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Gucci Mane needs help, not contempt

Saturday, November 7, 2009

(Updated 3:00 am)

Counterpoint:

By Kenneth Muhammad

I have a young man whom I have raised since he was 6 months old. His father wanted him aborted. His mother did not.

I fell in love with his mother and stepped in as the so-called stepfather and assumed all the responsibilities of a father.

This young man is now 16 years old and a straight-A student. He is on his way toward an academic scholarship.

What I am about to tell you next may perplex you. He listens to Gucci Mane, Dip set, Li’l Wayne and others. He plays the violent video games — no different from most, but he has been taught about who he is.

The Bible says, “How can he have a teacher except he be sent?” Neither Gucci Mane nor Bhilial had fathers in their lives to teach or guide them. While it is easy to place the blame on Gucci — and I am not condoning what he does — the people of higher learning at N.C. A&T should have stepped in and offered the brother guidance. If you are going to blame someone, place the blame on Sony’s Arista Records, for they are the vampires who lurk in the dark and who fatten their pockets and live a lifestyle of luxury at the expense of our children.

The Apostle Paul says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

They must be driven out into the sunlight. We all have to accept the responsibility to rebuild our communities and the wasted cities in America. The subculture of rap exists on the campus of universities even without having the rap artists there. The baggy jeans, provocatively dressed students and gangs will all remain until you kill the mindset that desires these things.

Without a proper education and knowledge of self, nothing will change. Telling young children and adolescents that the adults are going to ban performers like Gucci Mane will only make him more popular, even a martyr.

Black men must step up and become fathers to their children. The church must step up the message. Everybody has a role to play in helping to make our communities better.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

What do you think?

14 comment(s)

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Slaan

November 7, 2009 - 3:35 am EST

What I read:

Took over as parent for a nearly aborted child..

...lots of references that I don't get...

... Black fathers need to step up.

Anyone else slightly confused by this LTTE?

J.M.W.

November 7, 2009 - 9:49 am EST

"Black men must step up and become fathers to their children." They're doing a great job on the fertilization part, but again, in order for their "womens" to get section 8 status and other perks, it's best they remain parked behind the house. Fatherhood? They barely work enough to be able to keep beer and cigarettes in the house; diapers and sobriety exceeding their capacity to nurture.

danagain

November 7, 2009 - 9:53 am EST

While this does occur you overgeneralize the entire black population. I know black families that have working fathers present in the home.

J.M.W.

November 7, 2009 - 10:11 am EST

Damn, I apologize. Where are these people? Is there a long line to see them?

wctbl?

November 7, 2009 - 11:28 am EST

Ass!

Yvonne

November 7, 2009 - 6:57 am EST

What I got was, don't blame a grown man, in this case Gucci Mane, for behaving badly and promoting bad behavior in his lyrics, because there was no father figure in his life. Also, that "Blame the sin, not the sinner" cliche that covers a whole array of things. Sorry, but Gucci Mane IS a grown man and responsible for himself. He chooses to do the things he does. Therefore, no one else is to blame for his choices. If he were a child, I might feel differently. But he left that stage and moved into adulthood. There are many worse catastrophes that a child can experience than not having a dad. I am not undermining the importance of having a dad, only that that is no excuse for choosing to behave badly.

danagain

November 7, 2009 - 8:37 am EST

Hip hop hooray!!!! Yvonne and I totally agree on something. What I read was everything is the fault of eeeeeevvvvviiiillllll corporations, in this case Sony Arista Records;

"place the blame on Sony’s Arista Records, for they are the vampires who lurk in the dark and who fatten their pockets and live a lifestyle of luxury at the expense of our children."

Sorry dude, without Sony or some other record company Gucci Mane would be hip hopping at garage parties.

rahrah

November 7, 2009 - 5:03 pm EST

Possible, Dan, but without Sony Arista he wouldn't be making bank 'hip hopping' and his inspirational music would be without the range to reach millions of young people. Sony Arista allows the culture to propagate and become 'cool,' but I guess that's just capitalism, right?

danagain

November 7, 2009 - 8:08 pm EST

Yes it is rahrah. I don't like the lyrics of some rap songs but don't support banning it either. Sony Arista and others are looking for ways to make money.

rahrah

November 8, 2009 - 12:36 am EST

I don't support banning it either, but Sony is partially to blame for propagating the culture. I mean, Gucci's just trying to make a buck too....

swerdna

November 7, 2009 - 7:46 am EST

What I see here is nothing but excuses. There are virtually no consequences for poor decisions or bad behavior but rather a transfer of blame to someone or something else, and "it's not my fault" or "it's not his fault" resounds.

There are people who have had a much tougher life than this clown (i.e. Mane) and have gone on to become model citizens because they WANTED to.

neocon

November 7, 2009 - 8:16 am EST

After several trillion dollars in wealth transfer we finally get to see the end product: Gucci Mane and lil Wayne.

Thanks, FDR. (honorable mention to LBJ, of course!)

ghost from white oak

November 7, 2009 - 8:48 am EST

" Black men must step up and become fathers to their children. The church must step up the message. Everybody has a role to play in helping to make our communities better."

While I agree with all of this, I can't help but feel you left out one very important part of the total picture.
You did not mention the message these young black ( and some white ) children have drilled into their head from an early age. It being " you are not quite good enough, you are not quite smart enough". So therefore, we as the liberal left must pass laws to help you . We will help you in school , we will help you find jobs, we will pay you not to work, we will buy you food and etc. We do this all out of the kindness of our heart, all we ask is that you keep voting us in power, "so we can do more for you.

Conundrum

November 7, 2009 - 9:16 am EST

Mr. Muhammad writes an interesting letter, but, it is conflicting at times. "The baggy jeans, provocatively dressed students and gangs will all remain until you kill the mindset that desires..."

Baggy jeans didn't get their start in rap music. From what I've read, baggy jeans were co-opted from the look that prisoners sent out. And it is unfair to associate baggy jeans with anything negative. There was a recent incident in Chicago that involved African American students from Washington Univ. in St. Louis. They were turned away from a bar because of their baggy jeans, while their white classmates who wore baggy jeans were admitted. The story made national news. Morehouse College just established a more stringent dress code for their students. But, don't overlook the fact that most of these Morehouse students will go onto graduate and professional school. When I went to college in the early 80s, students from NY, which was rap’s epicenter, wore ironed and permanently creased Lees. They had gold chains, wore Kangols and Adidas athletic wear. Fast forward almost 30 years and those who listen to rap dress differently. Things change, nothing remains stagnant.

It is unfair to associate gangs with rap music. Gangs existed long in this country before the first rap album was ever put out. Yes, there are some gangs that gravitate toward rap music because of the misguided lyrics that glorify drugs and violence. But, a lot of rap's message is puffed up. Tupac Shakur and Kanye West are both from middle class homes and they never sold drugs or shot anyone. Rap artists give their listeners what they want and today's listeners do not want some saccharin rap music that led to MC Hammer's demise.

It's easy to pick on rap music. George Jones recently did it. At one point in music's history, R&B was supposedly going to corrupt all teenagers and lead to this country's end. Mr. Muhammad made an important point in the early part of his letter. I imagine that Mr. Muhammad and his wife talk to their son about what they expect from him. I would imagine that they also tell him what type of man they expect him to be. All of the rap music in the world won't corrupt a young man who knows that he is loved and appreciated by his parents.