April 7, 2006

GANGSTA AND THUGZ

                                                      By Jonathan(The Tinkerer)

Gangsta Fetchit!

Hey! Peace and blessings to all.

This article is not so much about music but about the attitude and mindset of some people in the music and entertainment industry today. I want to talk with you very seriously about the gansta thug mentality among not only some rappers but even some of the people working behind the scenes in our industry. To be honest this mindset goes beyond the music and entertainment industry, it is something that is prevalent in all of black America and it needs to be dealt with.

First let us get a handle on why portraying yourself  as gangsters and thugs is a detriment to the social  political and economic welfare of yourself and your people. The world as we know it is changing and America as we know it is changing right before our very eyes. The world revolves around a global economy and all of us in business who want to participate in that economy are affected by how we are perceived by our customers and fellow business people.

The Game

Now answer me this question, if I am a concert promoter or a record distributor or a booking agent or any type of business owner that works with the entertainment industry, why would I want to do business with gangsters or thugs.Why would I want to do business with people who glorify cheating and robbing and dishonesty?You can make up whatever nonsensical hiphop definition you want to but the reality is, a thug and a gangster is a crook period.Thugs and gangsters are violent crooks, period. Black Folks are afraid to do business with themselves so how do we expect this world economy to do business with us. Yeah, yeah, yeah don’t throw Puffy in my face or JZ or anyone else who is very successful.They don’t portray themselves as thugs when you see them in the media. They portray themselves as what we used to call GQ,which is a whole entirely different mannerism and attitude than  Gangster thug persona.

Also lets be clear some Negroes (that’s right I said Negroes) who portray themselves in this ignorant gangster thug  persona are successful because the people who are in control want you to see yourself in this light and want to legitimize and visualize their opinion of you. Every time I put on BET, I see the embodiment of every negative black stereotype ever voiced by the most diabolical racist. The Negroes who allow themselves to be used and portrayed as violent sex crazed thugs are the real sell outs. Reminds me of the movie “A soldier’s story” where Adolph Ceaser was talking about cutting the throat of some dumb coon who acted like the stereotypical plantation fool.

Fifty Cent

You get your little record contract for a few thousand dollars and you are willing to say anything and do anything and portray anything that the MAN tells you to do. You allow your little sisters to get on the video and twist and grind like little strippers,and look like up and coming sex crazed fiends. These are the modern day coons and stepin fetchits as far as I’m concerned and they are keeping me and those entrepreneurs like me from reaching our full potential.

We do business over the internet, that’s how we sell cd’s and mp3’s.The internet is capable of allowing me to compete with Amazon.com and Itunes and everyone else.The problem is, if black folks are perceived as gangsters and thugs, why would anybody buy from me over the internet with their credit card. All business is done with plastic, People guard their credit card information like the crown jewels, so they are not going to trust a community that allows itself to be portrayed as gangsters. I can’t sell anything .

I really do not want to hear about gangster movies and James Cagney. I don’t want to hear about Italian Americans and gangster movies, or Hollywood images of other ethnic groups.We are living in a society where after nearly 400 years, we know there is a double standard. We must get rid of the attitudes and ignorant ways of thinking that are going to lead to our demise. No one thinks that it is possible until it happens.

They say that there are 11 Million illegal aliens in the us. I say it’s way more. What do you think is going to happen when they get legitimacy? Economic power that’s what. They do not portray themselves negatively, every time people speak about them they speak glowingly about what hard workers they are, and so forth.Look at all of the radio stations that have gone Latin, and look at all of the Latin channels on your cable box compared to just BET. We have serious problems on the horizon and we are being brainwashed and hypnotized to cut our own throats with our negative portrayal of ourselves.

In closing I’m going to say this. Just like brothers in the NBA can be replaced by those eastern European players all of you

Gangster thug rappers can be replaces as well. You are just a tool that is to be used until you either no longer fit into their scheme or you ain’t bringing in enough doe. Sounds like you are being pimped to me.  I say let , Lyor Cohen get his own people to rap negative lyrics to his own people, but you know that ain’t going to happen, because he isn’t dumb and he does not hate himself or his people.

If the Hiphop community would unite around conscious uplifting lyrics I say they would not only sell more cd’s but concert income would increase and there would be more tours for more acts to more places all over the world. A positive persona means More, More, More all the way around. The time is now.

As a great man once said, “Up you Mighty people and accomplish what you will”.

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