America: Land of the Free, Home of the Slaves, and birthplace of mainstream corruption. Throughout the pages of history, the United States has allowed evil to be manipulated and mass-produced in one form or another. From gambling to prohibition to Reaganomics, there have always been ways to finagle public perception into believing that what is bad for us; isn’t really that bad at all.
So, why can’t the same be said for Hip-Hop? The death toll is already high given that we’re halfway through the year. From the loss of T.I.’s personal assistant and best friend, Philant Johnson to the weird circumstances around Proof’s death, and others, it is a remarkably sad trend that is occurring in Hip-Hop; a trend that should have ended once Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace were laid to rest. But with Obie Trice, Beanie Sigel, Slick Pulla and others being shot at the question remains: What can be done to change the climate?
If we follow what the government does, then the answer would be simple: Legalize beef.
Think about it. If there were rules, regulations, and restrictions that would reign over “beef” – the violence could be curtailed, right? What would the rules be?
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Of course, gunplay would be a non-factor. It would be illegal. The major proponent of beef or even in the case of accidental deaths is the fact that grown ass men still either live the street life mentally or are locked into believing that that’s all they can own up to because they’re a rapper… forced to keep it real. When emcees battled on wax, they didn’t have to look over their shoulder for a crazed fan or a hyped up weed carrier to bust their guns for the sake of a reputation. Or would it be a preservation of their album sales? Either way, with this rule in place, it would limit the knucklehead factor.
The next one would be a rule of conduct. If beef got too heavy, then the rappers would have to settle it in one of two ways; a one-on-one boxing match or a team wrestling match. Now realistically, you would never see T.I. hopping off the top turnbuckle to land an elbow-drop on Lil’ Flip because P$C has beef with the Clover G’s. But, it’s all hypothetical.
Allowing the rappers to have a referee enforced melee would be entertaining to the fans and media who hype it up on online blogs and magazines, as well as it’d allow the emcees (and weed carriers) to be able to maintain their street credibility. Could you see the next Smack DVD filmed in a dirty alleyway where Maino goes one-on-one versus Lil’ Cease? Oh, wait… that already happened? This would benefit everyone involved and no one loses their life.
The marketing potential would be limitless. It could provide a whole new avenue for Hip-Hop and it’s ever-expanding business. If you thought playing Def Jam Vendetta was the shit, then how about going to Shea Stadium to see 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo of G-Unit versus any and all comers… in a cage! Since most rap beef is compared to the WWE anyway, it’d be a new niché in a culture where album sales are sluggish and Internet downloading is rampant.
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The dream matches would make history like no other form of entertainment.Joe Budden versus Jay-Z or Ma$e, Loon, and Fabby in a 2-on-1 match for a title created by the fans – matches like that would allow the fans to be a part of the action made public by the emcees themselves. Now, with every good idea there are drawbacks (see: capitalism). The Russell Simmons’, Puffy’s, and Master P’s whose business “acumen” would see the money that they’d make if they were in charge of it would try to whore the idea for themselves. Which would destroy the idea. I mean, let’s face it – how many of us have wanted to knock either of these wacktastical clowns the hell out?!
Another drawback would be — What can the industry do with a broken rapper?LL Cool J would be less marketable if the man had a broken nose and a fractured eye socket from getting beat by Lil’ Fame from M.O.P.. You’d have to keep Lil’ Kim away from any sharp objects. Who knows what that child learned while being in “prison”. But I’d have to say one of the highlights in all of this would be the women fighting. I mean ask much as you’ve heard Foxy, E-V-E, and the Queen Bee throw verbal barbs at one another, wouldn’t you at least buy a ticket to see who had the illest clothesline to go with their punchlines?!
All in all, this would show who was the genuine, real deal talk of the streets. Save all of that thug posturing for the mirror, son! If beef was legalized and had rules, regulations and restrictions – it could change the landscape of the music as a whole. I mean could you believe all of that gun talk from MC Shoot-and-Kill if they lost a boxing match to Flavor Flav? It would highly emphasize the “keep it real” mantra after that, wouldn’t it?
But it’s all a dream.
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The reality is that we’ve lost a lot of lives and haven’t even solved the murders of those in the past. Where are the ones who took B.I.G., Tupac, and Jam Master Jay from us and from their families? Why aren’t they in cuffs? As the year continues to progress onward towards 2007, not only should the thoughts and prayers be in the minds of all those who have lost someone due to unnecessary violence, it should also be had for self.
As we’ve seen over the years, the government holds a lot of sway when it comes to policy, morale, and public opinion. Casinos, alcohol, and narcotics have, in one fashion or another, become a part of the American lifestyle, even though they all have ties to illegal entities. With the allowance of mainstream media and the government, Hip-Hop has become a world-wide phenomenon, influencing everyone to hop aboard its bandwagon, reinforcing stereotypes all over the globe. Because the United States has allowed some form of evil to be manipulated and mass-produced. As more and more deaths are recorded in the press and talked about on websites, it is already past due for an adjustment with how we, the Hip-Hop community, carry ourselves. At what point do profits overshadow purpose? A lot of purposeful people are being laid to rest for acts done on purpose.
The responsibility to maintain our culture falls on our shoulders, because who’s to say that it can’t happen to you?
