Word: gangstas
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...Words to Describe Yourself: Charismatic, Persuasive, Gangsta...
This is where the entourages come in. Gangsta rap entourages have a special job—to live up to the hype created by this commercialized ghetto gangsta ethos. Since defending their rapper’s authenticity equates to defending their own livelihood, these no-talent friends, who either are already quite gangsta or willing to learn, have no problem engaging in knife-work, gunplay, or fisticuffs against other crews in order to keep their man out of jail yet on top of the gangsta rap heap. And the biggest problem is that there is an endless supply of potential...
...think the answer lies in the symbiotic relationship between gangsta rap and entourages. At its core, rap is music about authenticity. The best songs are personal, and the death knell for any career is to be exposed as unreal. Thus, rap battles are about proving your opponent to be less talented and more importantly, less authentic...
...gangsta rap, battles for authenticity can take dangerous turns. As the genre moved from stories of petty crime into super-gangster fables, rappers’ real lives simply could not keep up. What passes for authenticity is really a fragile character developed for public consumption. Record labels, rappers, and even (mostly white) consumers to some extent know this—and act accordingly...
This leads us to a complex solution for what seemed to be a simple problem. Media outlets need to cut back on their outright promotion and saturated coverage of gangsta rap violence. Record labels need to take more responsibility in guiding this cadre of young millionaires toward more socially responsible behavior (This should not have been the first week I’ve ever seen 50 Cent donate to charity). Also, rappers need to take responsibility for themselves and their entourages to avoid the additional trouble. Finally, we as a society should strive towards creating more opportunities for young black...