Monday, October 15, 2007

This S**t Must Cease & Desist!


...someone please murder this song. I need you to pull out your .44 caliber Smith & Wesson and end this madness.

I'm at the drive-thru today getting a #4. As I'm relaying my order to the lady taking orders, I hear a car pull up behind me and the faint sound of a "Wa' Me Cra' an' Wa' me Ro'" I think to myself..."These damn kids HAVE to be skipping school" because it's 1:13 in the afternoon. Surely they need to be in class.

As I lower my rearview mirror to get a good look at the youngster, I find myself staring into the retina of a 50+ -year-old conservative-looking White woman in a Buick Skylark.

*blink blink*

Let me try this again...

I'm at the drive-thru today getting a #4. As I'm relaying my order to the lady taking orders, I hear a car pull up behind me and the faint sound of a "Wa' Me Cra' an' Wa' me Ro'" I think to myself...

You get the point!

Why is this happening? Why do we celebrate perceived ignorance? Am I being hard on this dude? I think not! Last Friday I heard a Soulja Boy interview on satellite radio and he sounded NOTHING like he sounds on record. And by that I mean that he actually finished the last sounds of the words he used (i.e. "Watch" vs. "Wa'").

I know that when I was growing up we had dance crazes hit the scene. We had the "Kid 'N Play Tap," the "Electric Slide" etc. Even in recent years we had the "Macarena" hit and the "Cha Cha Slide" (I know the Ghetto Hokie Pokie when I see it!), but something about this Soulja Boy stuff doesn't sit right with me. I know that it's for the kids, but is this what we want kids mimicking? Sure, it's catchy. Sometimes I catch myself reciting the ridiculously incoherent lyrics, but it just seems wrong.

A few post ago I wrote about Lupe Fiasco's "Dumb It Down" song. Is this not the very definition of "dumbing it down"? We're all entitled to mindless, disposable music every once in a while, but why are we constantly spoonfed unintelligent and ignorant lyrics from artists who are capable of speaking intelligently and producing music with substance... or at least coherent music.

This song is #1 on the charts. This is a problem. Just as Italian-Americans are tired of being portrayed as New Jersey mobsters in entertainment, I'm tired of seeing us portrayed as backyard bucks that love to have sex, Superman hoes, and dance. That's OK in moderation for the sake of entertainment, but there needs to be a balance. The scale is heavily unbalanced right now.

Look at the audience, as seen in the above video. Then look at the guy on the stage performing for the audience. All we're missing is the black cork, red lipstick, top hat and white gloves.

...that [Soulja] 'Boy sure does keep us entertained!

8 comments:

Andrew The Asshole said...

B you mean ALL black people(aka "Hip-Hoppers") are like this (like hos, can dance, jump, and speak ebonics)?

Anonymous said...

Brandon, don't hate me for saying this. But I think you're lying.

Period.

I refuse to believe that you saw a 50 year old white conservative looking woman in South Carolina singing about supamanning hoes. If you're not going to take this blog seriously and use it for the dissemination of truth, I can not continue to visit it.

*walks out the room and slams door*

Brandon said...

I put that on everything I love. If not 50s, definitely in mid to late 40s. Myrtle Beach is very liberal, believe it or not, which is why I am not as surprised as I would have been if I was in West SC. It's two different worlds. STILL though, Even though it wasn't blaring, it was playing in her car.

tweezie said...

Gene, I have to believe Brandon on this one...

I was in Buffalo NY with my two of my girls. I was in Starbucks...a phone began to ring...it was something like "What is is, Whats up" so I looked at my phone because it could have been me (it was 2 years ago, I matured since then.) but to my surprise this white guy 50ish pulled out his phone...as my mouth drops open, the man answers "What up playa!"

I lie to you not! April and Ginny as my witness!!! I was amazed beyond amazed.

Anonymous said...

"as my mouth drops open, the man answers "What up playa!""

LIES Twilla! ALL LIES!!!

I like my whites humming Carolina On My Mind, the like and nothing else!

Anonymous said...

*sigh*

well as the world becomes more connected and hip hop continues to become more and more commercial, culture will continue to mix and melt together...

Yes oneday Gene you will see a yt granny talking about "what it do my nig" and not even think twice about it. Thats what we have to look forward to...

Anonymous said...

"Yes oneday Gene you will see a yt granny talking about "what it do my nig" and not even think twice about it."

Co-sign. Either that or you'll see her p***y poppin on a handstand.

Andrew The Asshole said...

how about my brother has a fellow rock band that did a rock version of this song and are getting mad love from it

Grandma P***y poppin on a handstand thats a classic line