"You see thru, that is why no one is going to believe you."
Virtues: honor, respect | Quote by Jadakiss, 1997 'All about the Benjamins' | www.vacantlot.org
What is there to say about the 'fake' individual? Always putting up a front, a facade, trying to be something that they are not. Some do it as apart of their occupation, others do it hide their true self so that they can 'fit-in' with a crowd; this is very evident in hip-hop culture. As many dudes will try very hard to be 'hardcore', but in their attempt to be hard, it is evident that they have no substance inside, and that they will do anything in order to achieve their goal. Their goal may be simply to impress you, but more often than not, it will be probably be a goal that is intended to hustle you out of your possessions.
However, the quote is almost objective in the sense that not only does the 'see thru' aspect can be a negative connotation, but it can also be somewhat positive, or just explain a person's motives. Its like, nah they are not doing what they say, because we can see their motives and see their true objections.
So call them the 'translucent' hustler, the transparent gangsta, or the clearview opportunist, but these are a list of some of the infamous/famous 'see thru' males & females:
Cam'ron
"I front like I got money"
After the Youtube clip of Cam'ron showing-off his pool in a beef video to 50 Cent, it became apparent that Cam'ron really doesn't have the paper that he claims in his raps. Come on Cam, that pool was tiny, looked like a pool the average family in the burbs has.
Soulja Boy
"Gimmick Boy"
Soulja Boy is the poster child of the new era in rap where artists need to have a catchy dance with a song release. This gimmick really takes away from any lyrics an artist may have - Soulja Boy is the lucky one of this bunch because he has become somewhat successful for having an infections/catchy dance, but there is no substance in any of his lyrics.
Karrine 'Superhead' Steffans
The Opportunist
We all know what Superhead has done, and to whom, but her tell-all book where she name drops on her relationships is an exercise in opportunistic behavior. I mean, it must be somewhat self-demoralizing to live with the fact that all these men are calling you all sorts of names, and that you have a moniker such as 'superhead', and to go and try to monetize off of your exploits shows that you are a straight opportunist - even if it means throwing more shit already on your shitty name. But hey, get your money girl, and get a STD test.
Jay-Z
Never Quit
Jay-Z was supposed to retire a couple of years ago, but after the release of the acclaimed American Gangster (2007), and another release in 2008, and word that he may be working on an album with former foe turned friend Nas, it is clear that Jay-Z will never quit; the game is in him.
Vanilla Ice
Soul-less
Vanilla Ice is one of the classic jokes of hip-hop, pop culture - as he was known as the white guy that exploited the music to make a buck. No one believed him, he had no credibility, and in the end, a real gangster saw thru Vanilla and took his publishing ... ice, ice baby.
Suge Knight
Untrustworthy
This was the real gangster from the Vanilla Ice post. This is the kind of guy that you don't trust; he has been involved/implicated with the deaths of Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls and countless other ordeals. Many of said that anyone can see that looking at Mr. Knight, not much 'good' is there.
Flavor Flav
Coon
Self-explanatory, have you seen Flavor of Love 1-3?
Enough said.
.:: Vacant Lot
Labels: honor, respect, self-respect
"Not always right, but I'm always real; that's how I sleep at night."
Virtues: Honor, Pride, right vs. wrong, politics
On any given day, I have any given mood to aspire to change my career direction to psychology, entertainment, programming, and even to politics. I'm always on the news tip watching either local or national news from the likes of CNN & Fox News (insert joke here), and I am impressed how politicians are able to answer a question without answering the question; commonly known as circular argumentation. Its also interesting to see how politicians seem to always get themselves in some scandal where there is some piece of revealing audio/video footage, perversive picture, or online chat transcript of foolery - that is one of the reasons why I will never take 'pictures' (of the indecent kind) with any girlfriend, or make a 'sex tape' which is what the Hollywood kids seem to be doing nowadays; I mean people, think about your futures before you do something - its called foresight & common sense.
But back to politics and politicking, if I were to model myself of a current politician, I would choose the politician that stays true to their self; I would not design myself as one who switches positions based upon population/voter research and what my 'handlers' tell I should do. Politics have received negative light because, pretty much, politicians are not honest, lack credibility, and are at the mercy of the interests of their financiers.
That ain't 'keeping it real'.
One politician that has to be respected - on a characteristic level, not for his policies, is the U.S.'s current President George Bush. Yes, he is not very charismatic, doesn't have the swagger as Clinton, and has made some very questionable actions (i.e. Katrina, Iraq), one thing that can be said is the quote that this piece references: "Not always right, but I'm always real; that's how I sleep at night." Bush is very adamant in his decisions and I think it can be said that he honestly believes that his decisions are right. I think he believes that he is doing the 'right thing' and is not concerned about appealing to popular consensus if it means violating his beliefs.
Even though his policies have been twisted and may even defy logic to some, I am sure that George Bush sleeps well at night; and as a politician, that may be the most important and coveted quality that one can achieve.
.:: d.b
http://www.vacantlot.org
Labels: brooklyn, def jam, honor, Jay-z, judgment, politics
"I'm out for Dead Presidents to represent me''
"I'm out for Dead Presidents to represent me''
A www.vacantlot.org case study virutes: hustle, money, respect
An ode to the hustle. One's belief that, essentially individuality is lost when compared to the almighty dollar. Honor, pride, respect, perseverance & other related virtues that once defined a person's character is irrelevant. Sadly, I concur with this notion in respect that in Western culture, the amount of money one has speaks volumes. We are constantly defined by what we possess & what we wish to obtain - we frequently are able to gain insight of one's wealth by what car they drive, size of their house, and type of fashion attire. Thus, the faulty logical fallacy of appropriating money with personal character ensues - which creates a behavioral of 'financial equality'.
Financial equality (term I made up) is one's belief that they can only engage in meaningful dialogue with someone that is equal to them, financially speaking. In laments terms, a 'snob' of some sorts. Unfortunately, I think that a lot of people adopt this shrewd mentality; which is especially prevalent amongst the rich & those that have power (i.e. 'Movers & Shakers').
Thus, I understand where Nas is coming from with this line -- it is only fitting to be seen as one that has Dead President's in order to be taken seriously.
The problem here is obvious, but the problem does not lie with the stimulus (money), but our conditioned response to it.
Classical Conditioning at its finest.
Labels: hip-hop, honor, money, respect
"So I don't give a f*** what none of y'all n*** say; Cause anything that can't penetrate ricochets"
"So I don't give a f*** what none of y'all n*** say; Cause anything that can't penetrate ricochets"
-- Canibus 'How We Roll', 1998, a case study from www.vacantlot.org Intelli-Hip Hop
Self-esteem is a pertinent issue that affects all of us from childhood to adulthood. In childhood, our self-esteem is exposed to several 'tests' that either create a positive or negative self-esteem. Of course social, psychological, and environmental factors will all dictate how one responds to these 'tests'. However, this proverbial wisdom quote refers to the 'diss' approach of self-esteem; that is discrediting a person's character with insults that may be true or untrue. It is also worthy to note that these acts of discrediting is usually done directly and with a malicious nature (intent to afflict emo-pain).
Thus, this quote implies that one has a positive (high) self-esteem which translates into any attempts to lower their self-esteem is repelled. To attain this, one is confident in themselves; which may be also a sign that one only tries to lower another's self-esteem because their self-esteem is also low - bringing one down may bring another up. Such individuals can be labelled shallow and transparent: which may explain why this quote suggests that insults are ricocheted back to the sender when one is mentally deep and understands their psyche.
.:: Find more quotes at www.vacantlot.org
An in-depth look at the quotes that affect our lives
Labels: hip-hop, honor, strength
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