"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!

"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.