Pretty Boy Swag???

Is it me or is the rap scene becoming unknowingly infatuated with suspect artist. I, myself am a die hard fan of southern, bass controlled, crunk music. I love hip-hop as a whole, being that it has always been a representation of my culture and that is my issue; I do not want metro-sexual/down-low rappers to be the face of my culture.

I embrace any and every one and firmly believe in the saying, “to each its own”, however hip hop is one of, if not the biggest genres globally. Hip-hop has always been spat at and called negative, but the message sent through such as “fight the power” gave me a sense of pride. Nowadays with artists like Kanye West and Drake and newcomers Justin Bieber and Soulja Boy with his pretty boy swag, it’s become hard to feel comfortable knowing that these are the men that our youth are idolizing.

Musically, each artist has a unique sound that has launched their careers to great heights; however, the imagery portrayed is what has been termed metro-sexual i.e. a man with gay tendencies. Now, I personally do not know any artist in the music industry but when a man claims that he has pretty boy swag, or gets hot and bothered when speaking of Lil’ Wayne, or runs on stage wearing shoulder pads to embark in a catfight with a scrawny teenager, then one’s eyebrows begin to rise. When you have songs titled, I’m a pretty bitch and I think I’m Paris Hilton, and you kiss a man fan’s hand during a concert(Lil’ B), then that’s when I think hip hop has taken a terrible turn.

Would I be upset with an openly gay rapper, no? Because then it would not be an image, but a way of life and who you are. I just have a hard time grasping the idea of a grown man who surrounds himself with a handful of women, follow fashion trends instead of being individuals, and has a diva like attitude being the men our younger generation admires.

Joshua Nelson sanelson23@gmail.com