A question for any of the crew here who've grown up in some hard places.

Most of these confrontations begin simply enough over some stupid sh*t. Stepping on someone's sneaker, bumping into someone on a dance floor, a look, a comment, and then it all escalates to hurt pride, bruised ego, and gunshots.

Has anyone here got some strategies for squashing a beef before it gets to a fatal stage? Anyone here walk out of the club and decide not to come back that night? Anyone here ignore an insult so that others don't get hurt? Anyone here intercede in a friend's beef to keep the peace?

Just curious. I've seen more guys instigate a small conflict into a major war, and I think we gotta keep our people focussed on real sh*t rather than insignificant, temporary, bullshit.

This thread has me torn, because I see it from both sides:

I totally think it's unfair to limit complicity in the perpetuation of genocidal music to the artists. They're encouraged, as has been stated already, through the significant monetary rewards offered by industry fat cats. Not just record deals -- movie deals, product endorsements, clothing lines... Given the chance to get out of the ghetto by rhyming, how many brothers would turn that down on philosophical issues? There's a breakdown in the perpetuation of morality here, and I blame the church for that one. (But that's another rant...)

Today, at my job, we were joking about a gag written by a colleague. He said something was "better than crack," prompting another coworker to say: "Hey, why don't you go down to (the black part of) Nashville and sell it on the corner?" She thought she was being funny, but her comment exposed how she associated drug selling and drug use with black people. I told her such a deal could be done in downtown (white, professional) Nashville and would be worth a whole lot more. I've had to correct other coworkers before who equated drug life with black people. So, I hate to see people jump to conclusions about rappers and black people in general.

HOWEVER, it's time for us to stop hurting, enslaving, betraying, offending, victimizing and killing each other. It's hard as all get-out to argue points about black responsibly when we seem to love dysfunction and irresponsibility so much that we rap and sing about them. Our movies and pop culture glorify them. We perpetuate the stereotypes of subhumanity, irresponsibility and artifice whenever we sell dope to each other, steal from each other or murder one another. And, we grow more callous about it, with each pointless death.

We debate rap's image to the point of detachment. Victims are no longer people. Gun-wielding brothers are "thugs" instead of the over-grown children caught in a trap that they really are. From childhood, they are steered toward self-hatred, crime, murder, genocide.

And a larger society pays more attention to the beats and bling that come out of that world, than to the horrific cadence of brothers' blood striking the pavement. When Cain killed Abel, God said the boy's blood cried out to Him. Imagine the deafening roar caused by this genocide. I suspect it would take an almighty God to be able to withstand it.

So, I find myself simultaneously repulsed and arrested by this hip-hop identified culture of violence. It is macabre, a celebration of death, a perpetuation of "never back down, never punk out, blast him before he blasts you." It's a lie from the pit of hell. Music and culture that minimize and exploit death, in truth, are really about the denial of humanity. Are really about denying the value intrinsic in every life. Tragedies such as Proof's are both the byproducts and perpetuators of hopelessness.

We. Must. End. This. Cycle.

We must take responsibility.

And we must begin to reward (monetarily, socially, communally) folks who create art that celebrates life, humanity, progress and decency.

We're gifted enough to create it. Brilliant enough to market it. In many cases, we're rich enough to support it. Are we compassionate and faithful enough to try?

If not, shame on us, the next time our society's art contributes to the abuse or murder of another human (regardless of their perceived race).

Peace unto us all.

This thread has me torn, because I see it from both sides:

I totally think it's unfair to limit complicity in the perpetuation of genocidal music to the artists. They're encouraged, as has been stated already, through the significant monetary rewards offered by industry fat cats. Not just record deals -- movie deals, product endorsements, clothing lines... Given the chance to get out of the ghetto by rhyming, how many brothers would turn that down on philosophical issues? There's a breakdown in the perpetuation of morality here, and I blame the church for that one. (But that's another rant...)

Today, at my job, we were joking about a gag written by a colleague. He said something was "better than crack," prompting another coworker to say: "Hey, why don't you go down to (the black part of) Nashville and sell it on the corner?" She thought she was being funny, but her comment exposed how she associated drug selling and drug use with black people. I told her such a deal could be done in downtown (white, professional) Nashville and would be worth a whole lot more. I've had to correct other coworkers before who equated drug life with black people. So, I hate to see people jump to conclusions about rappers and black people in general.

HOWEVER, it's time for us to stop hurting, enslaving, betraying, offending, victimizing and killing each other. It's hard as all get-out to argue points about black responsibly when we seem to love dysfunction and irresponsibility so much that we rap and sing about them. Our movies and pop culture glorify them. We perpetuate the stereotypes of subhumanity, irresponsibility and artifice whenever we sell dope to each other, steal from each other or murder one another. And, we grow more callous about it, with each pointless death.

We debate rap's image to the point of detachment. Victims are no longer people. Gun-wielding brothers are "thugs" instead of the over-grown children caught in a trap that they really are. From childhood, they are steered toward self-hatred, crime, murder, genocide.

And a larger society pays more attention to the beats and bling that come out of that world, than to the horrific cadence of brothers' blood striking the pavement. When Cain killed Abel, God said the boy's blood cried out to Him. Imagine the deafening roar caused by this genocide. I suspect it would take an almighty God to be able to withstand it.

So, I find myself simultaneously repulsed and arrested by this hip-hop identified culture of violence. It is macabre, a celebration of death, a perpetuation of "never back down, never punk out, blast him before he blasts you." It's a lie from the pit of hell. Music and culture that minimize and exploit death, in truth, are really about the denial of humanity. Are really about denying the value intrinsic in every life. Tragedies such as Proof's are both the byproducts and perpetuators of hopelessness.

We. Must. End. This. Cycle.

We must take responsibility.

And we must begin to reward (monetarily, socially, communally) folks who create art that celebrates life, humanity, progress and decency.

We're gifted enough to create it. Brilliant enough to market it. In many cases, we're rich enough to support it. Are we compassionate and faithful enough to try?

If not, shame on us, the next time our society's art contributes to the abuse or murder of another human (regardless of their perceived race).

Peace unto us all.

Check this out: Scary Truth

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Thanks for the link... lots of good info and food for thought on that site.

Eileen