Pioneer1

ProfD Obviously, I don't believe that. People are indoctrinated into religion. They are indoctrinated into a PARTICULAR religion, but I wonder if some people aren't just naturally inclined to be RELIGIOUS in nature. Meaning, they just need something or a set of rituals to believe in and practice to maintain their stability. I say this because there seems to be a correlation between the decrease in religion and the rise of substance abuse in most populations. You take away their religions and they feel the need to replace it with something. People wouldn't need hope if life was fair. What is your idea of "fair"? Not Neely Fuller Jr.'s idea....lol....but yours? In my opinion LIFE itself is fair, it's the people and conditions IN your life that often produce the problems. Human greed makes life harder for the masses. No doubt it often does..... However on the opposite end, laziness and the desire to try to get something for nothing also makes problems for people. Greed can be a powerful motivator. Greed influences some people to steal and cheat and take advantage of others. But greed also influences some people to work harder and smarter to secure all the resources they can accumulate. Power and control over people comes from the threat of violence and willingness to use it. As well as often times just being plain smarter and coming up with better ideas that many people recognize and are attracted to. Like Ice Cube said about Eazy E.... While Suge Knight used threats of violence to control people and maintain power, Eazy used charm and the "everybody can eat" mentality to gain influence over them. POTUS OJ isn't smarter than the Venezuelans. He's in a stronger position backed by the US military and other agencies. No, but the United States as a nation IS smarter and more technologically advanced than Venezuela and the Venezuelans. That's a fact. That's fine as long as the situation is mutually beneficial. Absolutely. I don't support abusing people. It happens...but I don't support it nor do I engage in it. I have African friends and associates that I have helped over the years with various things and over 90% of the exchanges were of mutual benefit. If they WERE one sided....me initially doing them a favor or them initially doing me a favor...they ALWAYS evolved into us helping eachother. By nature most moral and intelligent people don't want to abuse or negatively take advantage of others.

YES! This is a very very good subject for a very very good thread! 👏🏿 Keep up the good work Cyn....uh.....aka Contrarian!

This reminds me of what they did to Manuel Noriega in Panama some years back, and Aristide over in Haiti as well. Didn't even give them the respect of being treated like a President. Just flew in....took over the country....and arrested their leaders as if they were common criminals on the street. ProfD I'll never be in favor of colonialism or imperialism. People should be free. "Free"???? I think you and I already discussed this "free" business....lol. I believe every country has a right to exist in its own sovereignty Rights are granted by governments. Unless you consider NATO a government...I don't know of any government on this planet powerful enough to grant any country that right. They are all subject to being taken over by a stronger nation if they aren't strong enough to fight back or no other nation steps in to protect them.

ProfD White folks here in the US are on code and in agreement with these actions. That goes without saying...lol. The most interesting thing about capturing Maduro is POTUS OJ admitting the US will be running Venezuela and making a ton of money from their oil. That's real gangsta sh8t He's establishing a PRECEDENT. Bold, unapologetic American/Western hegemony. They used to hide it and cover it up, but they're using Trump to test the waters and see how the rest of the world reacts when they take the mask off and be bold and open with it. I'll be honest...... Being an American, I'm not necessarily against the United States openly taking over and dominating other countries if: -The violence and bloodshed is kept to a minimum - ALL Americans can receive benefits from this American brand of colonialism or imperialism. Again, my concern is him doing this to Black or African countries. He's already struck Nigeria...but didn't take it over. One dominant super power is probably better for global stability than 2 or 3.

ProfD It's easy to brainwash people who have to believe in something. They say that humans are hardwired to be religious or believe in religion. You have to condition yourself not to. I'm not even sure if you SHOULD. One of the strongest motivators is HOPE. The belief that things can possibly get getter. No. Dogs aren't brainwashed. They are powerless when it comes to humans. Right. I figured this was your answer but I didn't want to assume. The dog isn't ruled by humans from one generation to the next because he was brainwashed, but because the humans are simply smarter. It doesn't matter WHAT or WHICH generation you focus on.....you'll find humans running the show, lol. Same with population groups. Smart people ruled over foolish people in the past, they rule over them today, and they will rule over them in the future. The pattern repeats itself. Most people connect to their culture before they venture outside of it. True. But intelligent people aren't going to stay aboard a sinking ship. I'll rock with you as long as things are going in the right direction. As soon as you start talking crazy and sparking an old rusty lighter trying to light up a crack pipe...it's time for me to grab my hat and go, lol. I can't help your grandmother and Mine both come from the same small town in Georgia and make turkey dressing and banana pudding the same way. If you're smoking Crack now, your values and goals aren't lined up with mine. I'd rather get with Mtumbe from Nigeria and try to get something going with HIM over some joloff rice and catfish soup....lol.

Reminds me of that joke Richard Pryor used to tell about that one nigga everybody knows who gets drunk every weekend starting fights only to get his ass whooped....lol.

SOME Black people are gullible for the same reasons some people of other races are, namely low intelligence and wanting something for nothing. Most con artists work their schemes by playing on YOUR greed.

ProfD Religion has been brainwashing people for hundreds of years. True. However I'm focusing on the REASON why it's able to do so with SOME people and not with others. Why are some people more gullible than others. Dogs and humans aren't in the same species. They have evolved differently. I understand. So what's your answer to the question? Absolutely. That applies to people across the planet. Find common ground. Connect and build. And this almost goes without saying for most intelligent people who run into eachother. I think intelligent Black people regardless of culture or nationality should find and focus on eachother and leave the fools out of our circles. I think THAT will be a better and longer lasting solution than TRYING to unite with some dope smoking purple lipped fool who simple comes from the same "lineage" as you. That guy is an example of a goofy dude. No reason to waste that much energy only to be turned upside down. Now that particular dude is actually a pretty intelligent dude if you got to know him....lol. But like many AfroAmericans, he has a lot of prejudices against Africans and he's also a very pro-FBA oriented dude who listens to Tariq Nasheed religiously. But a couple of them African women have him wrapped around their little fingers now. AND he's married....lol. One of the African women told me he keeps trying to take her to Wal-Mart...lol.

ProfD No doubt a whole bunch of doctors, scientists, engoneers, lawyers, etc., were bumping that music during their college years.😁 Those same rap artists were performing at their school homecoming events & parties too. They say the biggest consumers of Gangsta Rap music actually are WHITE people...lol. I believe it. Although we (AfroAmericans) listen to it more and play it more, they actually pay more money into it as far as buying the records/cd's/albums and pay for concert tickets and spend money in other ways. But we listen to it for 2 different reasons. AfroAmericans listen to Gangsta Rap because many of them feel they can relate to the violence and criminality in the lyrics. Whites listen to Gangsta Rap because it fulfills their deep seated racist beliefs about Black people and RE-AFFIRMS their perceptions of Black immorality and criminality. We have no way of quantifying how many successful Black men were inspired by their music. Well..... Have you listened to or read an interview from a Black millionaire who said he or she was inspired by a Gangsta Rap song or Gangsta Rap in general? It has never been the responsibility of entertainers to provide solutions to social problems and/or clean up the environment. Everyone has a MORAL responsibility not to promote criminality and immorality. From the Entertainer to the butcher, baker, and candle stick maker....lol. Brotha Malcolm X even articulated that athletes and entertainers should not be viewed as leaders. He said that because too many of our Black athletes and entertainers WERE...lol. And still are, especially compared to other communities. Entertainers have more of an influence on the YOUTH than on already matured adults. Entertainers are no different from the media in reporting what they see and/or hear on the ground or make up stories. The media supposedly works with facts....I said SUPPOSEDLY, lol. Entertainers work with feelings and emotions. As you pointed out with are little friend Bushwick...he didn't REALLY go around robbing little kids for bags, lol. He made that up.

Just another glaring example of Constitutional hypocrisy. They say ONLY Congress can declare war but as was the case in Vietnam, Korea, Somalia and other examples including the recent action in Venezuela....clearly the President can go to war when he pleases. Ofcourse many will claim this isn't a war but a "police action" but that can be said about ANY military operation large or small. Any military aggression against another nation is a WAR....regardless of what you label it. But as long as it's not an African nation (Black African), AfroAmericans, or Afro Caribbean nation...it's not my major concern. Although I AM kinda curious as to what Russia's response will be. I thought they were supposed to be Venezuela's "ally".....lol.

ProfD Personally, I'm not necessarily against drug use as long as it's done RESPONSIBLY Like drinking alcohol....some people can handle it and some people can't. It's all about moderation. If you KNOW your eyes turn red and you start getting paranoid every time you smoke weed, then why do you keep on doing it?

ProfD Well, without Gangsta Rap, we would not have gotten masterpiece bangers: And how many Black men did this music inspire to be doctors or scientists? Besides J. Prince, how many Black men did the Geto Boys make millionaires or billionaires? From an intellectual perspective, I understand the argument folks try to make regarding music. I would hope so, because it makes sense....lol. Folks want to blame everything and everybody because people don't want to take personal responsibility for their actions. Does Bushwick Bill take responsibility for HIS actions when he goes Trick-or-Treatin' on the weekend? .....robbin' little kids for bags. Until the law man gets behind his ass??? I still contend that Gangsta Rap music is entertainment just like Hollywood movies. Which is why the governing body that regulates these things will rate certain movies "R". R = restricted. Not meant for little children to watch because it may be too graphic or influential to their young and growing minds. White folks have sense enough to protect THEIR youth from violent and disturbing images and messaging. N8gglets were doing the same dysfunctional sh8t before Gangsta Rap came along. Did Gangsta Rap offer a solution? Back in the 90s, Geto Boys said the world is a ghetto. What have they done to change it?

ProfD Our perspectives are shaped by the environment and conditions in which we were raised. I'm from a place that was once considered the murder capital of the world. Lol....Detroit was "murder capital" before D.C. Going as far back at the 70s. D.C. may have gotten the spotlight because it was the nation's capital but there were FAR more violent places than D.C. even back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. One of the reasons violence and crime has ALLEGEDLY gone down in places like Detroit and D.C. is because a lot of the poor sections have been gentrified and are now wealthy upper class enclaves. Especially in the areas downtown and right around downtown. Much of the 'hood has been moved to the suburbs. Again, the numbers suggest that murders and crimes in major Black cities have gone down compared to the past. That's probably because BLACKNESS (especially poor Black folks) in most major Black cities have gone down also. D.C., New Orleans, and St. Louis aren't the "chocolate cities" they used to be. They've been heavily gentrified. As I said before, it appears that much of the hood has left the inner city and spread to the suburbs. I'm not hearing that Gangsta Rap music is responsible for the murder, crime and degenerate and dysfunctional behavior that exists now And you're not GOING to hear that because most people who are engaged in ratchet behavior don't like taking accountability. They love pointing the finger at others and blaming everybody and everything EXCEPT for themselves. A weed head doesn't want to hear that smoking all of that weed is the cause of much of his problems; because that means he'll have to stop. "But why you tryna crash out on me? My smokin' herb ain't killin' nobody! What about them Somalians in Minnesota??? Crash out on them....shit." A Gangsta Rapper doesn't want to hear that his music is influencing young people to be violent and engage in crime; because that would me he has to take responsibility for the content of his music. It's about blaming everybody EXCEPT self.

ProfD Even if properly documented, the murder and crime rate in Jamaica is nothing compared to pick a major city in the USA. I haven't been to Jamaica to know if this is accurate or not. The USA is the most violent place on the planet. That is why we have more guns that all other countries combined I KNOW this isn't accurate...lol. Mexico is far more violent than the United States and I know that for a fact. I also believe Somalia and Afghanistan are far more violent. Just having weapons don't necessarily make people more violent. If you go to the average metropolitan area there usually are more weapons in the suburbs than in the city itself. But the city tends to be more violent because what weapons they have are USED more and used more indiscriminately. I believe the mental health issues here in the USA are caused several factors including: 1) mentally unstable people procreating 2) environment 3) chemicals in processed foods 4) chemicals sprayed in the air 5) medications 6) mind control programming through radio/TV/film/internet Yes, those are all major factors....ALSO. But the drugs...both legal and illegal (including alcohol) seem to be the biggest factor that causes mental problems in most people. Not only does it affect the minds of the people who use and abuse them but they seem to affect and damage the minds of those yet unborn when their parents abuse them.

ProfD When people have been brainwashed over several generations, it's harder for them to believe and/or accept they are being tricked. That made me think of Kanye's statement of 400 years of slavery being a "choice". It was an inappropriate statement, but it was still thought provoking none-the-less. ONE person in ONE lifetime can be brainwashed. But if an ENTIRE COMMUNITY all get on board with the same bullshit generation after generation, that speaks of a problem deeper than brainwashing in my opinion. Dogs and humans have lived together for THOUSANDS of years. Just about every relationship maintains the humans on top. We're the masters. Dogs are never in charge....regardless of generation. My question for you is: Do you think this is because the dogs were simply "brainwashed" over the generations? Getting to the point of FBA/AfroAmericans being able to work with Africans requires a great deal of reprogramming on both sides. The juice may not be worth the squeeze. I agree, and it's already happening on an individual level. I speak from both experience as well as observation. I'm not sure if programing or RE-programming is the issue as much as it's about INTELLIGENT PEOPLE FROM BOTH SIDES getting together for constructive purposes and ignoring the fools among us who keep shit stirred up. Because they'll eventually see the light and come snooping around anyway when they see we got shit poppin' Funny thing..... The same Black man at my job who USED TO complain about African women and talk about how ugly they were and how much they stanked and he didn't want to work around them, all it took was ONE of them to smile at him and say good morning a couple times and the nigga walked around all day with an erection. I'm talking about a LITERAL erection that was so strong you could see it through his pants....lol. He didn't even realize it until another brother pointed down at it and told him to stop playing before he get's fired....lol. You can't pay some of these clowns any attention. Keep in mind that Africans are tribal within their own countries. They can't get along with each other within the country But we can? Lol..... 2 niggas going to the SAME CHURCH will end up rolling around in the parking lot with eachother after Sunday Service....if you don't watch 'em. Greed and jealousy are universal human flaws. A person has to know how to deal with h8ters accordingly. Agreed. Which is why some of the smartest people don't let ethnicity or religious denomination influence who they do business with because they know much of it is superficial. You have intelligent and not so intelligent people in all races and ethnicities. The key is to rock with people you vibe with and on YOUR level (or level up) to get things accomplished.

From what I've heard Jamaica DOES have a pretty high violence and murder rate. It's just not as documented as in the United States In America if a man runs up in the house with a machete and kills a family it makes national news and a CSI team tapes the place off and there's a major investigation and documentation for statistical purposes. In Jamaica....it may happen in the next town over and you won't even hear about it. It may not even be reported to the police! We have to be careful when we say America is more violent than some of these countries because in many of these countries the violence is so common and off the charts it's not even reported. Like birth certificates.....you DON'T KNOW how many people are there because they aren't counting them or documenting it. Also, the type of ganja they're smoking in Jamaica may be strong but it's nothing like that genetically modified shit they're selling in most dispensaries today. Something is CAUSING the mental health problems, and that fake ass weed MIGHT be one of the culprits...lol.

A couple things........ 1. Gangsta Rap isn't JUST the stuff that came out of the Westcoast. Or the shit NWA, Biggie, and other artists on both coasts talked about in the 90s. Gangsta Rap is ANY Rap music that glorifies violence and criminality and some people may also throw in sexual exploitation but I won't. 2 Live Crew weren't Gangsta.....lol. Much of the Rap that is coming out today like that Drill shit out of Chicago and other Rap music is Gangsta music. It may not be called that specifically but the theme is the same....encouraging violence and criminality. 2. Nobody said Gangsta Rap DESTROYED the AfroAmerican community. Neither did Crack or AIDS. But just like Crack and AIDS...Gangsta Rap did SO MUCH DAMAGE that it helped to demoralize and destabilize the AfroAmerican community. And it's still doing so. Community destabilization isn't a zero sum game where something makes everybody drop dead and leaves the infrastructure in ruins.....or on the other end of the spectrum nothing happens. There are LEVELS and DEGREES to the damage something causes based on individual circumstances. When heroin came through the hood....it caused damage and it was bad. When crack came through it was worse.

I'm gonna put it on this fake ass high-octane weed they're smoking....lol. That seems to be the most common factor that threads through most of these killings. Whether they're homeless or live with their Parents. Whether they have bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Whether they're young or middle aged. When research is done on their background, atleast one source usually confirms that they smoked Marijuana.

ProfD The universe eventually takes care of those beyond reach. Unfortunately for most of the victims of these dope-sick monsters, not soon enough. More often than not the LAW is forced to hunt them down and either kill them or lock them up for the violence and crimes they committed against loved ones. FBA/AfroAmericans don't need a pimp. Tell that to the hundreds of thousands of AfroAmericans who give away MILLIONS of dollars to these preachers and pastors every year keeping them driving in nice cars, living in fine homes, and dressed in the finest clothes...lol. Atleast pimps PROTECT they hoez and make sure they have a place to stay, lol. Professional sports teams are set up to make tons of money. Winning is secondary. Ok, you are pulling a @frankster now, and making your examples more specific than they initially were....lol. First you simply said "sports teams", but now you're talking about PROFESSIONAL sports teams. Professional sports is a whole different ball game (pun intended....lol) When it comes to professional sports the objective is to make money, whether that involves winning OR taking a dive and losing on purpose. However, just like my African tribe had to learn, a lot of FBA/AfroAmericans are very well off. Can't look down on us. We don't need them for anything. I'm not so sure about that. Do we "need" them? No But if we were smart we could certainly use them and their connections to Africa to benefit our community....IF we were smart. This immature back-n-forth so many of our people are engaging in with the Africans is just down right juvenile and non-productive in my opinion. They show up at my house for family functions grinning and smiling like Jack-O-Lanterns and drinking and eating up food like they just jumped off a Save the Children commercial LOL. Looks like you be treating them to Soul Food Sundays. Only up until they're around successful FBA/AfroAmericans. They learn. Sometimes it has the opposite effect. While most see successful AfroAmericans and realize they've been lied to, others see successful AfroAmericans and become jealous and resentful and wish they could take their place. Enjoy brotha @richardmurray's latest white paper. I have a cousin who can taste it if you change from Zig-Zags to Tops...lol.

ProfD You wrote that nowadays most rappers engaged in street activity to boost their credibility. These dudes are studio drug dealers and gansgstas. They're like Hollywood actors. Do I have to google a whole list of rappers since 2000 who are either on trial, under investigation, or actually doing time behind bars right now for crimes they either committed or were associated with? Kendrick Lamar is peobably the most popular rapper in the game. He's on a trajectory to have a $100 million dollar net worth. Nothing street about him. That's ONE example. What about Pop Smoke, another popular rapper who was involved in the street life and was eventually killed back in 2020, despite his fame and riches? For every positive example you give me, I can probably match you with a popular rapper who was caught up in the street life. My point was the murder rate today isn't as high as it was back in the 1990s. Clearly, rap music didn't make it worse. 1. Let me be clear that I'm not talking about Rap music in general but GANGSTA RAP specifically. 2. Gangsta Rap most definitely made things worse -Dr. Dre's Chronic album and Snoop Dogg influenced more youth to smoke weed -Tupac influenced more youth to get tattoos and promoted the criminal "thug life" -Gangsta Rap in general out of the West Coast popularized the Bloods and Crips and helped to promote them nationwide -Gangsta Rap glorified drive-by shootings and other forms of violence in the streets -Gangsta Rap from BOTH Coasts glorified and promoted dope dealing and other forms of street hustling It definitely made things worse. It wasn't the ONLY factor but it was a major factor. I won't even get into the damage that Gangsta Rap help do to the IMAGE of AfroAmericans around the planet. The toughest stud is still a woman somewhere deep down inside. She's vulnerable to the *right* masculine man. Lol....keep believing that.

ProfD IMO, NF Jr. is right in that regard. Taking care of those who need the most help reduces the likelihood of them becoming hopeless, desperate and dangerous. Some of these clowns you can't help. Look at how so many parents have been killed by their own crazy ass drug addicted children who they let stay with them. The ONLY way to take care of some of these fools is to take them out back somewhere and take care of them...as Dr. Umar would say: "FOR GOOOOOD!" Good luck. A higher power hasn't save any country or group of people yet. It takes 1) violence or 2 ) benevolence for a group of people to improve themselves. When I say a HIGHER POWER needs to keep the community stable and protected I'm talking about another benevolent nation who would have our best interests in mind. Ofcourse I definitely welcome DIVINE POWER to come in and do it; however since I'm talking to YOU....I was speaking of a powerful nation. A nation with a military strong enough to keep us protected from any outside aggression or meddling in our affairs as well as one strong enough to step in and prevent our community from devolving into chaos and civil war....so could focus strictly on improving ourselves. I don't know of any nation on the planet currently who is strong enough AND benevolent enough to do this for AfroAmericans. Team sports shows that working together cooperatively leads to success. That's because sports teams are a controlled environment where: 1. There's a clear and undisputed leader: The coach 2. There's a clear objective: To win games 3. Although many people may try out and join the team, the team only keeps players who are qualified to BE on the team. Those who aren't qualified or players who become dead weight on the team end up getting cut. How do you "cut" unqualified members from an entire race or ethnic group? Instead of fleeing to a predominantly white country, I wonder why those Black folks won't solve that problem in their home countries. Surely that's a rhetorical question.....lol. if a man cannot stand on bizness in staying put and fixing his home country, he has no right to flee & talk sh8t to and/or look down on people in another country. Many Africans don't look down on White Americans....they look down on BLACK Americans, lol. They figure they're in the country because WHITE FOLKS let them come here...not us....and THAT'S who they choose to do business with. Many of them don't even consider Black folks as "real Americans"...lol. That's why so many of them were surprised that we couldn't be deported. They feel this is "white folks" house. If I'm a guest in somebody's house, I'm concerned about how THEY feel....not one of their dysfunctional children living down in the basement, lol. Now excuse me as I kick back, drink some herbal tea, and read this joint richardmurray just dropped....lol.

ProfD False. Very few street dudes have the level ofnintelligence & talent to become successful rappers. While I agree with your SECOND statement, how does that fact make MY statement "false"? The majority of them never make it to a fraction of what Jay & 50 have done. I said "now-a-days". Jay Z and 50 ain't "now-a-days" rappers! Sheeeeit, they aren't even YESTERDAYS rappers....lol. They're BACK-N-THE-DAYZ rappers....lol. The murder rate in LA is still not where it was back in the 1990s. Well, IF you're going to attribute L.A.'s high homicide rates to gang violence (which could actually be questioned given the shady activity that has been going on around L.A. for nearly a century) according to the LA Sherriff's Department, the homicide rates for the mid-90s were as follows: 1992 = 434 1993 = 403 1994 = 416 1995 = 414 1996 = 309 1997 = 267 1998 = 241 1999 = 220 https://lasd.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Transparency_Reports_Homicides_1921-2023.pdf The alleged "peace treaty" was made in the Spring of 1992 which is early in the year and as you can see, there STILL wasn't much of a drop in L.A.'s homicide rate that year OR the following couple of years. It wasn't until AFTER 1995 that you saw a substantial drop! And many believe that this was due to the Million Man March that took place in October of 1995 with the effects carrying over for the next few years. I knew a Maxine. She was community property in the neighborhood The same can be said of "Belinda's " and "Tonya's"....lol. But I bet you didn't know any "Cathy's" or "Mildred's" who were freaks...lol. Sure. Some dudes have stud friends because she can bring him around other females who might swing both ways like barn doors. A REAL stud hates men, are highly territorial, and won't bring any type of man around her female associates....much less a real masculine man. She's afraid one of her girlfriends might catch the "fever" for the flavor of a DINGLE not a pringle...lol.

Son murdered mom after telling family members he was going to inherit her house whether she was 'dead or alive': cops While there, Nunez-Romano allegedly told officers that his mother was shot through a window. A gun was later found inside a kitchen drawer, as well as spent shell casings near Nunez-Romano's wallet, according to prosecutors. Romano was found on the second floor of her house, where Nunez-Romano also lived. She had gunshot wounds to her hip and neck. During the investigation, family and witnesses described Nunez-Romano as someone who had a history of acting "aggressive" and "unstable." A cousin alleged that his obsession with his mother's home resulted in him pressuring her to transfer ownership to him, local NBC affiliate WBTS reports. Son murdered mom after telling family members he was going to inherit her house whether she was 'dead or alive': cops It seems as if every day now I'm seeing a story about a child fully into adulthood (over 25) who murders their own parents; and open further investigation there seems to be a number of consistent factors: 1. Just about all of them LIVED with their parents 2. Most of them had a history of mental problems 3. Most of them smoked weed. It's becoming an epidemic in America now. Clearly this problem is on the rise.

How you go name your daughter BERTHA, then wonder why she ended up getting pregnant??? 😝

ProfD Just like Hollywood movies, most of the gangsta rappers didn't actually sell dope or kill anybody. Initially, no. Now a days I think MOST of the rappers actually engaged in street activity to build up their credibility before they entered the rap game. See, this is what I'm talking about. The early Gangsta Rap pioneers actually promoted criminal activity and violence to a point that they made it a rite of passage for the modern rappers. Now if you DON'T have a shady or criminal past, you aren't seen as "real" or "authentic". So rappers are going out of their way to either brag about their past criminal reputations or MAKE one for themselves by engaging in criminality and street life while making music. West coast rappers putting a bullseye on the Crips & Bloods led them to a peace treaty. Which lasted for about 6 or 7 months, before they went right back to set tripping and banging on eachother and are STILL doing it around the nation. I'm clowning. We don't know what she was doing but with a name like Delores....I wouldn't put cigarettes, drinking, Dolemite, Millie Jackson & Blowfly off her radar. I have to admit, the name "Delores" DOES bring back memories from my childhood of the behavior of the women I remember NAMED Delores...lol. Just like the name HAZEL...lol. If I meet a woman named HAZEL or GERTRUDE, I can almost guarantee she wasn't too wild back in her younger days. But if her name is DELORES or BERTHA or MAXINE.....there's a good chance she spend many a nights laying across the bed naked lighting up a cigarette and arguing with somebody else in that room...lol. That's like telling women not to wear skimpy clothes. Time and place for everything. Some things should be UNDERSTOOD and not have to be said. A whole lotta folks go from victim to willing participant. Ask those down low n8gglets who've spent time as Jay-Z said.."locked up...behind bars" I know hurt people often HURT people, but that still doesn't make their behavior correct or justify it. If they don't like the conditions they're in they should try to CHANGE them instead of MAGNIFYING them. Plus, she doesn't have to worry about him trying to poke her snatch box. I understand the point you're making and I've heard the same thing being said for years, however the fact that you and others used the term "worry" is an example of the problem. A man seeking sex from her shouldn't be a cause for "worry" if a woman is truly heterosexual. It reminds me of the story/joke about the 3 White women who floated up up to a deserted island. I'm sure you heard different variations of it....lol. Right. You could have accepted them as one of the guys Not me, because that's what I have ACTUAL male friends for...lol. Maybe Da Brat can follow me and strut around trying to be a man but the moment I get into it with a couple of other REAL men....unless she can throw a decent punch or pick up a chair....the jig will be up pretty soon, lol No amount of pretending will take the place of the REAL THING.