Gangsta

Tonight I played a show at Velour with the Rotten Musicians, Prince Early, and The Kid-You-Nauts.  It was a hip hopping night.  My band is not really hip hop, but we did make an attempt to translate "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed into a rap song with a little bit of Kelly Clarkson sneaking in.  I also had the chance to play the synth for The Kid-You-Nauts cover of "Forgot About Dre."  Four white boys playing a tribute to Dr. Dre was pretty amazing to me.  None of them grew up in the LBC or are straight off the streets of the CPT, but still somehow they knew this music.  Many suburban middle class white kids love gangsta rap, which is pretty neat, because it gives them a glimpse into a culture that is foreign to them.  However, their fascination can go too far when they begin to mimic the lifestyle that is portrayed through rap music because it is unnecessary for them to live life that way when they have so many opportunities that are not offered to those who grew up on the street and in poverty.  I bet that many gangsta rappers would trade their life in a heartbeat if they could start all over again with a family that loved them in a nice neighborhood with a good education system and endless opportunities.  

To become too obsessed with any form of media, be it uplifting or downtrodding, is a bad thing.  This is an example of when children need to learn and know their limits.  If the consumption of media is turning them into something that is not good, then they should not be consuming it.  This is why we have parental advisories and the rating systems,  to keep people who are not well established with who they are away from things that could prove detrimental to their development.  A mature consumer of media will have the ability to step back and observe something and see that it is what it is and then move on with their normal life.  It is up to us to teach students these things so that they can view and use media responsibly.