Posted on 08/31/2009 7:19:13 PM PDT by HorowitzianConservative
For his first guest on last Friday's special edition of "Real Time" host Bill Maher spent a half hour interviewing rapper, mogul, and entrepreneur Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter.
(For my previous commentary on Maher's second interview of the evening, with progressive journalist Bill Moyers click here.)
Carter was soft-spoken in his reflective interview which rarely got particularly political. Maher mainly questioned Carter about his artistic process and style. He did also ask about being a married man and his responsibility as a role model:
My responsibility is to the culture. My job is to show it in a great light. I'm a role model in that way...Carter also noted that he did not smoke marijuana -- one of Maher's past times. Maher then commented that the decision was rooted in Carter's understanding of the importance of maintaining focus.
For many on the Right (and much of the rest of the culture at large) there's a tendency to dismiss the entire genre of rap and hip-hop as little more than the violent misogyny fests of street thugs. While there are many questionable tendencies within rap there's also something worth highlighting: one of the ideological strains within rap offers a clear path toward understanding and embracing the American Idea. How can ghetto youth get oriented toward achieving? As counter intuitive as this might sound: through appreciating rap music.
The entrepreneurial, capitalist spirit is at the heart of much of rap. For many rappers the objective is to work their way out of poverty by developing themselves artistically and financially. Then, once they have initial success in rap they branch out into numerous other fields.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsrealblog.com ...
Around the election, i remeber hearing that people in california were crediting the high minority turn-out with keeping gay marriage illiegal.
Lyrics to Ludacris' Obama rap song, "Obama Is Here":
"Hey... I'm back on it
like I just signed my record deal, yeah the best is here
The Bentley Coupe paint is drippin wet, it got sex appeal
Never shoulda hated, you never shoulda doubted him
With a slot in the President's iPod, Obama shouted him
Said I handled my biz and I'm one of his favorite rappers
Well give Luda a special pardon if I'm ever in the slammer
Better yet put me in office, make me a Vice President
Hillary hated on you so that bitch is irrelevant
Now Jesse talkin slick and apologizin for WHAT~?!
If you said it then you MEANT it how you want it, head or gut
And all you other politicians tryin to hate on my man
Watch us win majority vote in every STATE on my man
You cain't stop what's 'bout to happen, we 'bout to make history
The first black President it's destined and it's meant to be
The threats ain't fazin us, the nooses or the jokes
Get off your ass black people it's time to get out and vote
Paint the White House black and I'm sure that's got 'em terrified
McCain don't belong in ANY chair unless he's paralyzed
Yeah I said it cause Bush is mentally handicapped
Ball up all of his speeches and just throw 'em like candy wraps
Cause what you talkin I hear nothin even relevant
And you the worst of all 43 Presidents
Get out and vote, or the end'll be near
And the world is ready for change cause Obama is here
YEAHHH! Cause Obama is here
The world is ready for change cause Obama is here
Yeahhhh, cause Obama is here
Say world is ready for change cause Obama is here
Hey!
http://lyrics.rapbasement.com/Ludacris_Politics%20(Obama%20Is%20Here)_lyrics_2129.html
YouTube video: Ludacris - "Obama Is Here":
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=ludacris+obama+is+here&aq=0&oq=ludacris+obama
Well, I can see why he adopted the apropos stage name “Ludacris”.
Dat be ghetto fo’ “ludicrous”, I be guessin’.
Indeed. I didn’t even get into the strain of social conservatism that competes within the black community but that’s another piece of it too.
Sorry, but that's a fantasy similar to the supposed conservatism of the Hispanic community.
All this from a guy who ‘sang’ a song “Youse a Ho”? Are we supposed to take this seriously?
How so?
Rappers and ballers are the best hope of reaching into the black community for outreach into how D’s don’t really have their best interests at heart.
Many football, basketball and baseball players are SHOCKED to learn that now that they signed their rookie contracts that they are immediately considered “the rich”. As such they cannot fathom that they are being taxed into oblivion the second they go from a lifestyle of an impoverished background or life of a college student to cashing in a signing bonus, roster bonus or payroll check.
Many rappers find themselves in the same boat. Sure you have established names like P Diddy, Ice T and Ice Cube that have been dealing with the financial aspects of being “the rich” for a decade or more. Yet many of these new found success stories fail to understand completely that the second they make it financially they are targets.
If any group of Americans know what it’s like to have their success penalized when going from poverty to wealth its these two communities and outreach should begin with them.
“With a slot in the President’s iPod, Obama shouted him
Said I handled my biz and I’m one of his favorite rappers”
________________________________
From the Black Entertainment Television website (BET):
“Obama’s iPod:
Like Luda’s song with DJ Premier, Obama is definitely the ‘MVP.’...”
http://www.bet.com/Specials/yeswewill/photos/yeswewill_photos_obamasipod.htm?i=8
Interesting perspective.
Thanks for posting.
Wanting your family to prosper and be safe are conservative principles. This does not preclude minorities being all for anything that gives them a competitive advantage like Affirmative Action and various minority-targeted programs. This results in them voting Dem, because the Dems will give them that competitive advantage.
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