T.I Names Game, Jeezy, and Killer Mike as Some of The Realest He Knows

Last week, during his The Breakfast Club interview on Power 105.1 radio, T.I was asked about he and Game's standoff of the LAPD outside a club in LA a couple of weeks ago. The footage had leaked online, which showed T.I, Game, and their entourage in a heated argument with Los Angeles police men, who had guns pointed at them. In speaking on that incidence, T.I named Game, Jeezy, and Killer Mike as some of the realest gangstas he knows. 

"I love my homie men! Game be my partna men! You know what I mean? And for real...I...It's not many people...Game, Jeezy, Killer Mike...Men! It's not many people...Like I stood next to in the face of that level of adversity, had guns on me, and they're still standing there. Most cats, when the guns come out, everybody is every man for himself. You nah mean?"

Hmm! Interesting. 

Charlamagne Says Gangsters Will Eventually End up in Prison

There is this fascination most hip hop listeners have with gangsters, trapsters, and rappers that claim to be about that life. These listeners call the gangsters the REAL rappers, and they call the rappers like Wale and Drake (that live normal lives), fake rappers. Popular Radio personality, Charlamagne Tha God spoke on this recently. He says there are consequences for all actions, and as long as a rapper wants to be a gangster, and be about that street life, he would eventually end up behind bars. 




He was actually being interviewed on VLad TV, and was asked what he felt about Gucci Mane being back in Prison till 2016, and he said...

“When you about that life, that’s what happens. You end up in jail or dead. I don’t care if you rapping. I don’t care if you trapping. I don’t care what you doing. If that’s the life you choose to lead, it’s eventually gonna catch up to you. I don’t understand why brothers can’t understand the fact, or even just accept the fact, you can still be a man without having to commit crimes. That actually is a problem. Everybody wants to be a goon, thug, hood nigga, real nigga. Just be a man. Be a real man. It’s cool. Real men know how to move as real men. Real men won’t allow themselves to be disrespected. Real men aren’t punks. But when you wanna do that goon, thug shit: pop pills, drink lean, ride around with guns, all that other shit knowing that you ain’t supposed to be moving like this—especially if you’re on probation—this is what happens. These are the consequences of your actions. Don’t feel sorry for him, at all. Hate to see brothers go to jail on any level unless they really doing some serious shit. But he caused that on himself."

Isn't this so true? I keep wondering why rap listeners are so fascinated with people that claim to be killers, and drug dealers. Why are you so thrilled about 40 year old men snatching each other's chains and posting it on social media? Does a rapper have to be a goon, or a gangster banger to be considered dope? I just don't understand. I guess I am getting old. I have listened to Hip Hop since the early 90s, and I witnessed the transition, from then to now. I don't know where people got stuck on the idea that you have to be about that street life to be respected. 

Should Listeners Be More Concerned About The Artist Than The Art: Rapper Or The His Music?

I go through a lot of blogs, forums, and hip hop websites online, and I have found out that more people are concerned about which rapper is real, or gangsta, instead of the music the rapper is actually making. Should listeners be more concerned about the artist than the art? Should listeners be more concerned about the rapper's personal lifestyle or the the quality of music the rapper makes?





R.Kelly had his whole child molestation/sex scandal case, but no one can deny the fact that Mr.Robert Kelly really is the "R" in R&B. Michael Jackson has been dead 3 years now, but the music he made in the 70s still sound fresh like they were produced yesterday. Personally, I think Michael Jackson is the greatest musician of this time, and I'm sure a lot of people would agree with me. But, we all know M.J was in and out of court half his life, on issues that had to do with his personal life.





What am I saying? We recognised the genius in the people I mentioned above, and enjoyed the quality of music they gave the world, even though they lived lifestyles that didn't fit with the norms of the society. But, when it comes to the genre of rap music, the case is different. People tend to be more concerned about which set one rapper is repping, or his jail records. Sometimes, the listeners judge a rap album on a rapper's net-worth, or on how many copies he sold, rather than the quality of the music the rapper is making. I guess this is a strong case with rap because rap has an element of braggadocios in it...a very strong one at that.





Personally, I see rapping as an art form...wordplay, story telling, flow, and I don't really care whether a rapper was a Correctional Officer (not a police office) for a year and the half when he was in his late teens. I don't care even if he didn't want to associate that with his current status. It is all showbiz and he has an image to protect. All I care about is if he is being highly artistic with his rap form. That's all I care about.





A lot of people see Tupac as the epitome of gangsterism in hip hop, but he never was in a gang. I do agree on the fact that Tupac was a very outspoken person, and was very aggressive (back then), but he wasn't a gangbanger the way people were led to imagine. He went to art school with Jada Pinkett Smith, complete with all the art dance classes and all. He was once a back-up dancer for Digital Underground. Since his late teens, he had been in the entertainment industry, so when did he live the gangsta life? Personally, I think Pac went out and lived the life of the characters he became in the early movies he was in (like Juice), and he also lived the life he rapped about...after he wrote them. Don't get me wrong, Tupac was super talented, i'm just trying to make a point here. Most of his life, his hustle was based on selling his skills, and not crack-cocaine.

I think people need to let go of the whole "tough-guy" image in rap, and just make that music. Thank God for great rappers like Eminem, Talib Kweli, Kendrick Lamar, who are judged solely on skill and not on whether or not they have a passed history with the streets.