Everybody Wanna Be a Nigga, but Nobody Wanna Be a Nigga

-By Jontae Grace

Paul Mooney said it best on Chappelle's show: "Everybody wants to be a nigga, but nobody wants to be a nigga."

I've been thinking about that a lot, and there's much truth behind that statement. Black People are the most imitated, copied, envied and admired people on Earth. Paradoxically, we are the most scrutinized, criticized, antagonized and oppressed people almost anywhere. Never in the media do you see a black man showcasing anything but his physical prowess. They say our music is destructive to the American moral fabric...WHAT MORAL FABRIC?!?

I will begin with Black music. Rap music is blamed for every societal problem except 9/11. And I'm sure if they could find a way to link 50 Cent with Osama, they'd do it. A little known fact about Black music: the reason why ALL forms of Black music (soul, funk, rock etc.) are so poignant is because they are born out of some of the worst conditions known to man. Blues, Jazz, Rock (yes, black people created rock, sorry.) were all a product of the best talents in black neighborhoods that never got a chance to do anything. Rap is no different: that is why the most potent forms of the music (what we call 'Gangsta Rap') are what keep the genre going when the mainstream teeny boppers get tired of Nelly. People always talk about how rap is nothing but, "Nigga, Nigga, Nigga..." and "Bitch, Bitch, Bitch." If you think that, then you aren't listening. Gangsta rappers talk about what is going on in their communities, and because the average American wasn't born into those conditions, they dismiss rap as a bunch of ignorant niggaz tryna get on the mic (of course, there are, unfortunately, a lot of ignorant niggaz just tryna get on the mic. but thats a whole 'nother blog). Our Gangsta rappers are probably the closest thing we have to MLK's and Malcolm X's today. Not only were they born into fucked up conditions, but they beat those odds, and they are telling you about it so you don't have to go through it, AND so you won't just turn your back and keep living your middle-class life. If there weren't rappers to show and tell you about the hood, would America pay attention to the slums? DO THEY PAY ATTENTION TO THE SLUMS NOW???

I have more to say about rap, but I need to move on in the interest of time. I want to back the magnifying glass up and look at black culture as a whole again. I want you to know how powerful we are, and how much influence we have on not only American popular culture, but global popular culture. There are Ukranian rap groups now. Rappers are doing songs with rock groups and genres totally unrelated to black America. Record labels that, twenty years ago were laughing at Ice Cube's demo tape, thinking that it would die out overnight, are now paying their children's tuition with dollars that Black rappers generated. We have infiltrated American culture to its very foundations, so much so that Paris Hilton is texting Snoop in the new Tmobile commercial. I say all of that to say this: we are trendsetters, innovators and collar poppers. Hold your head high Black man, know that you are the salt of the Earth, and you keep everythang seasoned. Realize, Black woman, that your nappy hair is not a curse but a blessing. There are white women all over the country at this very moment that are injecting harmful substances into their faces to have your lips. They are spending billions of dollars per year to lay under a knife, just to have your bosom, and your donk. Love yourself, and let your soul glow. I have SOO much more to say about this topic, so stay tuned for part 2.