Hip-hop and the Hood / Ghetto

In a very real sense, rappers and hip-hop artists are the product of society, their community, and environment! In a way, rap is just like country music, they are both a self-expression that tells a relatable story from the perspective of the vocalist. The difference is that hip-hop has traditionally been a black genre of music and (because the poor and underprivileged are disproportionately black [and Latino]) the story they tell is based off the (often horrendous) situation they're trapped in.

"I rap about shit around me; shit I see."- Eminem (If I Had...)

If you think about it, living in the ghetto is nothing like what the average American experiences. In towns across the country the police serve an important function and are helpful and gracious if given the opportunity. However, the average kid in the ghetto has never been helped by a cop, and every encounter is negative. So, the attitude (expressed by NWA) is "fuck the police"--which was a response to the Rodney King beating.

In any real scope, the police are the biggest gang/cult with guns. Just because it's "legitimate" and socially exceptionable doesn't make them any less of a gang. (As you will come to find out) I have personally been disrespected by the police and judicial system for what is clearly a coercive routine. I can't image what it would have been like if I were black, let alone if I were raised in the projects where police just plant evidence and set people up.

Similar to gangster rap, being a thug is not necessarily (suppose to be) glorified as it is a statement about success and principles. The most famous hip-hop thug was 2pac who explained the situation best.

"I'mma not thug'n for me, I'm thug'n for my family; wrong or right, that's what I gotta do." - 2pac

Pac is illuminating a very serious issue when you live in the ghetto. Basically, people who live there have first-world problems, they have to worry about shelter, cloths, and (most importantly) if they will have enough to eat. What pac is saying is that he doesn't necessarily want to steal but his "stomach hurts so (he's) look'n for a purse to snatch." (2pac - Changes lyric) He has to do what he has to do to feed his family and the end(s) justifies the means.

The fact is if you put a man into an extraordinary situation (like prison, or the ghetto) he has to take extraordinary measures to survive, let alone be successful. Pac referred to himself as a rose which blossomed from the concrete with a damaged stem. This symbolized his rise to stardom from his harsh development in a hostile environment. He was illuminating how the beauty of his soul and artistry grew and blossomed despite his surroundings (rather than because of it).

There seems to be a consistent theme in (real) hip-hop about the hood/ghetto and upward mobility. 'I lived in the ghetto, the ghetto don't live in me' is the sentiment expressed perfectly. People who live in the hood aren't there to be hip and fly, they are their because of a failed economic system. So when hip-hop artists from the hood get money, no one blames them for leaving that environment of desperation and negativity.  In any real sense, it is what the individual should do to to better himself, his family, and his future. However, a legitimate criticism is when artists who (supposedly) rep for their community, don't give back to it what-so-ever.

"Still got it wrapped like a mummy. Still ain't tripping, love to see young blacks get money. Spend time out the hood, take they moms out the hood. Hit my boys off with jobs, no more living hard." - Dr. Dre (Still Dre)

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