Tags
African American men, ATL, Blackness, Family Hustle, hip hop, rap, reality tv, T.I., vh1
At 25, I had a banging body! My skinny self and my woman self finally caught up with each other! In a nutshell…I LOOKED GOOD!!! It was the 90’s, spandex was in, and women wearing catsuits to the club was the look: some wore it well; some…”ain’t got no friends!” (Sorry about the poor vernacular, but another description would have cheated you out of the illustration, LOL!) Basically, even with the best body I had finally acquired (6 pack and all) there comes a time where you have to refrain from buying and wearing certain types of clothing. You grow up and realize that you can look sexy without letting it all hang out for the world to see. So what does my tight, curvaceous 25 year old body have to do with my over 45 comments on T.I.?
I watch T.I.’s reality series T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle
. I love his interaction with his wife and children; his family and friends. With all his struggles he seemingly has come out on top. His acting career is burgeoning. His clothing line is growing. He has gotten it together. However like many artists T.I. is challenged in one area: rapping about streets at 32. I saw his short film entitled “Trap Back Jumpin’ ” where he is recounting a story about hustling in the Bankhead section of Atlanta. His grandfather’s house is used in the short film as a backdrop; even his grandfather gets a small speaking role. Essentially there’s something strange about a mature father and husband jumping around with the boys in the hood celebrating street life – way after he has arrived.
In other words there comes a time when boys have to put up there toys – T.I.’s character Rashad in the movie “ATL” does this poignantly at the movie’s end. I believe this is the rub. The so-called Black community catches utter hell for moving forward. More than once, whether verbatim or figuratively “don’t forget where you came from” is the hollowed statement that has African American children fearful of doing well in school as to not be accused of “acting White.” Ever hear the phrase “one foot in the streets and one foot in the suburbs?” This is the crossroad where T.I. stands. Though the persona sells units, they’ll come a time where 35…40…will be upon him. I am hopeful his acting career will soar. But in the meantime I guess the trap house has him locked. I just pray he doesn’t get caught up.
drspoonceo.wordpress.com 
I totally agree with your assessment…although he’s not the only one. Seemingly there are rappers who have made the transition. It is called finding yourself (internally), and being present to new possibilities.
Great blog!
Thank you! There are so many others – but he is truly talented and has so much more to offer.
Jay – Z said this in one of his songs a ways back:
I dumb down for my audience and double my dollars
They criticize me for it yet they all yell, “Holla”
If skills sold, truth be told, I’d probably be lyricly Talib Kweli
Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common Sense
But I did five mil, I ain’t been rhymin’ like common since
The truth is that the rhyming about drugs, money, and sex. Unfortunately, that’s what a lot of folks have been “conditioned” to like. At the end of the day, these guys are businessmen that want to sell records. It’s much easier to stay in the same lane and continue to make money than to change up to do something different. I think guys like Jay Z and a few others have changed their rap lyrics, but only after they made their dollars off of the other dirt 1st.