Baraka Obama: The First President to Love Hip-Hop?

"Obama has been a self-admitted Hip-Hop fan for years, and first met Jay-Z in 2008 as part of his goal to help emcees use their art to spark critical thinking and bridge generational rifts."

Oh really? Wow, not only is Barak of my kin, but he likes Hip-hop to? C'mon man, this is too cool. I have to quote the President who was a Senator at the time of this statement:

"But also something that I'm really concerned about is they're always talking about material things about how I can get something; more money, more cars.”

You got to love it hey? That means me and Obama agree on hip-hop; To bad you can't draw policies on hip-hop artists. That would be an invasion of creative expression and as much as it's needed, in the end, it wouldn't make sense. However, it's encouraging to know that our President is at least concerned about the depraved state of hip-hop. After all, the majority of mainstream hip-hop is poison to the minds of the youth. By the way- the article this blog is based on can be found on allhiphop.com.

I'd like to end this blog by quoting Jay-Z (from the article):

"Sometimes there are hard truths in rap, they're not packaged with pretty ribbons. Sometimes the realities of the situations are harsh and they need to be told,” Jay reasoned to the BBC. “We're the poets of our generation! Those truths and those honesties need to be told and sometimes that will rub people the wrong way but that don't mean you don't tell them. I think when rap is done brilliantly it can inform you of a problem, things that are going on."

State of Emergency: Today's R&B

There's something about my oldest son posting on Facebook the song from Trey Songz-"I Invented Sex," that rubbed me the wrong way. Couple that with a couple of pics on his profile, in which he has no shirt on, and you clearly have a 13 year old whose Pandora's Box is obviously open ("I get girls" is quoted in his profile).

The truth of the matter is everything we take in has outputs, and with our current middle schoolers and high schoolers listening to artists such as The Dream, Pleasure P, R-Kelly, and T-Payne...it should make you worry about our future, since these will be our future leaders when we become seniors (I'm a late 70's baby). True, I agree with Solomon, "There is nothing new under the sun," but it definitely seems that in the 21st century, today's R&B has intensified with the overall themes of sex, alcohol and materialism.

In reflecting on my younger days, I remember listening to songs such as "Freak Me" by Silk or "Uh Ah" by Boyz to Men. Indeed we had our share of lusty music. However, the equilibrium when we were in our youth seemed more balanced. Not every artist in R&B was known for their "Cutting" songs. Moreover, on the other side of the spectrum were songs that discussed genuine love such as S.W.V's "Weak" or "When Will I See You Smile Again" by B.B.D and one of my favorites, "Forever My Lady" by Jodeci.

Sex has become such a common topic that, perhaps, today's 13 year old feels they should be entitled to get a piece of the action. In contrast, when I was 13, I was more interested in back-yard balling and video games than inventing sex with the girl in the back row of my 8th grade class. True, I was attracted to women, but it was several years later when I finally got a "piece" of the action.

I'll never forget when my parents found my box of tapes (how old school is that). It included artists such as DJ. Quick, Luke and the 2 Live Crew, Digital Underground (Sex Packets) Too Short, K-Dee (Whose album was called "Ass, Gas, or Cash"), and other artist that reduced women to sex objects. My dad politely confiscated the whole box; I never saw those tapes again. Okay-I digress.

My main point is I know for sure that there are plenty of 13 year olds ready to get some, and the parents that run that household will be the prime factor in determining whether they will be successful or not. We live in an era where parents can no longer trust the radio stations. Why? Because it has become saturated with songs that encourage sex, drugs, and whatever other spoof that fits in that box. My wife's friend discovered her son "sexting." What's sadder is her son is only nine years old.

So yes, R&B is in a state of emergency...mainly because sex sells even more than it did 20 years ago. If that's a sign of the times, surely it can't be a good thing.