"We look to rappers, athletes and stars to raise our children instead of ourselves. To blame hip-hop when they should be looking in the mirror and blaming themselves," T.I. continued. "The things I say come from the life that I used to live and this is a harsh reality. Now, maybe most of you were fortunate enough to not have ever dealt with that. Most of you all don't know what it's like to have to sell some dope or you aren't going to have nothing to eat for the next three days. Most of you all don't know what that life is like. I know the B-word, the H-word and the N-word are the words under attack right now. And I don't know if you know it or not, people, but there are bitches, niggas and hos who live in America. And as long as that fact exists, I think rappers deserve the right to talk about it."
23 comments:
Lame excuse... Look... Can you imagine if George Bush was doing this interview.
"Hey look... There are some really horrible leaders in this world. You know I do what I do because it's a reflection of all the bad leaders in the world and I am just displaying the same horrible behavior and leadership skills as they and my dad". Come on T.I. it's the oldest argument in the book to justify counter productive behavior.
Do you think an Antelope on the plains of Africa complains that the Lions are out to eat him. No Antelope's instincs are to understand that in his life there are always something out there to get him (good or bad). It makes no excuses for it's inability to survive. Antelope's don't practice killing other Antelopes because the Lion doesn't provide them an good opportunity to survive in peace.
If T.I. were genuine in his expression of art he would convince many by turning a significant amount of his profits back towards the development of his community. See it is the community by which he earns a living. Without the community there is no T.I., T-Pain or Too Short.
Secondly, Kentucky Fried Chicken could argue. Listen we produce Fried Chicken for the black community because it's what they want. Not because it's healty for them. You see... the same logic can be made concerning many aspects of consumerism. Does not mean that it productive of or good for society. And we would be sell- outs not to argue against counter productive products including gansta rap cd's. At the end of the day lyrics, chicken, cars etc. are basically all the same. They are products protected by copyrights, patents and trademarks. FOR PROFIT
And I don't know if you know it or not, people, but there are bitches, niggas and hos who live in America. And as long as that fact exists, I think rappers deserve the right to talk about it."
this is true, but let's not even start to pretend that each time a rapper uses on of these terms he or she is actually referring to a real life bitch, ho or nigga. I think given the point T.I. is trying to make, rappers should use some discretion in their lyrics when it comes to choosing words to express feelings about or describe black men and women. This practice would only make their lyrics more powerful and relatable. Lil Wayne, for example, in my eyes is really talking about a ho when he says ho because he also uses the terms young lady, woman, girl etc.
Someone like Young Jeezy pretty much generalizes all women as b's and hos but given what i know about his experience (drug dealer with former crack addicted mother), his interaction with women over time may have led him to feel like generalizing women as hos is not too far from reality. I hope one day he gets enlightened about his Black women, but until then I do feel he has the right to speak from his own reality. Now you won't catch me copping (by purchase or otherwise) his album, but as an artist, he has that right. Feel me?
The companies that encourage this type of writing while discouraging positive and/or conscious messages and that spend millions to put 'bitch, ho and nigga' on the airwaves for every man woman and child to hear with or without their permission are the ones i hold responsible for the EFFECT the artists lyrics have on our society.
Casper,
I'm not 100% clear on your point.
Are you saying both TI and KFC are wrong? Or just TI?
When you say "turning a significant amount of his profits back towards the development of his community" - what exactly does that look like?
Who - exactly - would control this money for the community? How would this money be used to develop the community?
Does this community have borders?
What do you think has killed more black people, cocaine or Fried Chicken?
-
DV...
The money part is about calling it what it is. T.I. is in business not art. Thus can one argue gansta lyrics should be protected as a form of artistic creation when it's really for profit?
No doubt... KFC has killed more consumers of a slow death. However the drug game kills the consumer, distributor, and community with fear, incareceration, missed opportunities of intelligent men in which we can't quantify the overall impact my man.
And Yes I am saying that T.I.'s argument is no different than Church's chicken. It's wrong! No different than Bush trying to justify Iraq. FOR PROFIT
"The money part is about calling it what it is. T.I. is in business not art." Casper
For the sake of brevity, let's agree that is a matter of opinion.
I find TI as much an artist as Keats, James Joyce, Picasso or Ralph Ellison.
You use the term "gangsta". So I will understand better, what rap is NOT "gangsta"?
Is Kanye "gangsta"? Is Pharell "gangsta"?
I find your presentation of the socio-cultural and economic realities of the "drug game" rather surface and lacking in historical context.
People don't use drugs because TI is selling them. TI sells drugs because people use them. I don't see how prohibiting rappers from expressing their side of the story benefits "the community".
Drug addiction is engineered in this country, from Prozac to Viagara to Tylenol. Sugar is crack for kids. Look how that's marketed.
Blaming rappers and street level drug dealers for nation wide addiction strikes me as preposterously hypocritical.
-
DV ...
In this instance I am not associating T.I. with Drugs.
You asked me this question
"What do you think has killed more black people, cocaine or Fried Chicken?"
So my reply with respect to drugs is in the context of your question comparing KFC to cocaine.
The premise of my argument is that people can justify anything even mass murder. Some of the population will ride with them. Just like 20% of American's still agree with Bush for some reason. Now some percentage believe gansta rap lyrics should not be controlled and some don't. I think that T.I.'s attempt to argue why he thinks certain lyrics used in hardcore rap is lame. See if where telling us that he wants to tell us a story of where he has been and it's not a way for human beings to live. That would be one thing. My position is that he is not in the business to really produce conscious art as his #1 motivation. His #1 motivation is $$$$$$$$$$ Just like Haliburton. I would have more respect for him like how Cam'rom explained the game on 60 minutes. He will not use lyrics that won't sell. Thus by defacto it's not art. It's a product protected FOR PROFIT
"He will not use lyrics that won't sell. Thus by defacto it's not art. It's a product protected FOR PROFIT" Casper
Garcon a la Pipe , a 1905 masterpiece by Pablo Picasso, just sold for $104M becoming the world's most expensive painting.
Casper, art and money are not mutually exclusive.
All of the exaggerated attention rappers are getting for the words bitch, ho and nigger have nothing to do with "protecting people".
It's about attacking a form of speech and thought not completely controlled by the powered elite.
As TI so eloquently stated:
Do Bitches not exist?
Is there not one "Ho" in America?
Have "Niggers" gone the way of the do do bird?
What kind of world will it be when we prohibit people from acknowledging the obvious?
-
DV
"Garcon a la Pipe , a 1905 masterpiece by Pablo Picasso, just sold for $104M becoming the world's most expensive painting."
The catch is that the original artist is dead and is not profiting. Secondly, Its real art .. The artist probably died with very little wealth as most do.
DV
"Do Bitches not exist?
Is there not one "Ho" in America?
Have "Niggers" gone the way of the do do bird?"
Yes DV bitches exist. WMD's exist somewhere in the world as well but not in Iraq. Yes Ho's exist. And there are terrorist in the world who may want to attack this country but they were not in Iraq.
Once again anyone can attempt to justify anything. It's up to critical thinker's to look through the bullshit to find the truth. It's up to the critical thinker's to expect more from his people. I choose to expect more. If T.I. was rapping abbout leaving the hood life an striving to build your own shipping company like Garvey that would be something different. He would be controlling the agenda as opposed to the agenda controlling him.
You feel me yet?
See a true artist becomes inspired see a canvass and paints what he wants to without worrying about what others think. Selling art is not the #1 motivationof a true artists. Most true artists live very modest lives. Now a commercial artist (con or otherwise) creates art for consummers FOR PROFIT. Thus T.I. Lyrics are not art. Your man's Gill's post is.
Now I am not against selling lyrics but just don't tell the public bullshit like Bush and tell us it's art thus I should be able to say anything I want.
feel me yet? Casper
Feel you?
LOL. Let me help you.
I hear all of that self-help shit you looking for in TI's rap.
You don't.
Just because Casper doesn't see it, doesn't mean it is not there.
Art is more than the sum of it's parts.
Picasso often painted grotesquely ugly women with 3 eyes. It was his way of interpreting the complex duality of the female experience.
The Caspers of his day criticized him harshly for not "painting beautiful women".
They didn't get it either. But instead of admitting that, they attacked.
BTW. Picasso died a very rich man.
Picasso may have died a very rich man from art but was he inspired by wealth DV or was that a unforeseen outcome?. Anyway he is the exception DV. Just like T.I. and Snoop and Jordan and Tiger are exceptions to the rule.
Again you can argue for T.I. and I can argue against T.I. Although you see art in his lyrics I don't. Doesn't make me a rap hater or a Plantation Negro or any other term you may wish to paint those who do not agree with your side of the fense.
Can we agree to that at least?
Secondly, the definition of art is very subjective. "It's in the eye of the beholder"
I feel T.I. is a commercial artist who is inspired by the marketplace and not the other way around. To me that is not true art... That's manufacturing products and marketing it as art. There is a difference.
I don't consider anyone a plantation Negro because they "disagree" with me. Hell I love people who disagree. Especially when they are intelligent and got game. (What up Jasai?)
Plantation Negros are invested in the plantation and work to strengthen it.
The Plantation is threatened by Hip Hop because they cannot control the artistic and spiritual impulse of nonconformity generated by Hip Hop.
Oprahesque simple minded Negros, urged on by Corporate Plantation Media, attack Rap under the guise of "doing what's best for da cowmunity" while supporting the very same dangers distributed by the plantation.
Ergo: Plantation Negros.
This is as much art as is Claude McCay's "If We Must Die"
"You might see me in the street
But nigga you don't know me
When ya holla on the street
Remember you don't know me
Save all the hating and the popping
nigga you don't know me
Quit telling niggas you're my partner
Nigga you don't know me
Don't be a groupie, keep it moving
Nigga you don't know me
Hey I ain't tripping but the truth is
Really you don't know me
Ya you know they call me T.I.
But you don't know me
You be hating and I see why
'Cause you don't know me"
Yes I see your point... My 12 y.o. nephew could not have rhymed any better...
I always find it to really original art when they jack old school b side record beats too.
I always find it to really original art when they jack old school b side record beats too.
So blacks jack old B sides and Whites jack old Motown and call it Justin Timberlake and jack Mexican Cumbias and call it country music.
Isn't it said that imitation is the highest form of flattery?
Or cats don't have original thoughts/ideas or faster to market because life span is so short for the fickle consumer maybe. Or just maybe their target audience being teenagers will never know the difference. I am not sure you decide ;) A commercial artist is looking to please the consumer...
Sounds like he is saying two different things in defense of his use of nigga, bitches & ho's
http://www.blacknews.com/pr/ti101.html
KW: How do you respond to people who don’t like your use of curse words and the N-word?
TI: I’m sorry. I don’t mean to disrespect anybody. I’m not intentionally trying to alienate anybody, but the ability to relate is key to reaching the people I’m trying to reach, and to get the message across. That’s the determining factor. If you can’t relate to the people you’re trying to move, then you’re not going to be able to motivate them to do better. If you use a curse word in the process but make good become of that, then that’s more important, as long as the good outweighs the bad. Saying the N-word enables me to be able to go into the ‘hood and give back, and to help build houses for underprivileged families. Saying cuss words is the reason why I can go in the street in any neighborhood in this country and say, “Hey, man, you need to be in school.” And nine times out of ten, they’re gone say, “You know what, man? If T.I. says it, it’s probably right.” If you say that’s negative, you’re entitled to your opinion, but that’s what gives me that influence, and I feel otherwise.
Casper,
I read his statement. Sounds on point to me.
What do you find duplicitous?
Excuse #1 Interview #1
And I don't know if you know it or not, people, but there are bitches, niggas and hos who live in America. And as long as that fact exists, I think rappers deserve the right to talk about it."
Excuse #2 Interview #2
but the ability to relate is key to reaching the people I’m trying to reach, and to get the message across. That’s the determining factor. If you can’t relate to the people you’re trying to move, then you’re not going to be able to motivate them to do better. If you use a curse word in the process but make good become of that, then that’s more important, as long as the good outweighs the bad. Saying the N-word enables me to be able to go into the ‘hood and give back, and to help build houses for underprivileged families
Now if you can not ascertain the differences in those two responses... Then I don't know what to tell ya. The second is probably the truth. He knows which words people want to hear. He knows the language that the street will respond to. Versus saying them because he is specifically rapping about some woman in his life who he considered a bitch or hoe.
Casper.
Bra. Please. What are you talking about? Where's the conflict? Where is the duplicity.
You are not serious.
A man cannot be motivated by more than one reason at a time?
Name an artist who does not create his art without his audience in mind.
Please. Don't cut and paste an article or a study.
Simply list an artist right here: ______________ ___________ ?
DV...
You crack me up... That's eactly what you did (and do)by cutting T.I.'s quote and pasting it on the front page. Your a complex dude I must say.
Here is your list... Look em up:
Tony DeBlois
Alonzo Clemons
Leslie Lemke
Jonathan Lerman
Derek Paravicini
Henriett Seth F
Gilles Trehin
Richard Wawro
Tom Wiggins
Stephen Wiltshire
Matt Savage
LOL.
Exactly Casper.
Post a Comment