“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:11 NRSV
On May 26, hip-hop artist and actor “T.I.” (aka Clifford Harris) reported to a Georgia federal prison in order to serve a yearlong sentence for his felony weapons charge. What is incredibly mystifying about this situation is how did T.I. get caught up in this madness in the first place? When T.I. was arrested roughly a year ago on federal weapons charges, he was best known for his numerous bestselling albums, starring roles in box office hits such as ATL and American Gangster, and growing reputation as one of the most impressive rappers of the past decade. Unlike many of his contemporaries in hip-hop, T.I. had not emphasized any sort of gangsta rap pretenses or thug mentality in his musical output during his brief but stellar career to date. However, just like too many of his contemporaries in the rap game, T.I.’s unfortunate run-in with the federal authorities sparked a life-altering instance of responsibility and reflection.
When thinking about the rapper’s recent MTV reality show, "T.I.’s Road to Redemption," it seemed like a custom-made publicity stunt to rehabilitate his public image as well as cash in on the nation’s insatiable hunger for reality TV programs at first glance. By agreeing to a probationary period of house arrest as well as logging 1,000 hours of court-ordered community service, T.I. was able to reduce his jail sentence to one year instead of a possible 30-year stint. With that as his overarching motivation, T.I. set forth on his community service assignment of working with high-risk youth while also counting down the days to his incarceration. As "Road to Redemption" progressed, however, T.I. dedicated himself to trying to scare a group of troubled youngsters away from the perils of street life in compelling and compassionate ways that softened the hearts of the most cynical critics. As a body of work unto itself, "Road to Redemption" might serve as an effective means of mentoring and ministry to Black adolescents and teenagers who are under pressure about the ways to avoid personal self-destruction.
Yet, the real tragedy as we see it is that a young Black man with such promise and influence found himself caught up in this sort of bad situation in the first place. What was T.I. thinking when he was buying those illegal weapons: did he fall prey to the vain and elusive fantasy of the “hard-core rap lifestyle” that sees one’s manhood linked to the ability to tote and use guns at a moment’s notice (might makes right), usually to kill another Black man? Was he thinking that his newfound fame and wealth was at risk by a growing parade of “haters” who –whether real or imagined—were coming to take away everything he had accomplished and this was the only way to secure his peace of mind? Or was T.I. looking at the guns in question as simply a “good” investment that could not only solidify his credentials as a rapper but also pad his wallet in the never-ending “paper chase” that substitutes money for morality? While not trying to litigate any of the points of the case again, the deep concern about this situation is that this situation was clearly avoidable and still this young man found himself caught up in a situation wherein the system eventually got what it desires most: the downfall of another young Black man. As the late great Tupac Shakur, another famous rapper / actor, once said, the system of institutionalized anti-Black oppression that fuels the prison-industrial complex really wants to see young Black men “either dead or in jail.” Seeing how that equation has played itself out in the lives of countless rappers such as Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Proof, Jam Master Jay, Shyne, C-Murder and untold others who found themselves either in coffins or incarcerated, the everyday struggle for today’s hip-hop community is to learn how to overcome the damaging life choices that lead young Black men to keep adding to these negative statistics. Also, as the recent shooting of the up-and-coming rapper Dolla in Los Angeles reminds us all too clearly, the links between hip-hop and gun-related violence remains a deadly one within the African American community. Obviously, the election of the first African American president in our nation’s history has not ended the more lethal aspects of hip-hop.
Despite whatever his initial rationale for getting himself into this situation, it is crucial that he “gets his mind right”, to borrow a phrase from the hip-hop community. Regardless of his celebrity status as a bestselling musical performer and bankable Hollywood actor, T.I. now has landed in the U.S. criminal injustice system along with over 1 million Black men and women who never had the advantages and opportunities he has had in his relatively young life. Just as on the “Road to Redemption” show, T.I. is now going to have to do the more vital work of seeking the spiritual wisdom, personal maturity, and moral consistency that only God can bring to his life. Whereas no one should go to prison behind such foolishness—that’s another blog entry altogether—what’s important now for T.I. and his millions of fans and supporters is that he reflects the reality of his reckless decisions as well as the consequences but also demonstrates the power of positive transformation that can come about at the end of this particular phase of his life’s journey. Inevitably, all of us discover at a crucial point in our lives that we are desperate people caught in dire situations but that is not an invitation to hopelessness. What faith and trust in God reveals is that it is how we confront these trying times and eventually rise above the negativity rather than surrender to it that shows the mark of the truly better person. In his hit song, “No Matter What”, T.I. even offers the remarks “I learned just do it, you get courage from your fears right after you go through it...God will take you through hell just to get you to heaven.” While that song was written in the wake of his woes, let’s hope he recognize that God is still at work in his life as an example of God’s desire to make us into new and wondrous creations. If we show that we are willing to turn away from “childish ways” as the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth nearly two thousand years ago, God will always be there eagerly awaiting to renew, restore, and redeem us…no matter what.
Something You Should Check Out…
In The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture, journalist and author Bakari Kitwana identifies the cohort of African Americans born between 1965 and 1984 are part of the so-called "hip-hop generation.” Notably, the author says that the frequently used term “Generation X" mainly describes white Americans without much attention to the realities and concerns of their Black counterparts. Don’t let the title fool you—this book is not just about hip-hop as a music and culture; this very thoughtful book takes a long, hard look at the current state of Black America in the post-civil rights era by examining the multiple social crises that have arisen for nearly forty years, including growing rates of homicide, suicide, drug convictions, imprisonment, domestic violence, single-parent families, police brutality, unemployment, poverty. Furthermore, the author argues quite strongly that the most demeaning types of hip-hop have been used within popular media—especially in terms of television shows, music videos, movies, and YouTube—by multitudes of hip-hop lovers in order to extol the virtues of "anti-intellectualism, ignorance, irresponsible parenthood, and criminal lifestyles." Alas, Kitwana asserts that hip-hop is "arguably the single most significant achievement of our generation," he also blames it for causing severe devastation to Black youth by perpetuating self-destructive pathological behavior, portraying negative stereotypes, and promoting poor role models. All of these social problems might seem overwhelming indeed, but Kitwana’s book acknowledges that members of our generation also have more opportunities than their parents had. Although this book was written in 2002, it predicted the vast untapped potential of America’s youth, especially amongst Black hip-hop heads, to come together to make possible the election of candidates like Barack Obama not only to the Senate but ultimately the White House. On the whole, Kitwana’s The Hip Hop Generation is an insightful, well-researched, and straightforward work that is equally critical and constructive in the ways it challenges members of the hip-hop generation (and, in many cases, their children) to step up their games respectively in order to make positive and profound changes. Whether you were born and raised listening to hip-hop music or you have no earthly idea about the music and culture, this book is an excellent introduction to the hip-hop generation.
0 comments:
Post a Comment