Hip Hop is a direct reflection of our people in the hood

"I just read a magazine article that f*cked up my day" Jay-Z (Renegade)

I look at hip hop sites daily and I noticed something that is running rampant through the hip hop community -BEEF! How many of you noticed that everybody and their mother have been taking shots at Jay-Z? Yeah some of the beef was his own doing, but I'm talking about the other rappers that take shots at him daily. Before I get into my reason for what I am writing I want everybody to realize that I am a big Jay fan but I am not a fanatic. That being said, here we go…

I look at some of the rappers and other haters of him and it's not because of his lyrics, as much as it is his fame and continued success. 50 Cent has had a huge impact in hip hop as well as DMX, but what those two have in common is their styles haven't evolved with the times. They stay gritty, gutter, and street. That is why so many of us hip hop lovers feel 50 and X’s best albums were their first albums. There’s nothing new being said in their other albums. My question is, why does 50 and X have beef with Jay Z all of a sudden? They have even worked with each other at some point in their careers. My conclusion is the reason they hate on Hov is nothing less than JEALOUSY. They hate the fact that he is still relevant and they aren't. Jay Z has evolved with the times, ventured out into new areas, and has grown up in his music. DMX says "Jay Z has no heart" since when??? Since he continues to sell and X no longer sells. If 50 was still selling would he have beef with Jay Z???? The answer is an emphatic, NO!!!

If you look at the brothers in the hood today, they hate on anyone who is doing well for themselves. Anybody who has a job, in school, or dresses in a suit sometimes, a sellout. If you're not slinging crack, cocaine, dro, or any kind of drugs you're corny. If you don’t smoke or drink you're whack. If you have your own mind you're weak. I understand this thought process when you are a teenager in high school but these are grown 30-40 year old men and women who still think like this. Are you kidding me? 50 and DMX are high profile, highly paid people who still think this way. This mentality is what keeps that regular person in the hood in the hood. The refusal to grow up, because they have to "keep it real".

Keeping it real should be defined as making the necessary sacrifices to better yourself and your family. So many of us say "the white man is the problem" but how many of us are the problem? We refuse to look at ourselves in the mirror and realize this. Don't get me wrong, I definitely understand that racism is out there alive and well, but we can be our own worst enemy when we don't evolve. Jay is a cultural icon because of his evolution. I have plenty of friends who made it out the hood because they evolved. There are a whole lot of other people out there besides President Obama as the role model for our people. There are people all around us who make it out the hood to be successful men and women. We need to stop hating on them and follow their lead. ~ J Mel

The number of black women who will never marry is increasing

In response to "A Black Woman's Point of View", I would like to voice the black male prospective. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies reports that

by the age of 30, 81 percent of White women and 77 percent of Hispanics and Asians will marry, but that only 52 percent of Black women will marry by that age.

 What people don't realize is that black men tend to marry much later than others. According to the Joint Center: Data Bank (in 1990),

black men were much less likely than white men to marry for the first time between ages 25 and 29, but were somewhat more likely to marry between ages 40 and 44 and after age 45.

How much of this reflects the maturity of the black man? How much does this reflect on the maturity of the black woman?

I feel it works both ways. There are so many black men out there who are afraid of commitment because they do not want to lose the aura of being a "Don", "Pimp", or a "G". Many of us waste so much time, and break so many hearts to keep an image and lack of control over lust. We never commit to women because we are waiting for the "next best thing" when in reality we sometimes lose the best thing that has ever happened to us while we were in that relationship. For so many of us it's not until we are grown and in our 40s that we realize we need to grown up and have someone special in our lives. A wife, a life partner, a best friend. By the time a lot of us finally decided to settle down, it's with someone who was convenient that will not give us too many problems in our later years.

Black women aren't married until later in life because they need to mature as well. Women all across the U.S. are looking for "ballers" and men who can "take care of them". What they do not realize is it takes time to get "baller" status. They are so quick to tell us that they "don't need a man" when they actually do want one. What are you doing for yourself ladies? Are you a strong independent woman or are you looking for someone to take care of you? You need to be both. Sometimes men need to be saved from themselves. We need a woman who is going to show us that she is going to be everything we need in a partner. If she is going to spend every day and night trying to prove she doesn't need a man then we will go some place we are needed. Also, if you are going to be the woman who doesn’t want to do anything for yourself, and want the man to break his neck and back to get you everything you want, he will go somewhere else for relief.

In summary, we all need to open our eyes and grow up a little faster. The majority of us have come from single family homes and marriage isn't on our minds. Men we need to be there for our children. We all know how hard it was without having our fathers there so why are we inflicting the same pain on our kids? Women you need to show some support for your man and do what it takes to keep him. This world is already hard for us so the last thing we need is to have a hard day and then have to come home fighting the person who is supposed to make life happier for us. We all know what it was like to go to an event with only one parent (or no parent) in the stands while other kids had both. Black people let's forget about this “image” and start thinking about the future of our youth. ~ J Mel