I'm writing this article to clarify something. There is a funny notion in Hip Hop right now, about labeling one rapper REAL, and the other FAKE. The one that raps about selling dope, killing people, fucking bitches, and living the streets life is labeled REAL. The one that is living a normal everyday life, and raps about his normal life, is labeled FAKE. Also, there are some in-between. The ones that rap about selling drugs, and having guns are labeled FAKE once they have been exposed as not being as violent in real life as what they rap about in their songs. So, my questions are as follows...Do rappers really kill people? Do rappers really sell drugs?
When I was in my teens, I liked Tupac cos he was very outspoken, and would charge at anyone disrespecting him without thinking of the consequences. Good bless his soul, he is resting in peace now. But, even in a recent interview with one of his close associates while he was alive, member of the Outlawz, E.D.I, revealed that Tupac would have outgrown all that Thug Life if he lived longer. During an interview with Hip Hop DX a few months ago, E.D.I. Mean (now known as EDIDON) was asked what he felt about the statement a lot of hip hop listeners say that...If Pac was alive he would be dissing certain rappers, or that they wouldn't have a career. He answered with...
"That’s bullshit, and I hate when people say that. You think you know him, but you really don’t know, because we’re talking about someone who was only 24-years-old at the time. Think about when you were a 24-year-old and how much of an idiot you were. At that age you think you know shit, but you really don’t. I use Lil Wayne as an example, because a lot of people mention him. But when ‘Pac was still alive, Wayne was already a rapper and Cash Money was selling records independently. You can’t say he wouldn’t have a career or that anybody else wouldn’t. We don’t even know if ‘Pac would still be rapping today if he was still alive. He was moving more towards making movies than actual music. Making music was actually becoming secondary to him, as he wanted to put his energy into movies and politics. To say that somebody wouldn’t have a career if ‘Pac was alive is some dumb shit to say, but I understand why they say it and where it’s coming from."
Digest that and understand that Tupac had just clocked 25 when he was killed, so all the things you here about him were done when he was in his early twenties...probably, 21-24. Just take time to think about that. He was still growing. Anyway, back to our story. And before I go on, I am not saying emotional rappers should be celebrated more than gangster rappers. I think there should always be a balance in everything. Really, I just want to know where the notion of 'You have to be a hard street dude to be a respected rapper' came from. People complain about racism, but look at what you are celebrating in your community. You prefer the guy that goes around acting all violent and reckless, cos you feel he is REAL. I keep asking that question; what is the meaning of REAL to hip hop listeners? Why is Drake ridiculed? In the technical sense of it, he is 100% REAL. He raps about his life, he doesn't make up anything. He doesn't try to be a fictional character. he doesn't try to be who he is not.
I remember a Fat Joe Breakfast Club interview from late last year. Fat Joe was speaking on when he was just getting into Hip Hop, and how he was already a known rapper, but was still going for rap shows. He said one of his favorites at the time was Mobb Deep. He said he had only seen their faces on album covers or whatever, but hadn't seen any videos of them. So, he went for one of their concerts, and when they came on stage, he almost collapsed. He had listened to their lyrics about shooting niggas up, selling drugs, and beating up dudes, and he saw the two 5ft4 dudes come up on stage. He said there and then, he knew rap was all entertainment.
Do you think rappers actually sell drugs? Do you think they would risk the money they are currently making from rapping to sell drugs? How much do the street corner nickle and dime drug dealers really make? And at what risk do they make that money? And if you say these rappers are doing big time deals; trust me, they would have been arrested by the D.E.A by now. Do you think Young Jeezy is in the streets, and that he has connects that he can get a kilo of cocaine from for $17k5? In case you don't know, the Feds listen to every rappers CD that hits the shelves. They have been doing that since the 90s, and have been able to incarcerate some rappers that were actually telling on themselves on records, or turned those rappers to Federal rats. I ain't saying rappers didn't sell drugs coming up. Most of them did, and they did that to sustain themselves while they worked on their Rap careers. Yea, 50 Cent sold drugs, Jay Z sold drugs, Fat Joe sold drugs, but are they selling drugs now? Hell no! Are they in the streets having shootouts now? No. And if they are, then they are pretty dumb.
It's all entertainment. Dr. Dre raps about smoking weed every day; he even went and named two of his albums Chronic (Weed), but he doesn't even smoke the herb. In his verse off NWA's Express Yourself, Dre rapped... "I don't smoke weed or sess, cause its known to give a brother brain damage and brain damage on the mic don't manage nothing". Look at that. 50 Cent doesn't smoke or drink, but made a song called 'High All Time'. He said he made the song cos he knows some of his listeners get high all the time. Kendrick Lamar doesn't smoke or drink either. In fact, Kendrick is not a street dude, but he still raps about guns, bitches, and alcohol. Nas's brother (Jungle) was the one really in the streets, Nas might have rolled with them a couple of times, but was never a gang-banger like that. Even when his best friend (Ill Will) was shot and killed in the early 90s, he was up stairs in his apartment, while Jungle and Ill Will were in the streets. When I hear Nas talk about all that street stuff, I just see him as being creative with his words, and painting pictures.
Why do you think Gucci Mane keeps going to prison? He keeps trying to show the world that he is the REALEST rapper out, and he goes and does stupid shit like ride around with unlicensed guns, or with drugs in his car. About him killing someone back in the day, that was in self defense. And that was like a decade ago. Even G Depp (who was once signed to Bad Boy Records) had to turn himself in a few years ago for killing someone in 1993, because he could no longer live with the guilt. That's a grimy ass motherfucker, feeling guilty for a crime he committed almost twenty years ago. Rappers do not do half the things they rap about in their songs; not Jay Z, not Nas, not Jadakiss or Styles P, not 50 Cent...It is all entertainment. They tell stories. They are very creative. A lot of these rappers may still have ties to the streets, or even have shooters on their payroll, but are they actually doing these things? Nope.
When I was in my teens, I liked Tupac cos he was very outspoken, and would charge at anyone disrespecting him without thinking of the consequences. Good bless his soul, he is resting in peace now. But, even in a recent interview with one of his close associates while he was alive, member of the Outlawz, E.D.I, revealed that Tupac would have outgrown all that Thug Life if he lived longer. During an interview with Hip Hop DX a few months ago, E.D.I. Mean (now known as EDIDON) was asked what he felt about the statement a lot of hip hop listeners say that...If Pac was alive he would be dissing certain rappers, or that they wouldn't have a career. He answered with...
"That’s bullshit, and I hate when people say that. You think you know him, but you really don’t know, because we’re talking about someone who was only 24-years-old at the time. Think about when you were a 24-year-old and how much of an idiot you were. At that age you think you know shit, but you really don’t. I use Lil Wayne as an example, because a lot of people mention him. But when ‘Pac was still alive, Wayne was already a rapper and Cash Money was selling records independently. You can’t say he wouldn’t have a career or that anybody else wouldn’t. We don’t even know if ‘Pac would still be rapping today if he was still alive. He was moving more towards making movies than actual music. Making music was actually becoming secondary to him, as he wanted to put his energy into movies and politics. To say that somebody wouldn’t have a career if ‘Pac was alive is some dumb shit to say, but I understand why they say it and where it’s coming from."Digest that and understand that Tupac had just clocked 25 when he was killed, so all the things you here about him were done when he was in his early twenties...probably, 21-24. Just take time to think about that. He was still growing. Anyway, back to our story. And before I go on, I am not saying emotional rappers should be celebrated more than gangster rappers. I think there should always be a balance in everything. Really, I just want to know where the notion of 'You have to be a hard street dude to be a respected rapper' came from. People complain about racism, but look at what you are celebrating in your community. You prefer the guy that goes around acting all violent and reckless, cos you feel he is REAL. I keep asking that question; what is the meaning of REAL to hip hop listeners? Why is Drake ridiculed? In the technical sense of it, he is 100% REAL. He raps about his life, he doesn't make up anything. He doesn't try to be a fictional character. he doesn't try to be who he is not.I remember a Fat Joe Breakfast Club interview from late last year. Fat Joe was speaking on when he was just getting into Hip Hop, and how he was already a known rapper, but was still going for rap shows. He said one of his favorites at the time was Mobb Deep. He said he had only seen their faces on album covers or whatever, but hadn't seen any videos of them. So, he went for one of their concerts, and when they came on stage, he almost collapsed. He had listened to their lyrics about shooting niggas up, selling drugs, and beating up dudes, and he saw the two 5ft4 dudes come up on stage. He said there and then, he knew rap was all entertainment.
Do you think rappers actually sell drugs? Do you think they would risk the money they are currently making from rapping to sell drugs? How much do the street corner nickle and dime drug dealers really make? And at what risk do they make that money? And if you say these rappers are doing big time deals; trust me, they would have been arrested by the D.E.A by now. Do you think Young Jeezy is in the streets, and that he has connects that he can get a kilo of cocaine from for $17k5? In case you don't know, the Feds listen to every rappers CD that hits the shelves. They have been doing that since the 90s, and have been able to incarcerate some rappers that were actually telling on themselves on records, or turned those rappers to Federal rats. I ain't saying rappers didn't sell drugs coming up. Most of them did, and they did that to sustain themselves while they worked on their Rap careers. Yea, 50 Cent sold drugs, Jay Z sold drugs, Fat Joe sold drugs, but are they selling drugs now? Hell no! Are they in the streets having shootouts now? No. And if they are, then they are pretty dumb.
It's all entertainment. Dr. Dre raps about smoking weed every day; he even went and named two of his albums Chronic (Weed), but he doesn't even smoke the herb. In his verse off NWA's Express Yourself, Dre rapped... "I don't smoke weed or sess, cause its known to give a brother brain damage and brain damage on the mic don't manage nothing". Look at that. 50 Cent doesn't smoke or drink, but made a song called 'High All Time'. He said he made the song cos he knows some of his listeners get high all the time. Kendrick Lamar doesn't smoke or drink either. In fact, Kendrick is not a street dude, but he still raps about guns, bitches, and alcohol. Nas's brother (Jungle) was the one really in the streets, Nas might have rolled with them a couple of times, but was never a gang-banger like that. Even when his best friend (Ill Will) was shot and killed in the early 90s, he was up stairs in his apartment, while Jungle and Ill Will were in the streets. When I hear Nas talk about all that street stuff, I just see him as being creative with his words, and painting pictures.
Why do you think Gucci Mane keeps going to prison? He keeps trying to show the world that he is the REALEST rapper out, and he goes and does stupid shit like ride around with unlicensed guns, or with drugs in his car. About him killing someone back in the day, that was in self defense. And that was like a decade ago. Even G Depp (who was once signed to Bad Boy Records) had to turn himself in a few years ago for killing someone in 1993, because he could no longer live with the guilt. That's a grimy ass motherfucker, feeling guilty for a crime he committed almost twenty years ago. Rappers do not do half the things they rap about in their songs; not Jay Z, not Nas, not Jadakiss or Styles P, not 50 Cent...It is all entertainment. They tell stories. They are very creative. A lot of these rappers may still have ties to the streets, or even have shooters on their payroll, but are they actually doing these things? Nope.
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