I was talking to a friend of mine this morning about the whole Little Wayne thing I have been ranting and raving about lately. She explained to me how she acknowledged that Little Wayne was ignorant etc. She also said how much she really needed to hear that kind of music with the week she has been having. She’s an extremely gifted artist and she is in an office wearing a suit bossing people around. She said that if felt good to let all her anger and aggression out via his music. It felt good to reconnect on some levels the “hood” life she left behind but was still very much apart of what made and makes her..her. All of his anger and aggression pumping thru the air in her office in open defiance of her surroundings.

I have been a self-rightous asshole.

I love all of the positivity of real hip-hop. I’m in love with the raw power and positivity of spoken word. However, spoken word isn’t appropiate for all moods, feelings, and situations. When I’m angry and aggressive( lol..that happens a lot) there is that side of me which needs loud, ignorant, and completely negative music. I require that negative shit to balance me out. Mos Def is my man, but I don’t want to hear his tracks when I’m praying to everything and anything holy to please allow me to choke my baby's momma until the shit runs down her legs and get away with it legally. I don’t want to hear Quiet Rage when I’m hanging out with my boys and I’m on my way to a strip bar. I don’t want to hear Shyste or Lupe before I play tackle football with all these bucks, dying to knock me the hell out.

The sad truth is, that sometimes even driving home from a hard days work, I need to hear some loud ignorant shit for me to balance out who I am and where I came from in South Philly. I think sometimes on these boards, I’m so locked into the Damali mindset, I completely forget about the real me, Malcolm MIlls. AKA Chip. ( my name in the hood)

Yeah, I have been a real self-rightous and judgemental asshole.

This is the second time in a week that I have actually agreed with you Damali! I can't believe it. I didn't get into the whole dialogue because I haven't actually listened to the cd (overwhelmed with work, school & family), but I did find it interesting that a lot of self-professed enlightened writers would condemn the creativity of another artist like that. we don't always have to agree with what's being said or even like it, but that doesn't take away from the creativity. (is o.j. any less of a hall of fame football player becaue of his wife's murder?) and it does appear to be extremely self-righteous to get on a soap box to decry one artist's creativity while basicially forgetting why people listen to music in the first place - as an escape. (and it's even a little hypocritcal considering that i've heard a lot worse coming from some of the very people who criticize). we all come from the same place. but that doesn't mean we want to linger there. we all want to transcend our every day lives and go to a place that's safe, fun, and free. we all want to be transformed by music. whether weezy is a philanthropist or not has nothing to do with his creativity. you can choose not to buy the cd just as he can choose not support his own hometown hurricane relief efforts or the jena six. neither is right or wrong, it's all subjective based on the individual. we mix apples and oranges too much. the only gospel i know comes from the bible, not from the mouths of critics. we all need to stop being so judgmental and holier than though. we are stuck on our own hype and think we are experts on everything just because we share our thoughts via a mic. that's why they call it "open mic" - anybody can get up there and say whatever they want to say. i'm, not a weezy fan, nor do i dislike him. but i won't condem him or demean his creativity. thanks for coming clean damali. i respect that.

First off - I don't listen to Little Wayne, never have, and don't plan to. But, regarding some of the general ideas being discussed here . . .

Labelling somthing as "art" or "creative" does not suddenly free the artist from responsibility for the statement his work makes and it doesn't make the work immune to criticism. In this thread, the other Little Wayne Thread, and the Nas thread, this idea keeps coming up that it's somehow wrong to criticize someone's artistic expression. That makes absolutely no sense to me. It doesn't matter if it's art, wrong is wrong. It's one thing to say you disagree with the statement but can still appreciate the art involved, but what I'm reading here over and over is that if there is art involved, one should not even evaluate the statement.

You have to realize the position this thinking puts us into. Absolutely anything can be said to or about us, and as long as it's wrapped up in an artistic package, we let it go. Tell our kids that a drug dealer's lifestyle is desireable? That's cool cuz it's art. Tell the world that our woman should "walk around the club with your thumb in your mouth, put my dick in, pull your thumb out?" No problem, it's got a great beat. Brag about how many niggas you killed in a city that is currently plagued by violence and murder? That's ok cuz it sounds pretty.

Does this mean that we would not have been outraged if Kramer's tirade about hanging people had included more rhyme? Would Don Imus have been fine if "Nappy Headed Hoes" was the hook in his song? Cuz really, everything these guys said and worse can be found on hip-hop radio stations.

And Damali -

Are all of the statements you made really negated by "I'm from the hood" and "sometimes I'm angry?"

No, most of us don't want to hear intellectual music all the time, but is supporting an industry that chooses to filter out anything that is positive or that might encourage consumers to think on their own really our only alternative? As we said in the other thread, maybe if mainstream hip-hop was more balanced, things would be different, but that's not the case. I believe that we owe it to ourselves and our society to find other ways to balance out who we are, remind ourselves of where we came from, and release our (choke the shit out of her?!!! ) frustration.

We make too many excuses for this stuff. If being a voice against the industry taking advantage of us and our self-destructive culture makes you a self-righteous, judgemental asshole, then maybe that's what we all need to be.

thanks for posting this Damali.

You know...I remember Tupac's "Me Against the World" album used to be my thing when I was angry...now its...you know, Weezy occasionally Jay-Z's American Gangster album too.

my 2 cents - speaking of negative songs...one of my all time favorites b*tch betta have my money...

i feel ya...sometimes you have to get in a certain mood and the 'good' stuff will mess that mood up.

little wayne is creative (and ignorant) but he's also entertaining...