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Ironies in Hip-Hop

An ‘Irony‘ is a literary or rhetorical device, in which there is an incongruity or discordance between what one says or does and what one means or what is generally understood. Irony is a mode of expression that calls attention to the character’s knowledge and that of the audience; it can be said that hip-hop music uses many literary devices as rappers use vivid and colorful language to paint a canvas; the brush used is a combination of blunt dialogue, metaphors, simile’s, syllabic rhyming, and cross textuality references.  However, the culture itself – the artists behind the music, and the lifestyle, presents some interesting irony; everything from lines in songs, to certain artists making business decisions, to events that have transpired.  Hip-Hop definitely presents some interesting ironies such as:

Tupac dying while being signed to Death Row Records

Notorious B.I.G. making a song on his last album called ‘Going back to Cali’

Lil Wayne being the biggest artist in the game

50 Cent being very rich

Eminem being White (there are no white M&M’s)

OutKast having commercial success

T.I. (really T.I.P.) got arrested and convicted because of a tip to the authorities

.:: LiBM ::.

Mock: Chris Brown Arrest Picture

Too funny – this picture is circulating around the net and showcases some really good Photoshop skills to include batterer Chris Brown, Officer Rick Ross, and Fat Joe.  The funniest aspect of this mock up though is the ‘We Arrest’  (play off ‘We the best’ by DJ Khaled) Music Group … something tells me that 50 Cent and the thisis50.com boys are at it again.  These Internet Soldiers are working overtime to globally disgrace people … welcome to the new age of hip-hop beef.

.:: LiBM ::.

Presenteeism

I am here, but not here

Presenteeism can be defined as the following:

“20 to 30 days out of the year, people show up for work, but accomplish very little”

Presenteeism is the opposite of absenteeism. In contrast to absenteeism, when employees are absent from work, presenteeism discusses the problems faced when employees come to work in spite of illness, which can have similar negative repercussions on business performance.  It can also refer to the expectation of employers for their employees to be present at work regardless of whether any work is available or accomplished.

After thinking about this concept, I thought of a few industries/professions where this behavior may run rampant, such as:

Government Workers

- If you ever tried to pay a parking ticket, or get something from a government office, it seems like its workers are lethargic, and definitely don’t show no real interest in providing prompt customer service.

IT Professionals

- Ever tried to call your work’s technical support line? Ever noticed that though they are well connected with Blackberry’s and computers, but are never available to assist you? IT dudes seem to always be ‘there’ but are not ‘there’ for you when you need it.

Call Centres

- Ever worked in one of these disaster zones? I have, and I recall being physically there, but mentally in another atmosphere.

Presenteeism is only really applied when one is working at a job that they do not really enjoy – Dr. Ron Kessler of the Harvard Medical School, published a journal that outlined the relationships to depression in the workplace and presenteeism.  His study calculated the costs to the employer when staff show up to work and are not productive as they should be.  I

am sure that many people can relate to this behavior of ‘presenteeism’ as you are most likely reading this blog at your job!

.:: LiBM::.

Sources:
1. http://www.depressionisreal.org/podcast/transcript_show46.php
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presenteeism

50 Cent in Pimpin Curly

50 Cent is a very funny guy – I thought that this was another attack on Rick Ross, but it seems to have nothing to do with ‘Officer Ricky’.  If the hip-hop thing doesn’t work out, 50 Cent can definitely take a leap into acting, as he displays soome of his talent in this funny video as Pimpin Curly deals with hoes and their tirades …

50 is too much in this.

.:: LiBM ::.

Black Domestic Violence

Curtailing the cycle of violence

This whole Rihanna and Chris Brown ordeal is really devastating to both the artists and their fans, but what needs to be discussed more is the prevalence of domestic violence in the Black family.  Domestic violence is really troubling in the black community, as it usually has a cycle effect – as children growing up watching their Dad physically abuse their Mother will usually grow up and exhibit similar behavior to their potential mate.  Thus, to stop domestic violence, it needs to start at home with the family, and conflicts need to be resolved with discourse as opposed to physical actions.  Here are some alarming stats of black domestic violence that will NOT make you wonder why even though a talented, and rich entertainer such as Chris Brown is not immune to black domestic violence as he grew up in a household where he saw his mother being physically abused by his Step Dad.

Stats:

Overall, African Americans were victimized by intimate partners a significantly higher rates than persons of any other race between 1993 and 1998. Black females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races. Black males experienced intimate partner violence at a rate about 62% higher than that of white males and about 22 times the rate of men of other races.

Callie Marie Rennison. and Sarah Welchans, U.S. Dep’t of Just., NCJ 178247, Intimate Partner Violence (2000), available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/ipv.txt

African-American women experience significantly more domestic violence than White women in the age group of 20-24. Generally, Black women experience similar levels of intimate partner victimization in all other age categories as compared to White women, but experience slightly more domestic violence. (Estimates are provided from the National Crime Victimization Survey, which defines an intimate partner as a current or former spouse, girlfriend, or boyfriend. Violent acts include murder, rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault.)

Callie Marie Rennison, U.S. Dep’t of Just., NCJ 187635, Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 1993-1999, at 4, (2001), available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/ipva99.htm

Approximately 40% of Black women report coercive contact of a sexual nature by age 18.

Africana Voices Against Violence, Tufts University, Statistics, 2002, www.ase.tufts.edu/womenscenter/peace/africana/newsite/statistics.htm

The number one killer of African-American women ages 15 to 34 is homicide at the hands of a current or former intimate partner.

Africana Voices Against Violence, Tufts University, Statistics, 2002, www.ase.tufts.edu/womenscenter/peace/africana/newsite/statistics.htm

In a study of African-American sexual assault survivors, only 17% reported the assault to police.

Africana Voices Against Violence, Tufts University, Statistics, 2002 www.ase.tufts.edu/womenscenter/peace/africana/newsite/statistics.htm

The Family is where most of our problems start from – how we deal with situations at home is a strong precursor and indicator on how we will relate with the world.  Thus, the resolution lies in re-building the family unit and teaching and practicing positive family values – its the only way to stop the cycle of violence.

.::LiBM::.

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Sources:
http://www.abanet.org/domviol/statistics.html