Hip-hop mogul JAY-Z hates hearing how his rap contemporaries “keep it hood”, because he’s convinced no one would voluntarily return to their poverty-stricken past in the streets.
The Big Pimpin’ hitmaker, real name Shawn Carter, is often criticised himself for living the high life and failing to keep in touch with his roots - the deprived Bedford-Stuyvesant district of Brooklyn, New York.
But he is unfazed by the remarks, because he is adamant no rap star would give up the luxuries fame has afforded them to go back to living in the ghetto.
He says, “I think it’s more important for me to be in touch with who I am than in touch with the streets, per se. Being in touch with the streets, keeping it real, that’s become a lie and a cliche.
“I’m not hanging on the corner in the Bed-Stuy. I hate it when rappers say, ‘I’m keeping it hood.’ I’m like, ‘Why? What do you mean? No one’s there by choice! You’re in the hood, by choice?!’”
Jay is absolutely right. I get sick and tired of people who continue to act like there is a sense of loyalty to the hood. When i was growing up, I was taught that when you live in the ghetto, the goal is to work hard enough to get out of the ghetto. Why would you be worth 30 million and still want to live in a measly apartment in Brooklyn? It makes no sense to me. If people want to consider you a sell out, that attitude is on them. You think Jay and 50 worry about what people in the hood are saying about them?
No comments:
Post a Comment