Remember when everyone in rap music was down with the ‘Bloods’ streetgang except Snoop. That shit drove me fucking bananas. I know all these dudes aren’t banging on other dudes [ll]. I mean, sure some of these rap dudes are banging other dudes but… I digress.
There was this little vignette in time when Lil’ Wayne, Juelz Santana, Game, Fat Joe and a few other rap stars were claiming the Blood set. Since I’m on this whole SlaughterHouse x rap vampire shit this week I thought I could keep shit popping with the ‘blood’ theme. Where has all the love in mainstream rap music gone for gang culture?
Someone in the recording industrial complex decided that rappers with a jail stint on their resume were more marketable than say, someone who managed to accomplish nothing while in his parent’s basement for the past 10 years. Even if the dude in jail ended up spending his time as a MayTag. This turned out to be a very poor marketing strategy as opposed to say, simply producing great music.
No one has more street cred than Detroit’s Trick Trick. No one will also have more unpurchased albums in the Auburn Hills BestBuy. The days of gimmicky artist programs has hopefully wound itself down in the label offices. Lyrics have returned to the top of the heap. KanYe is murdering every single feature he touches. Raekwon is going to punch everyone in the mouth and SlaughterHouse is, well, SlaughterHouse.
Just because rappers have stopped espousing the rotating prison door lifestyle doesn’t mean that we don’t have a generation of Black and Brown youth dealing with those realities on the daily because they thought that this would be the way they would a) become adults, b) develop courage and c) achieve their dream of being in the music business. Most of these kids will never know the doors that have been shut to them because they have been to jail.
Gang culture going out of style in rap music makes sense to me because rap is so much a part of American pop culture that all trends are recucled and re-sold constantly. There hasn’t been a decline in young people going to jail though. Poverty in America is still the first and foremost creator for crime and decay. The idea that kids will be joining the ranks of the Bloods and Crips less isn’t the answer.
Kids will just create a group that mirrors their values and matches whatever cartoon they are watching. Trust me on that one. The damage that was needed to be completed has been set up. See how many of your friends will come under the control of the government (state property) if they aren’t already. In the meanwhile, the youngest listeners and viewers are being visually programmed to wear their kid sister’s dungarees (no Kid Sister).
Wu-Tang NEVER told me to go to jail.
Wu-Tang is for the kids.
DP is for the kids! Great post! There’s this Nipsey Hussle dude out here and I swear I saw a mixtape of his the other day where he had on a bunch of crip attire. Dude is always wearing blue. I heard the kid is nice too but his image reminds me of Snoop, and although I love me some Snoop, I’m not interested in hearing anything celebrating nonsense any longer.
I keep telling the other people at WWIB to do a drop on the fucking plague of HORRIBLE gang “graffiti” in Brooklyn and elsewhere. You’d think these kids spray that shit up with their FEET it’s so wack, not to mention the idiocy of NYC kids playing those games in the first place. Wherefore art thou, Franklin Avenue Posse? Not that those things should be romanticized– there’s too much real blood spilled and time locked away for that– but damn… at least it was for their own peoples’ identity.
DP, I see you dropping Columbiano food knowledge, you ever drop into the Musica Latina record stores and see how much Spanish hip-hop there is? I ask because there’s a whole Latin gang thing too that’s pretty wild but hard to get a grip on from the outside.
Maybe Dontrevius Wenters can do a drop on that, he knows Sunset Park!
Now, now, Dallas….what exactly were those Killer Bee things again?
I distinctly recall being in the East, and hearing a youngster claiming it…(before explaining that he used to be a Decepticon…after sharing that his cousin was A-Team…before getting chased in the general direction of the Junction).
I can’t call that one. Wu symbol on his napsack. Maybe just a fan? Got on the wrong ferry? ENY cats were unforgiving that night…
Shouts out to my block: South Orange Ave which just got a good 15% of its population swept by NwKpD. Apparently a 2.6 million dollar drug ring run by 2 females has just come to an end. oh why am I mentioning this? They were all Blood and the female ring leaders were labeled by nY media ” Bloodettes”…..long live Capitalism and orgaNized Crime. they go Hand in hand. peace
dude, i already commented on this shit on XXLmag. real shit, real shit, but hey! i might be late, but you fux wit JOHN BYRNE!?!?!?!?!? man, do you know how much i used to study his shit? my whole graff career was all him, Bill Sykienwiecz (i know i fucked that up) and this dude named Dave Simms, who did this series of books called BROTHERMAN. if u ain’t hip, dude, get that way.SERIOUSLY. specially if u fux wit John Byrne. dam! i was just puttin pieces together for a post on my site about that dude! i like your style Penn, damn you!!!
You are without a doubt the most informed and eloquent-gully assed-non bandanna sportin’-coulda went the wrong way but stayed sane to beat the game-assed individual I know. I love to read your writings. I wish Mercilesz had left a link…I need to Know what is happening in the old hood.
Holla Holla
Co-sign my dude up top talking about Nips. My dad is the cats mailman, lol. The other day he’s telling me about this gangbanging ass dude who’s always telling him about his music. My dad tried to say his name I said “Nipsey Hussle”, he’s like “yeah”.
Funny but, to me, that whole “I got something going for me, so let me be more ignorant” is backward hustle (npi). I’m in L.A., & went ain’t got too many rap dudes repping, so his name stays in the air. Yeah, very similar to Snoop, but more out loud, like DJ Quik back in the day.
Gangbanging is played though. Get money.