See, a gangbanger does things out of ignorance, while the dope dealer does so what he does because he feels it’s necessary. (Not that I’m an expert or anything, I just know A LOT of criminals & watch ‘Oz’ whenever I can.) I know with extreme, blood-related certainty that real drug dealers don’t fuck around, especially if they convince themselves that you’re interfering with their fiscal intake, which, to a person’s whose ambition is based soley around greed, isn’t a hard thing to do. Really though, all this name-dropping amongst the civilian & criminal community could easily result in someone being killed. I find it odd that 2 artists in the same recording house would even be involved in the type of real-life frucus that could effortlessly extend beyond rap music. This situation between adult entertainers, on the other hand, seems to be a clear cut case of “Ay nigga, I was HERE, first!” gangbanging, & this Hip Hop hybrid of too-old-for-that-shit rapbangers, I can tell the difference between hood-involved discrepancy & cats who happen to know the “right” people for the wrong reason. Between experiencing old school, white knuckle, hands-on L.A. He is the author of the book, Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities.“Stunt so hard, make ’em come indict me…”įirst off, let me say that I’m not convinced, for one second, that Rick Ross The Rapper & Young Jeezy really have beef, because I live in South Central Los Angeles. He was cited in 2010 by Bachelors as one of 25 college presidents you should follow on Twitter ( Kimbrough has forged a national reputation as an expert on fraternities and sororities, with specific expertise regarding historically Black, Latin and Asian groups. Kimbrough also has been noted for his active use of social media to engage students in articles by The Chronicle of Higher Education, CASE Currents, and Arkansas Life. Kimbrough has been recognized for his research and writings on HBCUs and African American men in college.
Kimbrough assumed his present position as the 7th president of Dillard University in New Orleans in July of 2012.
Just be you: authentic, hard-working, and taking initiative.ĭr. We all need his conviction, but used to present an image of Black men that builds our communities. The power with which Ross exclaims he is Big Meech causes everyone who hears him to want to be Big Meech too. Initiative determines who becomes successful, and who remains mediocre. You have to be willing to take risks, to fail, in order to achieve success.
This is where the Big Meech ethos is most important. Your job is to create the status quo, to set the trend. They’re simply trying to catch up with the status quo. Everyone is waiting for someone else to do something before they do it. This is probably the quality that is most scarce today. Stop talking.įinally, you have to take initiative. While we talk a good game, they’re hustling. In the meantime, we’re sitting back waiting to blow up. Then, they WORK hard to achieve that dream. I heard a college president speak who came to America as an immigrant who shared that immigrants are four times as likely as Americans to be millionaires because they come here with little money but a belief in the American dream. They go above and beyond consistently with the goal of being the best. How can you halfway go to class and then expect an “A” grade? How can you provide mediocre work and expect an annual raise? Those who succeed work the hardest. In fact, the sense of entitlement is rampant.
Too many people just expect for things to fall in place with limited effort. This means we need to define for ourselves our values and priorities. But we are at our best when we are authentic, not performing as someone else, not thinking that we’re Larry Hoover or MC Hammer, but our own, unique person. Products we buy advertise real and pure, acknowledging that many others lack authenticity. There are three components to developing this ethos.įirst, we must be authentic. In fact, once brothers in college and the workforce develop a positive “Big Meech” ethos, our communities will benefit from balanced images of what success is for Black men. I am convinced though that the confidence and swagger that Rick Ross provides on this track, as well as his others, is important for men to use in their academic pursuits as well. This makes sense, especially when we live in a society where Black men receive kudos essentially for two accomplishments: entertainment and athletics. Writer Felicia Pride noted that even highly educated men had a gangsta-inspired double consciousness. Though the lyrics glorified high-profile criminals, Black men of all walks of life bumped this tune and sang along. A year ago the summer anthem was “ Blowing Money Fast” by Rick Ross.