ECCANDC

Why are Black leaders silent on pop culture of death and abuse?

By BARBARA REYNOLDS

Story Published: Feb 20, 2009 at 4:58 PM PDT

Story Updated: Feb 20, 2009 at 4:58 PM PDT

Singer Chris Brown's arrest for allegedly beating and biting his girlfriend, pop princess Rihanna, the same night vulgar rapper Lil Wayne was being lauded with four Grammy awards, is a reminder of how thuggish rap culture creates a climate for not only male-on male violence but abuse of Black women as well.

On one level Brown was only doing what the environment created by hustlers like Lil' Wayne and his White backers promote. When the dope-using, pornographic rappers aren't bragging about how good they are at killing other Blacks, they swagger around calling Black women "bitches and sluts" and showing their agility at dogging and abusing them.

In fact, Snoop Dogg once showed up at the MTV video awards accompanied by partially clad girls being pulled along by dog leashes.

The White establishment is applauding this behavior by elevating the thug music that glorifies killing, maiming and abuse to great fortunes. After all, the thugs are only killing Black men and abusing Black women. What a great victory for White supremacists who no longer need the KKK.

Blacks brandishing guns and a pimp mentality are destroying each other faster than White militants could ever dream of.
Mainstream Time magazine in their July 2008 issues headlined Lil Wayne as the Best Rapper Alive. The magazine took great pleasure in commending him for how well he could rhyme "day" with "say" and "way."

Those sophomoric rhymes are worthy of praise for five-year-olds - but for a grown man? Give me a break. What else does Lil Wayne advocate that makes mainstream America love him so much? His "Lollipop" number was honored as Best Rap Song.

It is all about having the so-called "fun and games" of oral sex, of young girls licking him like a lollipop before regular intercourse. Of course, the promoters would not honor any artist who also talks about how HIV/AIDS is epidemic among Black youth and how now 72 percent of household are headed up by single Black women, who means the boys and men are missing in action as soon as the babies come.

Another song which the Grammys saw worthy of honor was included in Wayne's latest album, "Tha Carter III." With all the media hype behind it, it sold over one million copies the first week.

If there is any doubt what Wayne thinks about women, the lyrics make it plain: "I ain't got no loves for broads, I grab them on they butts and all." Then he goes on to sing about how wonderful it is for his girls (sluts) to have oral sex with his dog.

It is not hard for me to understand why White led-media and music institutions want to honor Blacks who entertain them with low-life, illiterate rantings, while creating a climate of death and destruction for Black people.

But I can not understand why so much of the Black establishment - the pastors, civil rights institutions and universities - accept this standard without protesting their outrage at the systematic destruction of our young.

The major themes of too many rap songs are guns, drugs, death and destruction. And with the help of White corporations they are reaping a rich harvest.

For example, homicide is the leading cause of death for Black males between the ages of 18 and 24; 94 percent of Blacks murdered are killed by other Blacks, usually men.

Our Black women, whose images are being dragged through the mud not only in rap videos, but in movies, are increasingly being raped and beat. Black women are 35 percent more likely to be sexually and physically assaulted than White women. And one in 4 girls is in danger of being raped by age 18. Every 45 seconds a woman is physically assaulted, according to the National Victims Center.

Big bucks, of course, are fueling this genocidal assault. Women-hating rappers whine about how the man won't fund them if they don't go violent and after all they are only giving the public want they want. The argument is that titles like "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" will sell, but uplifting songs won't. If that is so, why aren't Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson broke?

No amount of money should make Black rappers stoop so low as to scandalize black women, whose birth canals are their very entry into humanity. They insult our mothers, daughters and sisters.

They are no different from the 19th century White slave masters who paraded half naked Black women to the public square to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Unfortunately, the self-esteem of so many young Black women, have fallen so low that they too see themselves as half nude butt-shaking objects, who can be sold for group sex, drugs or background filth for videos. They are faceless, prideless, pitiful creatures who agree they should be treated like dogs.

In the case of Chris Brown, Wrigley is pulling his chewing gum ad and RadioNOW, a Black-owned Radio One network affiliate, is taking a stand by not playing his music. All that is good.

Yet, until the Black establishment protests groups like Lil Wayne, who White corporations are paying to sing and dance the death jig, the beatdown of Black women will still be viewed by many as acceptable behavior for Black men.

Reynolds is a National Newspaper Publishers Association columnist.