The recent rash of incarcerations and re-incarcerations of hip-hop stars is starting to both annoy and disillusion me. T.I. has been my favorite rapper for the last 7 years, but his recent trip back into the joint has forced me to revaluate my attitude regarding rap artists whose careers are consistently plagued and beleaguered with breaking the law.
I remember an episode of Growing Pains (at least I think it was that show) where Mike Seaver (Kirk Cameron, if we’re still assuming this is Growing Pains) meets his rock star idol and subsequently discovers that he is a tool bag. His dad, Jason Seaver (Alan Thicke, father of Robin Thicke, weeeeird), caught Mike tearing down posters of his idol and throwing out his records, and he proceeds to tell Mike that, even though that the guy was a douche, he should not let that come between him and his enjoyment of his music.
I’ve always held that advice closely to me, and I’m aware that I probably enjoy and consume a lot of music and movies made by people I would probably hate if I ever met them face to face.
The thing with hip-hop stars, however, is that these people’s serial brushes with the law literally seem never-ending. Their proclivity for violating their various probation terms and outright disregard for the multiple opportunities they receive to rejoin society blows my mind; at that point, it becomes impossible for me to ignore the possibility that not only could you be a douche bag or an idiot (or both). This psychological inability of theirs to kick old, bad habits also has a debilitating effect on their music, as causes all sorts of internal mayhem at record labels in terms of release deadlines and contract fulfillment. Rappers lose their free pass the moment their own idiocy compromises the main thing I care about: their music.
It would be nice to think that since these guys are artists and all, they would be able to channel some sort of lyrical or thematic inspiration from serving time, but so far, these lofty expectations have been a bust. 2Pac has far and away been the only clear exception to the rule (he reportedly wrote much of the outstanding All Eyez on Me during his 11-month prison term for a sexual assault conviction); everyone else, as far as I’m concerned, is on notice.
Even the mention of 2Pac in this case has one glaring caveat: he never managed to fully rehabilitate himself, and ended up being personified by the press as something of a public menace as a result of his increasingly erratic behavior and incivility, all the way up until his murder. So really, this makes 2Pac the best and worst example I could have used to make my case.
Depth of lyrics takes a distant second place to how well put together a track is sonically in my overall considerations as to what I consider good music. I’m no stranger when it comes to fun or disposable pop, and I appreciate it in the same way I appreciate songs sung in Spanish or French; I don’t typically don’t mind or care for whatever is being said as long as it sounds and feels pleasant. Even though my enjoyment of rap is predicated more on the technical side of things (a rapper’s ability to emcee, skill of production, etc.), my enjoyment is inevitably linked back to what these guys are literally saying.
This hasn’t bided well for the personal satisfaction I used to derive from listening to T.I. He’s already framed Paper Trail (2008) in the context of redemption and remorse, right before he went to jail for the second time in his life. Now, T.I.’s in jail again, and we have last month’s unfortunately-titled No Mercy, which means we have entire second round of tales of played-out apologetic bullshit.
The worst part about this is that the comeback album that he originally intended to release (which he ironically called King Uncaged) featured a host of leaks and songs that completely outclassed all the garbage that we eventually ended up with on No Mercy. All those monster tracks are shelved, and who knows when they will see the light of day? It feels as if the window of opportunity for those specific tracks (“I’m Back,” “Yeah Ya Know (Takers),”Ya Hear Me,” etc.) have passed, and even if they ever receive a proper release, I’m not sure I would be able to divorce myself from the sheer stupidity associated with them in order to fully enjoy or appreciate them as I once did.
It really baffles me how even the best and brightest of the pack – 2Pac – was never able to truly break this cycle. Pac was a sharp and talented cat, even academically. Not only was he into classical theatre and a prolific poet, but he was well-read; he was well-versed in political philosophy, and two of my favorite writers (Sun Tzu and Niccolò Machiavelli) were his as well. It’s obvious that all of the literature that 2Pac absorbed over the course of his lifetime informed much of his lyricism, as they often occupied racial, economic, and sociopolitical spaces. There’s absolutely no question that the dude was educated, but it’s also apparent that it didn’t do a damn thing for him in the end, as far as his own sense of self-preservation goes.
I’ve been wrestling and rationalizing contradictions in hip-hop culture for a long time, but if there’s one thing that’s become crystal clear to me after all this time, it’s that rappers need to cut the bullshit and clean up their act. There’s a coming of age in every man’s life where rapping about how you are a product of your environment and blaming bad decisions on one’s poor upbringing is no longer a sufficient excuse.
It’s also really unfortunate that hip-hop culture has more or less institutionalized this kind of cyclical pattern of criminal misconduct, and for what? – All in the name of “staying hood” or “keeping it real?” This problem not only makes question marks over the quality of life in urban/poverty-level areas of the country more pronounced, but it also makes evident the need for a more serious push for prison reform.
“Once a thug, always a thug” doesn’t necessarily have to be the truth, but a notable handful of rappers are doing a hell of a job making a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I came across a couple of news blurbs a couple of days ago stating that both Gucci Mane and his new protégé Waka Flocka Flame were re-incarcerated in completely separate incidents. Gucci just got out of jail himself not too long ago either. Good luck to both of you idiots, and long live the Dirty South.
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