pretty hot back in the day, believes Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has the power to “change” America for the better, just like rap music has done for ending poverty, reducing drug use and raising the self-esteem of those caught up in the ghetto culture. Sure, I’ll entertain the notion that Sen. Obama might have the power to influence positive change if elected, but taking a page from the rap industry playbook to generate succesful results is downright ignorant.

“Hip-hop culture was the product of the impoverished who found strength and solace in this music phenomenon. It is a transformational art form born of neighborhoods where crime and drugs were on the rise and self-esteem was sinking. The education system was failing, and the odds were against us,” states Q-Tip in his endorsement of Obama. “But as a people, we persevered. I know about having true substance, new ideas and a desire for fundamental change like Senator Obama … I am endorsing Barack Obama because I feel that we can benefit greatly from a leader that offers sound judgment and experience rooted in the lives of real people.” 

Wow! I had no idea rap music had achieved such great success in transforming the lives of so many, aside from making millionaires out of music industry moguls and a select few rappers who manage to remain on the scene after their first albums are released. And, now, Q-Tip would have us believe that a President Obama will offer the same “sound judgement” as enlisted by the rap industry to ”change” America for the better? Surely, Sen. Obama is smart enough to realize that rap music is anything but a vehicle for promoting positive change … and, you’re kidding yourself if you truly believe any of Q-Tip’s unfounded rant that attempts to equate the so-called positive of influence of rap music with the power of Sen. Obama to influence positive change across our diverse nation.

As far as rap music’s positive effects on raising the self-esteem of listeners and helping them to persevere when faced with tough challenges, no matter where they come from, let’s consider the fact that we still see and hear:

1. Rappers dropping lyrics about women being “bitches,” “sluts,” “whores,” etc.
2. By his own admission, rapper Ludacris, while addressing college students about safe sex and condom use with Sen. Obama in 2006, said, “I talk a lot about sex in my music, but you don’t ever hear me talk about condoms.”
3. The prolific use of the “N-word,” but we are told to believe that’s just a term of affection among blacks, though not a single person who is not black should ever let it slip from his lips without the expectation of a physical beat down, getting fired from your job or expelled from school, a visit from the Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton … or all of the above.
4. Ghetto life being glamorized in rap videos as we watch gangstas roll down the streets of neighborhoods most sensible people know better than to drive on during the daytime even with a police escort.
5. Album titles such as Nas’ latest release, “Nigger,” being met with initial media controversy, then peddled by merchants for profit with not so much as a whisper from anyone further condemning the album’s release on shelves within clear view of kids who will be the next generation to embrace the “N-word.”
6. Drinking Cristal at the club or sipping 40s on the front porch with your homeboys is the thing to do if you want to be a true playa’.
7. Toting a gun is nothing but a sensible means of protecting yourself and the ones you love, because you never know who might want to bust a cap in your ass.
8. Smiling is an absolute no-no, unless you’re showing off your golden or platinum “grill” because you always need to look tough and intimidating, never friendly and thereby risk giving the impression that you’re weak.
9. Smacking your bitch is just a means of spousal discipline to ensure your mutually loving and respectful relationship endures through troubled times.
10. Prison must be portrayed as a right of passage in to adulthood, and the more times you’re locked up, the harder you get, which is a good thing.
11. It’s not a party unless there are dozens of scantily clad women and you’re the only male.
12. Driving your parents old car just isn’t cool because by the the time you reach the ripe old age of 19, it’s logical that you should be able to afford a pimped-out Cadillac Escalade through your “entrepeneurial” endeavors, like freelance pharmaceutical sales on street corners. Working as a waiter or store clerk will get you nowhere quickly, and that’s just not gonna fly if you want to get with the honeys.
13. Smoking a fat joint chock full of the “chronic” is just a means of relaxation and harmless fun.
14. Getting more tattoos than an Eagle Scout has merit badges is a true sign of your accomplishments.
15. Mimicking every cool new phrase or terminology crafted by Snoop Dogg, like “fo-shizzle,” will come in handy on the SAT verbal section, and possibly during interviews with potential employers who think their companies need to embrace diversity by hiring someone who wears his pants hanging off his ass, has a chain around his neck with a oversized medallion that mesmerizes anyone who gazes at the spinning replica of a tire rim, and has an amazing global business sense because of the numerous watches dangling on both of his wrists (each one telling time in a different global time zones so he knows when the opening bells ring on the stock markets in New York, London and Frankfurt, of course).  

I’m sure I forgot something, but the rap industry is so inventive, a new trend will certainly arise in the near future that glamorizes every parent’s worst nightmare, or manages to put money in the pockets of people exploiting the vulnerability of America’s youth by making them believe they can have it all if they try really hard to find shortcuts on the, more often than not, long and winding road to success.

So, Q-Tip, if electing Obama will create positive “change” just like rap music has done for so many young, impoverished and vulnerable young Americans struggling to improve their lives, I’m dying to hear about how the rest of hard-working, goal-oriented Americans will fare under a President Obama, because you’re pretty much telling them that they should quit their days jobs and not give a shit about pursuing the American Dream the old fashioned way — by working hard and earning it, all while having a strong sense of respect for others and self.

Whether you realize it or not, Q-Tip, you just described how to achieve the American Nightmare, and that’s probably not the endorsement that Sen. Obama was hoping to receive or the inspirational message to voters that he’d like to promote. Bling-bling! It’s time to wake-up to reality.

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