*Check out Death to murder rap: Hip-hop needs to change for some in 2016 [Part 1] here.

Today mentions of Maybachs, multiple Rolexes, and murderous rhymes fill the beats created by brilliant musicians. The words mean so much to the young people who listen as if they’re favorite musicians are the teachers in grade school. A new song could represent an opportunity to tour and make money — money pocketed from the same young minds these musicians might be harming.

In Chicago, well-known activist and priest Michael Pfleger spoke out in light of last year’s carnage in Chicago. “The violence that is plaguing Chicago and the nation as a whole, has its roots in a poor education system, lack of employment opportunities, and the glorification of violence (sometimes through music), just to name a few ingredients,” said Pfleger to The Christian Post.

Pfleger was speaking on the lyrics of Chief Keef, whose music many critics say contributed to the violence in the last few years in Chicago.

Lyrics such as “choppas get let off, they don’t want no war, throwing clips from the 4-5 gotta go back to the store” didn’t get by Chi-town native Lupe Fiasco.

“Chief Keef scares me. Not him specifically, but just the culture that he represents,” Lupe told Baltimore’s 92Q. “Specifically in Chicago. And I don’t speak this about any other city because I’m not from there. But, like, my family lives in Chicago. So my nephews, my cousins, my friends and my peoples, they all in those hoods that he represents. When you drive through Chicago…The hoodlums, the gangsters, and the ones you see killing each other. And the murder rate in Chicago is skyrocketing and you see who’s doing it and perpetrating it, they all look like Chief Keef.”

Rappers of this ilk will cite that the parents should be more responsible for their children. Even more nostalgic, the excuse that their CDs come with a parental advisory sticker. That was relevant in the ’90s and early 2000s when kids still visited record stores for the latest Tuesday release. Spotify music streaming service states on their ‘Year in Music’ statistical release that over 28.5 million songs were listened to in 2015 alone. Nothing on the Spotify app or website stops anyone under 18 from clicking the play button on any music. Even if it did, how many children under 18 are asking Mom for permission?

Think for a second. Why aren’t rappers shifting their lyrics to match their lifestyle? Some would say they have. Others, not so much in today’s music world. We mourn over the numerous killings in Chicago, Cleveland, St Louis, Camden, Baltimore and so on. Many of those cities happen to be poor and under-educated compared to suburban areas where crime is often less prevalent. I believe violent rap lyrics conflated with lack of economic and educational opportunities is a dynamite stick four minutes, three hooks, and a few 16s at a time.

I question the real love for the hood many of these artists speak so emotionally about. As a writer and creator myself, I would feel the utmost guilt for even thinking my words could have been an ingredient in the loss of life to anyone. Many of the lyrics today are empty yelps of bravado, luxurious living and who has the thickest chick with them. I recall seeing an image of Jeezy standing by his son after he graduated high school. There was Jeezy in a suit smiling next to his son who graduated from Riverwood Academy. A school that offers studies in several languages including Japanese and Mandarin Chinese while being ranked #1 in the State of Georgia. Jeezy’s son went to a great school that was balanced in curriculum and population. Those opportunities will help propel him onward for years. Unfortunately for many children who grew up like Jeezy, their dreams will live and die on the tracks of his songs.

“Real ni**as to the front b*tch ni**as to the rear

Snuck it in wit me barrel like a bottle Belvedere

Screamin thug life nigga rich ni**a thugged out

I will show nosey ass ni**a what these slugs bout”

-Jeezy, “God in These Streets”

So many children become riddled in the cycles of poverty that making it up and out isn’t even reality. Why is it so bad to push Jeezy to utilize his platform to send a message of hope not masked in dope? Forget Jeezy, what about Rick Ross, Lil’ Wayne, T.I. Future, Gucci Mane or Bobby Shmurda. As a fan of their creative genius, we deserve more from these men.

Rap has softened since the mid-’90s. Songs of personal reflection, social justice and empowerment have risen to the forefront. Hip-hop is still known for its party anthems and lyrical acrobatics.

What has changed and risen as of late is the perception of prescription drugs. Wale said this on Power 105.1 “The Breakfast Club” this past year, “we’ve turned from drug-dealer rap to drug addict rap.”

For many years weed was the acceptable drug of choice for many artists. Then talk of selling cocaine, heroin or crack became the norm in the haughty language of glorified drug dealing. Things began to shift as artists started to use over-the-counter prescription medicine to fulfill their high. According to Houston-based author Lance Scott Walker, purple drank developed around the 1960s when “blues musicians would take Robitussin and cut it with beer.” Eventually, the late DJ Screw made the usage of Codeine and promethazine famous in Houston. Chopped and Screwed music was a take on the mental slowing effects of the drug. The early 2000s saw the nationwide launch of Purple Drank brought to you by Three 6 Mafia.

In recent years, many artists brag on the use of purple drank, or as it’s referred to by Future, Dirty Sprite. Packaging a drug into a common household beverage is irresponsible. Yes, the album by Future was stellar according to fan reviews. Yes, the music made the subwoofer rattle and girls dance in the club. But at what cost?

Sources from TMZ says those close to Weezy “tell us he started sippin the sizzurp a few months ago and hasn’t even been hiding it by flashing his double cup. He’s rarely been photographed without one in recent weeks … even last week in Dubai where there’s zero tolerance for the stuff. We’re told Wayne’s not worried about his health — it’s never been back to 100 since he OD’d on lean and suffered several seizures, and as our source puts it, Wayne gives “zero f***s.”

James 1:8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Aside from its religious connotations, are we a double-minded community? Mourning, crying, praying and weeping over senseless killings, drug overdoses and lack of upward mobility halt true joy in the inner city.

Can you imagine how many children Google “Dirty Sprite” because they overheard their cousin playing it on a Saturday afternoon? Curious to look up its contents on Google and just like that they have a cocktail with their death certificate ready to be signed? No longer can we afford to say black lives matter yet support murder rap. It’s a choice by the record companies owned by corporate suits who could care less about your community. Murder rap is a choice as poisonous to the mind as the water in Flint, MI. Murder rap is a lyrical bullet blasted at decibels high enough to shoot down an innocent young man based on perception. We are who they think we are. Perception, when lacking the proper scientific context, can be deadly.

The Washington Post stated that, “Although black men make up only 6 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 40 percent of the unarmed men shot to death by police this year.” They continued in stating “a hugely disproportionate number — 3 in 5 — of those killed after exhibiting less threatening behavior were black or Hispanic.”

I recall arresting a man years ago and bringing him into a local precinct. I was guiding the guilty party forward to booking as he wore handcuffs, One of the white officers said, “I thought you were the suspect too.” The dangers of perception and how we are portrayed in the media leaves the innocent at risk. Young black men are mimicking the imagery and language heard on wax to seek self-esteem. Our communities need our millionaire black men to stand up. You have sat down in Bentleys and Gulf Stream Jets long enough. Turn the tide and shift the culture.

“Cops killing people with they arms up.” – Drake

You cannot mobilize the same people you are hurting. Your money and donations will never speak as loudly as your positive presence. Musician, you send a shockwave through the media when your music backs up your wittiness. Ask Killer Mike, Taleb Kweli, John Legend and others who are often asked to give their in-depth analysis on social justice issues. You lack the credibility to impact real change. Because your lyrics scream of snatching chains and lives in a matter of seconds. Do you genuinely want to see someone with their brains on the cement? Do you honestly live a lifestyle robbing people even though you are touring? Are you still moving packs and kilos after you performed at the Grammys? Who are you going to be? A sellout for a former slave owner on a dollar bill? Or a liberator with the microphone and platform to move the nation?

“We are much more, but still they choose to ignore” – Nas

A handful of rappers can say they touched a million dollars. But even worse, not many rappers can say they impacted the spirits of millions of human beings without selling them death 16 tracks at a time.

Yes, rap has had many positive moments. Big Sean recently opening a studio in his old Detroit high school. Dr. Dre and record executive Jimmy Iovine touched the University of Southern California with a donation of $70 million dollars for the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation. Game has the Robin Hood Project and is well-known for his philanthropy, even offering $10,000 to Kanye West to quell his personal debt woes. 50 Cent plans to feed one billion African people through proceeds from his Street Kings energy drinks.

J.Cole even recently purchased his childhood home, which he will use to help mothers in transition between permanent housing with shelter. J Cole said “The idea is that it’s a single mother with multiple kids and she’s coming from a place where all her kids is sharing a room. She might have two, three kids; they’re sharing a room. She gets to come here rent free. I want her kids to feel how I felt when we got to the house.”

Hip-hop is a form of entertainment. Oscar Wilde said it best, “Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life.” Hip-hop isn’t a Jason Bourne movie where inner-city kids are jumping from helicopters after watching the thrilling film. Hip-hop is meant to portray how the artist views the world. Those observations in the hands of young minds and those unwilling to explore the depths of consciousness can be dangerous. The interpretation of lyric and context means the difference between life and death.

Slavery and the perpetual covert racism exemplified in this country are evident. Every day, many in the black community make less money at their jobs, live in less tax-funded neighborhoods and must endure far more crime than any other community. We are the first chapter in the book of strength and healing if there ever was one.

Poorly-written rap lyrics are not the overall cause of our issues. But if running a mile or two once a week could slow down your heart disease wouldn’t you do it? We can slow down the cries of our mothers, temper the anguish of our churches having to bury another of our youths, and ease the burden on the public school systems.

It is time to STOP. Stop buying what is killing us — which includes bad music, party pills and processed food. Stop selling what is killing the people who look like you. Can we agree that we don’t need to grieve long for the end of murder rap? Can we agree that Black Lives Matter?

What do you think about the state of hip-hop? Let us know in the comments below!

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