This really has to stop

[ilovecoolio]

Tonight I was watching Conan O'Brien interviewing rapper Ice-T. Now, I'm a fan of rap music, especially old school stuff, material from the underground, anything that shys away from the mainstream. So when I saw Ice-T walk onto the stage, I was excited to hear what the guy had to say, because I considered him to be a part of the list above. 2 minutes into the interview, I began to get extremely pissed off. Why? Because this guy started saying that pimping and pimp culture was a "cool" thing, and that he hangs out with pimps on a regular basis, calls them his friends, etc. He basically condones this lifestyle. This got me thinking about mainstream rap today, with artists (and I say that term loosely) such as Jay-Z and Fiddy Cent paying homage to this culture (songs such as "Big Pimpin" and "P.I.M.P." getting regular radio play, video play, and club spins). It scares me that kids today know all the lyrics to the songs without knowing what the Pimp lifestyle is really all about. I found this article that reinforces my disappointment with the state of rap music today. What this guy says totally makes sense. I wish all kids could read this:

http://www.globalblacknews.com/DuEwa.html

Every record executive, tv producer and radio producer who promotes this unhealthy message has a spot reserved for them in the flaming pits of hell.