Hip-hop-cracy

There is an obvious contradiction in someone like Ice Cube writing a song protesting random gang violence. For many who may not know, Ice Cube was one of a small group of pioneers who LITERALLY started what we now know as Gangsta Rap. He brazenly bragged about his "sawed off" shot gun and willingness to kill at will, degrading women and contributing to the horrible and sometimes deserved image of young black men in America today.

The problem here, however, is not race or gender, but in the unrepentant ideology of American media. People start with the idea that they can do whatever they want. They move on to using that freedom for personal gain no matter what it costs the people they hurt. They later look around at the problems of the world and complain, wondering how we got here.

I have been amazed at the reception of this type of music by the youth of America, but more importantly, by so-called Christian youth. How can we go see movies produced by a man who stars in kids movies like "Are We There Yet?" which portrays him as a kind father-figure in one moment, but later releases songs called "Why We Thugs," condoning the same behavior his movies teach against? Maybe most of you reading this have never seen an Ice Cube movie and you're better for it. Maybe you have never heard any of his music or have ever had to encounter the harsh realities of the lifestyle he describes, but some of you have.

Would you agree with his latest single "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It" which tries to shirk the responsibility for the culture he has almost single-handedly created? Would you dismiss it as simply entertainment? Would you allow your children to feast on it? I'm not against Hip Hop music because music, in and of itself, is not evil, but I am against the promotion and glorification of sin and wickedness.

Going past that, examine your entertainment as a whole. What messages are you taking in day by day? What do you find amusing? What elements of certain shows do you overlook or justify because you really like the storyline and have devoted so much time to learning the characters that you feel like you know them? I say this because recently I have had to do the same and "the pain is the proof of the chains that you choose," so I have had to make some changes. Nothing in this life is mindless or without consequence. What you do and say affects other people and what you see and hear affects you.

As a Christian it is our opportunity and duty to stand against this type of attack on the minds of our people, our friends and our families, but if we join in, what message are we sending?

Here's the article about the song "Why Me" which conveniently makes no mention of the rapper’s past or any hint of remorse or regret for the role his actions have played in tragedies like this:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/06/athlete.ice.cube.video.ap/index.html
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