Second Opinion : OTHER MEDIA : THE SENTINEL : Gangsta Rappers Just Regurgitate Stereotypes
It is one of the most ironic and pathetic trends to hit the black community: Parading the face of Malcolm and sporting “X” as a public symbol of cultural and historic pride while demeaning African daughters and gyrating sexual prowess without taking paternal responsibility for the premature pregnancies that follow.
(Gangsta) rappers promote vulgarity and violence against women without restraint. Too often, their depiction of life in the so-called ghetto is more fantasy and regurgitation of racial stereotyping than expressions of personal experience.
Swaggering through the streets with half-cocked caps and oversized pricey sneakers does nothing to improve the image of the person donning such attire. This genre of popular culture is nothing more than the latest assault on African and African-American heritage.
If these “artists” want to redeem themselves and reclaim their true African and African-American legacies, let me suggest that they read a few books as primers: “They Came Before Columbus,” “Before the Mayflower,” “When and Where I Enter,” and “Black Skins/White Masks.”
As a second suggestion, they need to spend some time listening to elders in the ‘hood who know their own history. Then maybe they can return to rapping and making money off African and African-Americans, but with new messages of hope and truth.
