TI Arrested for Drugs? Yes, I’m Disappointed

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

TI (aka Clifford Harris) is my favorite rapper, and the person I consider to be one of the most talented artists in America.  I've made no secret about my appreciation for his music, and from friends of mine who know him, I can say that he is genuine about reducing gun violence among our youth.  TI is also the artist that I would have gambled on to have the greatest likelihood of turning his life around.  He has a lot to live for, and people who love him.   He's made his mistakes, but I was convinced that he'd grown from them.

Now, after hearing about his arrest for drug possession, I'm not so sure if TI has learned a thing.  In fact, I'm having a hard time distinguishing TI from his self-destructive counterpart, Lil Wayne.  And yes, I will say this in public: I think Lil Wayne is an idiot.

TI - how could you do this to us?  I had all of my money bet on the TI horse.  It was nothing less than my greatest hope to see him emerge from prison, continue to make hit records and show all the haters that he's meant to fulfill a special destiny.  But that's not what I got.  Instead, I get a thug who goes to jail with his new wife on drug possession charges.  Yes, a man and his wife, who have children at home, in handcuffs sets a new low for "triflin-osity" among rappers.  Even with the modern day Bonnie and Clyde appeal of it all, it's just crazy to watch.

I can't tell you the details of the long-term legal, professional and personal implications of TI's latest bit of drama.  I don't know what special arrangements he has with prosecutors that allowed him to get out of jail a little early the last time.  I can't tell you what conditions of his release he's violated with his latest arrest.  I can't even tell you how bad his criminal record probably looks to any judge who will consider his case this time around.  All I can tell you is that ya boy is screwed, up the creek, no paddle in sight, crying for his mama and all of his baby's mamas to save his butt.  He's in serious trouble.

At this point, all the words of redemption that TI puts in his lyrics have about as much credibility as George Bush's "Mission Accomplished" statement after the start of the Iraq war.  TI might as well admit to the rest of the world that he's a man with as much self-discipline as Tiger Woods in a musty night club.  He fooled us all and I'm admittedly hurt by it.  But I am sure that my disappointment is nothing compared to the sadness and humiliation being felt by his children.  At some point, they are going to want to hear an explanation that goes beyond the same old "Daddy ain't perfect," routine.

Clifford Harris, it's time to grow up.  Pretending to be something you're not on the big screen is ok, but in real life, it's just not cool.  I want to believe that, deep down, you're better than that.  Now, I'm just not sure.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University.  For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

Hip Hop Ain’t Nothing but B*tches and Money

by Dr. Boyce Watkins 

A lot of people make fun of the rapper Rick Ross. The sources of ridicule are numerous reports that Rick is not the drug dealer, king pin, or boss that he portrays in his music. In real life, he’s a regular, hard-working, law-abiding citizen. In fact, he was once a corrections officer.

The rapper 50 Cent has consistently taken Ross to task for allegedly defrauding the public by presenting an image that appears to be a figment of Ross’ powerful imagination. He often refers to Ross as “Officer Rick,” and seems set on ruining Ross’ highly successful career.

Ross has even been sued by the real “Freeway” Ricky Ross, a notorious drug dealer from the 1980s. Freeway Ricky has made what appears to be a plausible claim that the rapper stole his name and brand, using it to make millions. Had Freeway Ricky been born with a different name, Rick Ross the rapper may never have come into existence.

 

CClick to read.

Bumping into Jay Z in Nigeria

Dr. Boyce Watkins

http://www.boycewatkins.com/

I just returned from an awesome speaking event in Lagos, Nigeria. Pastor Poju Oyemade, a visionary leader in the Nigerian community, created a semi-annual event called “The Platform”, which is one of the most respected economic empowerment venues in the country. The Pastor invited me and some other business leaders to discuss the entrepreneurial spirit and how it can be best used to unleash the awesome potential of the Nigerian economy.

The event organizers met us with Barack Obama-like security, complete with serious looking brothers with dark suits and even darker sunglasses. I felt completely safe in a country that has been falsely presented to the world as a haven of danger. Nigeria is not nearly as scary as the media depicts it: like any other nation, there is both good and bad. Unfortunately, the bad has gotten more attention than it deserves.

I arrived in my hotel, a swank and comfortable spot right on the beach, ready to sleep off the jet lag. I was ready to take a nap in the hallway if necessary, since I was as tired as you can get. I crawled toward my bed with my last ounce of energy, shocked at who would be greeting me in my room: It was Jay-Z.

Well, it wasn’t the real Jay-Z, just his face on the cover of a magazine. Here I thought I’d escaped the Jiggaman by heading across the world, and there he was, diamonds blinding me with his undeniable floss. The megastar “bling-aholic” was being featured in a Nigerian magazine promoting the very same thing I was there to discuss: the power of entrepreneurship.

I respect Pastor Oyemade, the organizer of the event, for the same reasons I respect Jay-Z: they have both learned that Black men and women are strongest when we are economically free. I am not always in favor of everything that the Jiggaman does, but I certainly appreciate the progress he has shown throughout his career. He makes megadeals behind the scenes that will ensure that he is getting paid well into old age. When I addressed my audience in Nigeria, I talked to them about a few things:

1) The value of ownership – it’s difficult to get wealthy in America if you don’t own anything. I know a lot of doctors, lawyers and professors with high incomes who still have not yet learned how to let their money work for them.

2) Entrepreneurship should be taught to our children – every Black child in the world should be taught how to create a job, not just how to go out and get one.

3) Start your business around your passion – if you love what you are doing every day, you will get a paycheck even when you don’t make any money.

I didn’t just go to Nigeria to teach, I also went there to learn. I learned a long time ago that you can never be a good teacher if you are not also a good student. So, here are some things I learned from our Nigerian brothers and sisters across the sea:

1) We are really blessed as Americans. While we might feel that we don’t have as much as we deserve, we’ve actually got quite a bit to work with.

2) You can overcome a great deal if you put your mind to it. There are people in other parts of the world who endure things on a daily basis that we can’t possibly imagine.

3) The best investment opportunities are now in Africa. A smart investor with solid, honest contacts can make more money in Nigeria than they could almost anywhere else. Africa is the next China.

I enjoyed my trip to Nigeria, but I was as much student as professor. I learned from Jay-Z and his success in hip hop, and I also learned from my Nigerian family. All in all, I can say that this trip helped complete me as an investor, a professor, a Black man and a human being. I look forward to my next trip already.

Nas Please Stop the Cooning, It's Not Cool

I respect Nas. I loved his song, “The Ether”. I consider Nas to be one of the most talented rappers in America. I backed his joint against Fox News, and I stand by much of what he’s doing. Here is where I have to draw some lines:

1) If you want to be a black leader, stop trying to kill off the black leaders who came before you. This is not a damn mafia movie, where you have to whack out the heads of the family to get your throne. Just do your thing. Getting your position in black leadership does not mean you have to attack Jesse Jackson in the process.

2) That thing about calling Jeremiah Wright a coon? That was, to be honest, the cooning-est thing I’ve ever heard you say. Dr. Wright was fighting for black people before your black ass was even an embryo. Dawg, that’s uncalled for. Wright didn’t come after you, he didn’t attack you, he didn’t say jack to you. So, your comments about Wright were simply out of control. To be more specific, here is what you said:

“That’s street corner shit. That’s that nigger shit, just on a higher level. That’s just a dumb-ass nigga. With all the degrees and intelligence he has, he throws all that out the window when he starts cooning. Reverend Wright is the biggest coon of the 21st century so far, and that’s just what it is. And I don’t give a fuck who he’s down with, where he studied at, he’s a great fucking coon.”

I’m done with this. I’ll support you Nas, and I respect you on many levels. But you have to pull the plug on all these strange publicity stunts. Attacking Jeremiah Wright, a man who has shown a lot more courage in his life than most brothers in the rap game, is just too much.

Lauren London: You Really Don't Want a Thug

By Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.net



OK Lauren, we need to talk. Yep, I’m talking to Ms. Lauren London, the beautiful young woman who starred in the movie ATL with TI, my favorite rapper. Besides our favorite artist, you and I have something else in common: Menace II Society was one of my favorite films. The movie came out when I was finishing college and I consider it one of the greatest films of all time. In fact, the Hughes brothers, who made the film, are among the best film makers in the business.

With that said, I noticed that in a recent interview with King Magazine, you mentioned that you really like thugs. Not just thuggish thugs, but hard-core, pee-in-ya-mama’s coffee cup, “I don’t give a *&^%” type thugs. I was intrigued by your comments:

“I love guys who are street. I won’t even give soft guys a chance. Menace II Society is my shit! Caine was like my first crush. Actually, O-Dog was my true dream guy. I was in love with him, from that opening scene where he pops the convenience-store worker. He had me from that gunshot [laughs]. He was ’hood, and I loved that.”
When I heard these words, I thought “Wow, this girl needs to have a few more relationships to realize how concerned we should be about these comments.”
OK Lauren, I don’t think you are crazy, stupid or a bad person. Fantasies are natural, and we all have some. I dream about a sexy woman with a PhD feeding me honey barbeque wings in big furry bunny slippers (don’t ask about the bunny slippers, that’s personal). But there is a difference between what you want, and what you NEED, and that is part of growing up.

You mentioned that Caine, the star gangster in Menace II Society, was not hard enough. You actually went for O-Dog, his over-the-top homeboy. O-Dog is likely one of the most maniacal, murderous and treacherous characters to ever grace the screen of a movie theatre. He was the kind of guy who would shoot first and ask questions later, or maybe just shoot first because you asked him a question. Tupac was originally slated for this role, likely because he did such a good job playing the lunatic “Bishop” in “Juice” another great film made a few years earlier. Like O-Dog, Bishop was known for being one thing….. “crazier than a m*therfu*ker” (excuse my French, but sometimes English can’t capture the essence of just how crazy a m*therfu*ker truly is).

As a college professor, I’ve seen other young women have similar fantasies. I recall hearing a young Black Pentecostal Apostolic graduate student mention how she “loves thugs so much….they are just so FORBIDDEN!” Years later, after several abusive, meaningless relationships, a few venereal diseases and about 6 restraining orders, she actually sees the virtue of giving nice guys a chance.

I respect the street and I know a lot of good brothers from the street. But even the good brothers from the street don’t consider men like O-Dog from Menace II Society to be great catches. In fact, they go the other way when O-Dog comes into the room. Many brothers could understand Caine, the conflicted young man choosing between good and evil. But if there was a devil and angel on Caine’s shoulder, O-Dog was the devil. Men like O-Dog almost always end up dead or in prison, and your mama always tells you not to go their house.

You see Lauren, men like O-Dog are not the guys who love you, respect you or remain faithful to you. They are the guys who show you a good time and then stalk you, kill you and kill your dog when the relationship is over. They are the men whose girlfriends are killed in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. They are the men who don’t give a damn about themselves, so they sure as hell can’t give a damn about you. That is not the place to go for love, fun and certainly not for a meaningful relationship. It doesn’t mean you can’t have a little thug in your life, or a little street. But you always want to have a man with a little common sense, a little self-love and a little commitment to his future. That is what I hope you will share with other young women reading your article in King Magazine.

You, Beyonce and other women who sing Thug Righteous Fairytales are not the only ones who make this mistake. Far too many men go chasing the most beautiful, booty-licious woman they can find, leaving the nice girl behind. They then realize, the hard way, that the nice woman is the one who will be there for you and that beauty goes much deeper than the skin. Lauren, you are pretty enough to surely get any guy you want, but you must also realize that there is strength in kindness. A man who loves you and treats you with respect is just as strong as a thug who shoots men in the grocery store. You don’t want O-Dog, you want the man courageous and caring enough to PROTECT you from O-Dog. That’s the secret.

I had a friend in college who also liked dangerous men. After spending over a decade married to a man in the penitentiary, I am willing to bet that her perspective has changed. I hope you don’t have to experience a lifetime of pain to realize that O-Dog is not Prince Charming. The same thing goes for the women looking up to you.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and author of “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College”. He does regular work in national media, including CNN, ESPN, CBS and NBC. For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.net.

Ice T vs. Soulja Boy Need to Kill the Beef Right Now

Some might wonder why I have the desire to comment on the beef between Soulja Boy and Ice T. But I hope people remember that professors are also people, and I am not a Finance Professor who happens to be black, I am a black man who happens to be a Finance Professor. So, for those who don't like hearing me speak on hip hop, deal with it.

I get mixed up in some hip hop beefs every now and then, as I spent a lot of time providing perspective on the beef between Ice Cube, 50 Cent and Oprah Winfrey last year. I speak with a lot of artists when I go to Hot 97 and BET, and I enjoy talking to them about how to manage their money and get their finances straight within an industry that is quick to financially rape black men.

The beef between Soulja Boy and Ice T was interesting, as Ice T doesn't seem to feel that Soulja Boy is adding anything to hip hop. In his remarks, Ice T told Soulja Boy to "eat a ....." (no, it was not a cheeseburger). Soulja Boy came back hard, referring to Ice T as an "Old ass n*gga", among other things.

I can't disagree, Ice T is pretty old. I don't know too many rappers born in 1958. He's actually old enough to be Soulja Boy's grandfather. At the same time, elders must be respected, and few artists have this kind of staying power. Ice T printed game unlike any other before or after him, and that contribution must be respected. But respect must be earned, and I don't feel that Ice earned his respect with the way he came at Soulja Boy.

I wrote an article or two on the topic, but I won't go into that. But I can say that when I watched the commentary by Soulja Boy, I saw a confused kid. I saw a young man who was (in his words) "poor as hell" just a year earlier, trying to find a way to make a living for he and his family. He said that he had tremendous respect for Ice T, and I speculate that he would have wanted to hear an older person say "eat your vegetables", instead of "eat a .....".

I could tell that Soulja Boy was hurt by the criticism. But when a man comes that hard at you, you have to respond strongly like a man. I am sure that he would rather have seen Ice T reach out to him and (in his words) "give him some pointers". Instead, Ice T came with the attack first, rather than trying to communicate as a brother or father figure.

I respect Ice T and I know alot about him from my conversations with Wendy Williams at WBLS. He is an amazing talent and his wife Coco, beyond being a stripper, is actually the intellectual engine that makes his empire move. So, seeing such an astute, intelligent and talented man like Ice T come at a 17-year old kid in such a nasty way really shocked the hell out of me.

Ice T, you're a man and a true playa. Now, swallow your pride, pick up the phone and mentor this young kid. Part of being a man means being man enough to admit that you were wrong. Soulja Boy's insults to you were really a reflection of his pain and disappointment. Young people don't need our disses, they need our guidance. Now get to transmittin game.

Anybody wanna see Dr. Boyce Rapping on Camera?

No, I'm not a rapper, but I like having fun. I love hip hop, and although I don't consider myself a "hip hop intellectual", I have alot of respect for my homeboys Michael Eric Dyson, Marc Lamont Hill and others who are intelligent enough to understand the intelligence of hip hop music.

Enjoy!

My apology to Tupac and Method Man: Black Male Players in Hip Hop

I've been a fan of hip hop for a long time. I will never stop loving hip hop, because it is one of the brilliant and powerful forms of expression in all of entertainment. Anyone who doesn't think professors should listen to hip hop or associate with the hip hop culture can kiss my...well, you know what I'm saying. I don't have to get gangsta up in this blog.

At any rate, I come from the heart, and this was honestly what I was thinking about one morning. It involves a conversation I had with Method Man about his good friend Tupac Shakur. Meth actually gave me a perspective that I couldn't see until recently. The video is below.