Playing With Fire(Power)

I like guns. Like most dudes, there's something about them that just draws my attention. Dr. Francis Cress-Welsing wrote in her book 'The Isis Papers', they're phallic, symbolic of our penises, an extension-if you will, & we know that niggas love grabbing their junk for what the reason. Perhaps that's why whenever the opportunity presents itself to take pictures holding one, authentic or not, dudes jump on it. Really though, we all have flicks holding somebody's piece, mean-mugging, praying that shit doesn't go off. Fuck a manslaughter charge. My love affair with firearms started with my grand pops. He fought in WWII, & killed a german dude, took his pistol & brought it back to the states. He presented it to my dad like a trophy of his awesomeness. My dad still has it, & I'm sure one day he'll give it to me. He probably would've given it to me years ago, but you all know, I'm barely about 2 years into my recovery, so, yeah. God forbid I relapse with an old ass gun, & decide I don't appreciate some people as much as I think I do in sobriety. So, I understand. Hell, it's not even registered in this country. Just saying.


The infamous Ray Benzino has started a rather juvenile beef with Royce the 5'9", of the group Slaughterhouse, as of last week. Now normally, a couple of grown men exchanging insults via songs & Internet footage wouldn't be a reason to look twice. I mean, that's what Hip Hop is about these days, right? Too much testosterone, with a hint of misplaced emotional outbursts, & a twinge of personal attack, thanks to Curtis Jackson & company. What makes this incident a little more special than usual, is the fact that it didn't transpire to this point over the course of, say, a few months, or after a run-in somewhere, giving both of their weed carriers a chance to hoop & holler at one another as they "shoved" rent-a-cops out of the way. On the contrary, Benzino hit up the web, & immediately started talking guns, showing guns, & made several references to niggas getting killed. Rappers tossing empty threats around is common place. We should all be used to the requisite tough-talk that goes along with the music. Royce, being a veteran MC, should know the rules. Benzino is an attention-seeker. One of those dudes who goes out of his way to be seen, if only because without a gimmick, he'd be ignored, or heckled. The type of guy who the neighborhood kids throw rocks at his car, just because. Really though, I compare a lot of rap cats behaviors to that of my 6 year old son, & it doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess who fares higher on the maturity scale.


Royce displayed a massive amount of nigganometry, by not only responding to a Z-list rap guy, who's been chasing fame since 1973, but doing so, on camera, while brandishing a weapon. Not just any weapon, though. A. Rocket. Launcher. I've heard about Royce's battles with alcoholism, & maybe they should let home skillet play so much 'Call Of Duty', while he's drunk off his ass. Not only is he lining himself up for numerous legal repercussions, on top of telling on himself ahead of time, like this was the movie 'Minority Report', but, is it really that serious? Worst case scenario: Benzino goes to Detroit, to confront Royce face-to-face, & Royce-feeling as though there's something to prove-LAUNCHES A ROCKET at him, clearing out 1/3 of a city block, which may or may not be rife with people. WTF? Are we so far gone as a society, that grenades & rocket launchers are the new sticks & stones?


Sure, this is America, & we have the right to bare arms, but, let's be real about what's being protected? Our lives or our manhood(s). I wonder how long before one of these moronic Hip Hop stars kills somebody, or gets killed for the sake of "keepin' it real." Truth be told, I had my money on Young Jeezy & Gucci Mane. I still haven't taken my bet off the table for that one. I miss the good ol' days when a threat of violence was just that; words spoken out of frustration. Word to Biggie, things done changed. & shame on World Star Hip Hop for being the conduit for ignorance. Niggas always yelling about how Hip Hop deserves respect, then we get on camera & point guns at the lens. Backwards hustling, indeed.