"Welcome to My Hood" (P&P vol.2)

Here we go again with the second installment in the Praise & Problems (P&P) series. Once again, P&P 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. If you missed the first P&P installment, check it out here.

In our first P&P post we discussed a hood anthem featuring Rick Ross. I love hood anthems. But I mean, what true hip-hopper doesn't? So I figured why not take this second installment, and feature another hood anthem? And we have chosen none other than DJ Khaled's "Welcome to my Hood." Originally released in 2011, This song guest features some of the biggest names in southern Hip-Hop; T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Plies, and of course, Rick Ross. Boasting nearly 16 million views on youtube, and a remix with more than twice the rap stars and another 3 million views, I think it's safe to say, this one goes hard. Let's check the video again.

Praise: It's a Family Affair

Once again, we always wanna start with the positive. There's a few things I really like about this song and it's video. I think the thing I like most about this song is the hook. Welcome to my Hood!

Oppressed people must often band together to
meet the challenges of a depraved community.

I like how T-Pain says  it, "Everybody know everybody, and if I got it everybody got it." Maybe you're afraid when you drive around the hood because you don't know anybody, but in every hood I've ever lived in it's just like T-Pain said, "everybody know everybody." It's just like a big family. There''s often a strong sense of community and connectivity. I'll admit that ghetto communities have lost a lot of that familial flavor, but it still exists in many ways. That leads me to the other point. I spoke about this a little bit in the first P&P post and here it goes again. The poverty and degradation in the hood demands that oppressed people band together. So when he says, "if I got it everybody got it," it's a perfect description of how the hood pulls together when the need presents itself. 

My favorite verse (by far) is Plies'. when I'm listening to this dude describe the hood, I feel like I'm at home. Stealing cable, waiting out probation, garnished checks for back child support, eviction notices from shady property managers, and all the rest. As grimy and as detestable as it can get, it's home; and we learn to make due and appreciate the goodness that it does have to offer. I love the hood. Growing up in the hood demands a certain type of resiliency and toughness. I learned so many lessons from the street fights, poverty, drug abuse (S/O to Harry-O), and all the rest that I utilize regularly in my everyday life. It's long been said never judge a man until you walk a day in his shoes. Let's make those shoes air force ones and let's take that walk around my block in my hood.

Problems: Tell Me a Little More About Yourself
I'm not sure what Rick Ross and Lil Wayne were thinking. I suppose Lil Wayne was really excited about being out of prison because all he talked about was himself. I didn't get much about his hood.  Even less though is the content of Rozay's verse. I mean, rapping about one's hood/upbringing has got to be the easiest and most oft repeated themes in Hip-Hop. If you can't rap about your hood then I'm worried as to whether or not you can actually rap at all. However, it's not that they simply failed to rap about their hood, but rather that they talked so much about themselves.

Slick Rick shows proof that braggadocio and swag
isn't new, but rappers must pursue a greater good.

I've said it before, braggadocio is not new to Hip-Hop, but it often appears that the loudest voices in a lot of today's rap music are simply painting self portraits of their latest, wildest, most expensive exploits. Maybe it's the ultimate form of celebration having made it out the hood...then again, maybe not. Maybe it's just a sad display of new-school narcissism.  Maybe that's why more people don't give back to the hood. They have no intention of coming back to develop the community, they just came back to stunt and shine.

Again, I love the hood. But, with all the challenges that we're facing, we've got to commit to community development, family enrichment, and education reform. Welcome to my hood, where everybody needs everybody, and if we get it everybody got it. We're all in this together. That's my prayer. Welcome to my hood!