Repping your Gang affiliation in Hip-Hop

I'm a gangsta, but y'all knew that
Da Big Bo$$ Dogg, yeah I had to do that
I keep a blue flag hanging out my backside
But only on the left side, yeah that's the Crip side

These are the words from Snoop single “Drop It like it’s Hot” that is on his new CD R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece. I have heard this song more times that I can count, and one thing that always stays on my mind long after the song has ended is the verse above. Anyone that knows anything about Snoop knows that Snoop was and from the sound of it still is a Crip. The reason why this verse sticks with me is that I know how much Snoop is admired by those who love his music and at the same time I know the joy it must give Crips to hear their gang being claimed by a successful rap artist. Snoop is one part of the entertainment industry that perpetuate the thug life and style..

Black Intrsopection's own Noah the African wrote some time ago:

“The ingredients that created thug culture are poverty, the entertainment industry and the moral and ethical decline of the nation. Thug culture was born from thug life or the hopelessness and crime that grew out of poverty and the black conditions in America. Traditionally, the community, who were the main victims of this thug life, despised these thugs and their ways. The only attraction to thug life in the past was the money and the respect that poor blacks desired. Then came the entertainment industry and movies and records that glorified the lifestyle, in order to make a profit from it. There were no moral or ethical constraints on this glorification due to our nations belief in unconstrained freedom…especially to make a buck. Thus, thug culture grew from its origins in poverty to the middle class as well, as a result of thug promotion in the entertainment industry. It has reached the point now that thug life is the loudest voice promoting what it means to be a young black male. Therefore, many non-poverty black youth think they need to carry them selves a certain way or have a certain thug like mentality and attitude…lest they NOT BE BLACK ENOUGH. If you cut off the head, then the body will die and the head of this thug culture is urban poverty that breeds the real life thugs. The more a person has in life, the less they will risk to death or jail. By the same token, the less a person has to lose as a result of not having money or hope, then the less that person will care about his own life and certainly the lives of others”

Thus we come back to Snoop’s lyrics in his latest song and the irresponsible behavior being under taken by Snoop, his manager, the record company and those that support lyrics that clearly legitimize a street gang that is terrorizing our communities all over America. Snoop is a millionaire; he is no longer a man living in the kind of poverty that breeds thugs and thugism. He makes money from movies, music, clothing, cars and pornography which also coincidentally describe his music. Snoop no longer lives where his beloved Crips are causing the most harm and terrorizing the men and women that try to raise their children using the hand they have been dealt not to mention having to face a society that is hostile to them and think of them as being lazy and blame them for the condition they are in; but yet Snoop does not appear to see the problem his lyrics pose when he talks about being a Crip and C-walking, which has become a mainstream dance. Snoop has successfully moved from being on the loosing end of poverty to one who exploits the hopelessness poverty creates.

In Los Angeles a few weeks ago a judge ordered the eviction of a whole apartment complex because in the eyes of city officials, the complex had become a public nuisance and was gang ridden. The Crips have been terrorizing this apartment complex for twenty years according to the write up of the story. There have been nine shootings including two children being shot in this complex in the last two years not to mention the drug and gang wars that never end. Many of the residents of this complex are being given money for relocation and some of them are not although they were law abiding citizens and were not involved in any of the drug or gang problems. Some of those who are not getting money for relocation have children and do not have money of their own to pay for relocation. The city has not given specific rationale as to why some people are getting help and others are not, thus the ACLU has stepped in to question the cities action.

Again, I return to Snoops’ irresponsible behavior in regards to him making it appear to be cool to be a Crip while simultaneously living safely away from the problems posed by his fellow Crips. This is an example of irresponsible behavior by rich Black folk and a music industry gone astray and allowing artist to gang bang on their cd’s never taking into account the impact of those lyrics and only caring about the bottom line. Now there is a new artist that is a Compton Blood that call himself “The Game”. He has taken Snoops lyrics and applied them to his blood gang thus his lyrics goes like this.

I keep a red flag hanging out my backside
But only on the right side, yeah that's the Blood side.

As these two Negro’s go to their houses safely away from the problems caused by their fellow gang members they help incite these gangs and help raise a whole new generation of gang bangers by using their influence as an artist and a celebrity. If there has ever been a time to not support irresponsible artist and their celebration of having been associated with a gang this is the time. Men, women and children have died and now Families have lost their apartments due to the gangs Snoop and “The Game” celebrate in their lyrics.

Ice Cube rapped on his song “US” that is on his Death Certificate album

And all y'all dope-dealers...
Your as bad as the po-lice- cause ya kill us
You got rich when you started slangin' dope
But you ain't built us a supermarket
So when can spend our money with the blacks
Too busy buyin' gold an' Caddilacs
That's what ya doin' with the money that ya raisin'
Exploitin' us like the Caucasians

Today we can say this about many rap artist except it is no longer gold that is being bought it is Platinum