"Ima Boss" Praise & Problems Vol. 1

I am happy to introduce a new series in the 4H blog that I'm calling Praise & Problems. Praise & Problems will review some of the most popular rap videos on youtube in an effort to celebrate the strengths of Hip-Hop and critique the weak spots in order to encourage greater growth in Hip-Hop and Hip-Hoppers.

In this first installment in the P&P series, I think it fitting to tackle a hood anthem. And we have chosen none other than Meek Mill and Rick Ross' "Ima Boss." Boasting nearly 20 million views on youtube, its popularity speaks volumes.  Let's check the video again.

The old folks used to always say, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say nothing at all." And so with that we want to always be careful to start with the positives. Praise first, then we'll deal with the more difficult items. And I'll be honest and say that I've struggled long and hard with this song, but there are indeed some things that I like about it.

Praise: It's Good in the Hood
I remember the first time I saw a hood parade. I was appalled, but more so impressed nevertheless. Who needs giant flowery floats and the Shriners ridin around on those noisy go-carts when you have luxury cars sittin on shiny rims. So what the city parade never comes this way? We got our own parade. I'll explore this a little more later. And despite the fact that this point is more about the video than the song, I think it's valid still. The song (and video) have this type of festive and communal feel, just like a lot of the old school hip-hop videos that had block party themes like "Check the Rhime", "Fight the Power", and "Self Destruction" (I'm not referring to the content of those songs, just their videos).

The video is set in the hood and everybody's just hangin out, like it's a party or something. Here's one "supposedly"rare case when everything is peaceful in the hood. And according to the lyrics, they actually are celebrating (in a sense). Hood folks know how to throw a good party: birthday, 4th of July, Labor Day, you name it. We still know how to get together and have a good time. It isn't all bad in the hood. The truth is, even though it is has numerous challenges and negative issues, ghetto neighborhoods maintain this uncanny ability for staying close knit and familial...dysfunctions and all. Struggling and celebrating together because all we got is each other.

Closely related to this idea of ghetto celebrations is one of the main concepts behind their mantra about bossin it up. Despite the setbacks, disadvantages, and lack of resources; the hood keeps winning. And specifically some of those who seem to be at greatest risk (i.e. young black male drug dealers) keep finding ways to defy the odds and succeed far beyond anyone's outside expectations. To a certain extent, they are indeed big-time bosses. You know what they say, "It's hard to keep a good man down."

I think Rick Ross' line is iconic when he says, "OG is one who standin' on his own feet. A boss is one who guarantee we gon' eat." Let's face it, we need more OGs in the hood. Handlin' business, taking care of their responsibilities, and leading by example. But we definitely need more bosses in the hood. We need more capital creators, more job creators, more community development leaders. We need more people to guarantee everyone eats.

But then that leads me to the more challenging issues in the song.

Problems: Paraders & Raiders
Meek Mill's first few lines are indicative of the heart of the issue. He says, "Look I be ridin through my old hood, but I'm in my new whip. Same ol' attitude but I'm on some new $#!*."

Mitt Romney is a perfect example of the level of
trust that the public needs to have in their leader. 

And there's the difficulty. We have a leadership crisis in our communities. I mentioned that we need to create more leaders, but here we have a rising power player in the community who (by his own admission) has refused to raise his level of thinking to meet the demands of greater responsibility. This is dangerous to the community. "To whom much is given, much is required."

This is the same dilemma we have in choosing political leaders. Mitt Romney loss the recent presidential election because most americans saw him as untrustworthy. He says he's a boss, but he is largely viewed as a capitalistic pirate pillaging companies and communities with his giant corporation, Bain Capital. Are these the types of leaders that we are becoming and developing in the hood and in Hip-Hop? They enrich themselves off the weaknesses of others, and then refuse any level of responsibility to them? According to Meek Mill, he's still a deadly gangster, not a servant leader.

Now back to the video. The issue of reckless self-serving leaders leads me to question the video a bit further. It reminds me of a parade or a block party, but judging by certain of the lyrics, I wonder what it is that we're celebrating. Is this a parade or a raid? Are these committed community leaders or a band of pirates and marauders? Are they celebrating survival or terrorizing the weak and the elderly?

I like this song because Ima boss too. However, I am seeking a greater commitment to leading with integrity and efficiency. I want to grow to be a better boss.