It seems to be a more growing trend to be "ghetto" dress with baggy clothes slang and unintelligent talking...But why? Any real person from the ghetto, a poor family a drug environment knows that isnt "cool" it isnt "dope" and frankly its fucking retarded to want to emulate anything near that type of lifestyle.
Unfortunatly Rap music seems to be the main reason these children/people want to act that way. Hip-hop is great i think, that culture is alright, except more and more youth want to be involved in that culture see people like 50 cent, ja rule, past greats like pac and biggy adn start running around wereing rocka wear shady wear shit like that want to be gangsta.. Thats fuckign sad and very pithedic, ive come from that lifestyle, ive had the life of poor as fuck no where to live, feelings unloved, delt drugs, been addicted. commits fucked up acts fucked up crimes, held guns, scraped, gotten use to being able to sleep with helocopters above ya head. had my neighbors taken out with a shotgun blast tothe chest, both parents murdered due to the lifestyle they chose and because god felt it was there time....
I think its sad when i see little 15 yearold kids(even older than that and younger than that) trying to imulate that lifestyle.. Ive lived it , you dont want it..

I also think that the way you rap does have to do with your lifestlye, it shows a since of realism adding and using the anger aggresion you have built up over the years (eminem is a great example). Take Jay-z yeah he raps bout his chains, and ish every now an then.. thats because when he was coming up thats what he wanted.. but he isnt there anymore, now he just wants more it seems, godda label, clothing, dating a R&B star..

greed... Then you have eminem, who was raised like shit, was into the fame at first, now every picture you see snaped of him does it fucking look like hes happy? does his music seem that way? naw, he took that route because he want to take care of his family and because he loved it (the music)..

For all you people trying to be gangsta.. doing stupid shit, forcing that lifestyle on your self just quit...Its not worth it, and worse even. your forcing yourselves to be somthing your not... regaurdless of what you think, if you CAME from that lifestyle.. if you were raised like that then you have my empathy as well as my sympathy.. for those of yu with loving parents, that were never raised on the street or near that life style.. drop the fucking act and get your ass in school.. getta job, and get in real life.

Look at the backgrounds of your favorite artist.. then tell me if you really want to live that shit, good along with bad...

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Eminem looks like that to keep the 'fuck the world' appeal so they'll buy his albums

Wow...very insightful and im sorry to hear about your folks

People follow the trends that they see...and because 50 and ja get exposure people will be like them..take nirvana..before kurt cobain killed rock and roll everyone was wearing leather pants, smoking an fucking...kurt started screaming...now kids were like 'my life sucks!'

so as long as the image that is portrayed is stupid, then the flock of sheep will be stupid

Whats sad is I've come across countless numbers of 12-16 year old females that think they are grown and think Lil Kim,Trina and Foxxy Brown are good role Models so they start to think they are grown and start having sex at an early age with older males and get caught up and end up worthless.

yeah it's sad

but people tryin to be ghetto is age old, not just cause hip hop came around

For the record, it is "pathetic" not "pithedic."

Anyways, you are basically preaching to the choir here. These people won't listen until they see it for themselves. I was actually in a diner the other day and these kids, I guess 15 and under group, walked in thugged out and acting like they are the shit. They started playing all of these ring tones loud as shit of their mainstream beats and sing a long to it. I counted their conversation for their short stay. 68 "Yo's" and 32 "Dog's."

It had to of been the most-unintelligant group I ahve ever seen. They had no idea what they were portaying. They had no idea what Hip-Hop was. They were followers. But they were gangstas, so they didn't care.

I think it's ok to accept and enjoy the culture and that includes the clothes... but every person and especially every emcee should just be true to where they came from...

im writin a set of verses about hustlin'.... to get grades... to get a job... to work 40 hours a week at both and still have time to look out for my fam...

that's the shit i came from and im prouder than any of ya highschool dropout, drug dealin thugs will ever be...

{Peace}

hip hop does not have a uniform!

I'm a white boy, and I don't consider myself to be "gangsta", nor do I try to make myself appear that way.

However, Hip Hop has had a huge influence on my life. It has given me a whole different outlook, and opened my eyes to alot of things that I never realized.

I don't dress gangster, I know my race, and I don't stray from the "whiteboy" stereotype and into the "wigger" territory. However, I DO rap, and I think my respect towards other cultures has gained ME respect, at least in my own community.

Me and my DJ do our things, and don't try to emulate anyone else.

the dressing is part of the culture, problem is people tend to think the 'i'mma gangsta' shit is part of the culture too, when the culture is being yourself.

Exactly.

True hiphop does not have a uniform, however, look at the image that is portrayed by hiphop.. the common bonds each artist (namely mainstream) presents to the nations, are youth, one another.. the objectificaion of wemon is just wrong. the presentation of guns, gangsta and constant hussle ARE somthing that these kids and people become inrolled in and start actting out with.

THen you get to a point were thirteen year olds are carrying, fifteen year olds are addicted, everyone becomes self indulged with no real meaning of life other than to fuck "get dough" and "hold it down" when in all reality they are ona front.. there NOT holding down SHIT... and there just trying to be some one else.. be somthign there not.

I see tons of these kids.. i know kids like this.. i see these kids on RB everyday, yea there newbies true but havent yall ever notcied theres WAY to many " nigga ima cap you, grab ya bitch slap her to, dont make me fuckin stab you" coming from younger and younger people? thats sad.. and were do you think they got that additude? what form the rich suburds were momy and daddy raised them around no voilence telivision? around there loving caring family... two point three children, mini sudan driving middle class family with no affiliation? living in a rich house compiared to the poppulation of were the fuck ever? I i feel bad for them..

And whats worse im trying to move past that imagine, alot of artist are, and these kids get caught up in that shit for some inate reason.. then they start a front and start dressing and doing the idoitic things that go along with that lifestyle..
whats worse they werent brought into that against there will.. they didnt have a choice, they chose to be there. Its really sad..

I cant see how some one who puts on a front like that walking around thinking there toughshit, greatest in the world gangsta when in reality they dont know shit about this world. will ever be anything other than fake untill they realise that.. i look at these artist in mainstream and i see people that accually lived they.. raised in that.. not decided to one day start being "ghetto"...

Im not saying using slang is a bad thing, or wearing baggy clothes makes you idoit.. im talking about those people who go overboard.. the ones that NEED to have that, everythign else sucks.. rocks gay, blah blah blah, fucking stupid shit like that.. peopel that dont realise SHIT in life, other than "hey look BET".

Its peopls like this that cant think for themselves.. get caught up in a lifstyle that will undoubtly ruin them and will never be real.


This a movement people...

"release the gangsta, be your fucking self"
- outcome

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im sorry but your PART of what im talking about to.. ignorence... it doesnt matter if your black, white,hispanic,asain what the fuck ever... You dont have to be black to rap.. you dont have to be white to were tommy hilfiger.. thats a racist sterotypes, thats promote uninteligent people.

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Preach OutCome Preach

And fuck an image, be yourself

Heres an idea of how it breaks down on RB:

The reason alot of new members get laughed at and the like is cause they act hard and blah blah blah... but if you take the time to look around at the older respected members you can see how they act and the like.. and its not eve age, cause KonCept (happy b-lated) just turned 16, average rb age, and he doesnt act 'hard' or the like... he just acts as himself.

So just be yourself, be comfortable in your own skin and fuck what others people opinions are of you

While id rather not name people, there are members on this site who arent even that much into rap music but still represent a better image than those of you who talk about guns knives sluts etc.