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At the press conference for the 2007 BET Awards, both 50 Cent and T.I. commented about the current state of hip-hop and their feelings about the roles of entertainers in shaping the lives of children. Watch the clips below (gotta have YouTube, but if you don't I will summarize below the break):

Now, to comment on both. 50 Cent makes a point when saying it is easy for a rapper in Master P's position - who is not considered to be on the cutting edge of music present day - to make a decision to not use certain types of lyrical content, when he does not have to worry about selling records while 50 clearly still has a point to prove as an artist.

T.I. also makes an excellent point about how important it is for parents to raise children, not rappers, actors, musicians, or teachers, for that matter. We have to help our children to understand and comprehend the world we live in. If we leave it to others, it can be likened to leaving your baby in the car with a stranger. Parents, let's not let the WORLD raise our children!

However, it also is important to note something that I feel is missing in our dialogue: understanding the power of WORDS. Words have power, and this power must be understood. They can hurt, kill or empower and enrich our lives. We must choose how we use the vocabulary we have to help ourselves and our people. I do not think the root of our current issues in society come down to "bitches," "ho's," and "niggas." These are merely symptoms of deeper-rooted issues of self-hatred in our own communities. But these words have power to destroy only because of how they are used, not because of the words themselves.

This is the reason I feel that 50 and T.I., like many mainstream popular rappers, are avoiding the responsibility that does rest on their shoulders. You are responsible for how you use the words you speak to our children and the population as a whole. T.I. clearly says in his remarks that he and other rappers rap about how they "used" to live. They no longer live this life and, when asked, say that they don't recommend that life for anyone, yet their music glorifies this type of living more times than it speaks against it. Can we be honest about that?

Talking about what you "used to do" to a cinematic beat complete with references to endless women, drugs and pleasures does little to denouce this type of lifestyle and I feel rappers will continue to have violence and conflict follow them as long as they continue to speak in a way that ultimately rides the fence on these type of lifestyle choices. How confusing is it to speak on how you miss the brother/sister/mother/father/friend you lost then on the very next track talk about how you will murder someone for crossing your path?

This is where I feel that responsibility comes in, because if I know my audience may NOT have parents who are actively involved in their children's lives, then it IS my responsibility to try to create content that will help our people to persue things that will not ultimately destroy them. If you are driving down the street, and see a very young child wandering on the road by his/herself who is obviously lost would you leave him/her be and assume that they have someone to make sure they make it safely to their destination? Or would you try to help the child get to where he/she is going? Is that a fair comparison?

Let's glorify success, which is not measured in how many cars you have, or how many wives/girlfriends you can take from their husbands/boyfriends, but measured in living a life that uplifts the people around you and being the best you can at what you do. If we speak it, then it will BE, because we are children of God and have the same power that He has.

I hope that this post contributes something to this ongoing dialogue...

What do YOU think? Free free to email comments to b.smoke@brisonent.com and I will post them over the weekend or the top of next week!