Hip-hop has long been the target of political correctness. For decades, politicians throughout this
country have attempted to wipe away the significance of this artful
culture. In the late 80’s, the
groundbreaking west coast crew, known as N.W.A., took heat for their explicit
lyrics concerning their personal views of police officers patrolling their
community. The public outcry against
N.W.A was horrendous. Even people who
were familiar with police brutality appeared to be offended by N.W.A.’s form of
expression.
Then Rodney King happened a few short years later and some
of these same N.W.A. detractors were forced to look at the other side of the
fence. Racial profiling (driving while
black) was a reality long before Rodney King’s “lynch mob” was caught on
amateur video. Ya heard?
The members of N.W.A. were labeled as menaces to
society. As long as they were talking
about black on black crime and degrading black women, their position in society
was tolerable. Today, all of the
surviving members of N.W.A. (R.I.P. Easy-E) are successful businessmen. In 1989, who would’ve thought a teenage “Ice
Cube” would be a cornerstone in the Hollywood film industry? Not even “Ice Cube” saw that coming. “Burn Hollywood Burn” was Cube’s initial
venture as a solo artist. Feel me?
The states of Michigan, Louisiana, Texas and Florida have
taken the “anti-sagging” movement to the extreme by passing laws that outlaw
the fashion trend through the creation of public-decency ordinances. What?!!
We live in an era where people who can’t afford legitimate
legal counsel are convicted of capital offenses based on circumstantial
evidence. Their inept legal
representation could suffer from anything from depression to alcoholism to drug
addiction and the system doesn’t even blink.
In 3 of the 4 states I mentioned earlier, defendants have been sentenced
to death and executed without resistance.
How do we allow saggy pants to be a judicial priority?
Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone. Broken down to form the acronym – KRS ONE –
brings immortality to the greatest MC of our time, a ghetto activist most
notable for holding the societal mirror to the faces of hypocrisy, oppression
and racism. Na mean?
Songs like “Illegal Business,” “My Philosophy,” and “Black
Cop” were joints that uplifted the mental of everyone in earshot, but his
lyrics on “Self Destruction” was a harsh reality check as to how our music and
culture was being portrayed by media pundits and government officials. “It really ain’t the rap audience that’s
buggin, it’s one or two suckas. Ignorant
brothas trying to rob and steal from on another.” Word is bond!!
How someone chooses to wear their clothing may be offensive
to others, no doubt, but it’s far from being a societal epidemic. Racial injustice, abuse of discretion and
ineffective assistance of counsel should be our judicial priorities.
Personally, I think saggy pants can be offensive, but so can
a 15 gallon cowboy hat. I’m not aware of
any public-decency ordinance against that.
Hip-hop is expression, hip-hop is beautiful, hip-hop is me. Ya heard?
Keep it 100,
MannofStat
Copyright © 2011 by Leroy Elwood Mann
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