On Tuesday, one of my

professors played “Karate

Chop Remix” by Future featuring

Lil Wayne to ignite our

daily discussion. The song begins

with Future rapping about

drug use as if being drugged

out is the coolest thing in

the world. The song worsens

when Wayne happily declares,

“Bout to put rims on my skateboard

wheels/ Beat [it] up like

Emmett Till.”

Granted, I do listen to mainstream

hip-hop. But Lil Wayne

is an artist I cut off long ago for

his absurdly chauvinistic music.

Despite how little I think

of Lil Wayne, this song takes

his ignorance to a completely

different level. His decision

to incorporate such a racially

degrading lyric denotes a how

little respect he has not only

for Till, Till’s family, and the

historical struggle of African

Americans in America, but it

ultimately conveys how little

respect Lil Wayne has for himself.

What self-respecting man

could so nonchalantly reference

a boy brutally beaten to death

for no legitimate reason as a

comparison to sex?

People are quick to jump to

Lil Wayne’s defense as a lyricist,

swearing how he so cleverly

utilizes wordplay, but there

is nothing clever about the line.

Music such as “Karate Chop

Remix” contributes to why so

many people, outside of our immediate

demographic, have a

negative view of hip-hop overall.

Mainstream hip-hop entertainers

ruin the perception of

their lesser-known counterparts.

Big K.R.I.T, Talib Kweli, The

Cool Kids, and Pacific Division,

are all artists who do not make

degrading African Americans

the focal point of their music.

Regardless of how disgusted I

am by Lil Wayne’s clear detachment

from the African American

community, I can only be so

surprised. I have come to expect

nothing but trash and foolishness

from him.

My frustration does not end

with the lyric in itself. After listening

to the song in class via

Youtube, my professor scrolled

down to the comments. One

read, “I love Lil Wayne! His

comment was rude but for all the

people who still talking about it

get over it! Like he isn’t the first

artist to do something like this

he’s still a good rapper.”

All I can do is shake my head

at this individual not only for

her clearly blissful state of ignorance,

but also at the thought of

her ever procreating offspring

who will likely be just as –for

lack of a better term-stupid as

she.

To think that younger generations

are growing up to this

debauchery disguised as music

disheartens me. I often find myself

caught in a limbo between

feeling hopeless about the state

of our generation and thinking it

will get better.

I have never been one to hold

entertainers, mainstream or not,

directly responsible for the influence

their music may have on

listeners. It is ultimately up to a

child’s parents to instill certain

morals within him or her. Upon

reaching adulthood, it becomes

an individual’s responsibility to

make decisions regarding who

he or she will become in life.

However, artists must realize

they serve as ambassadors for

their generation. People outside

the ages of 12-25 who listens

to “Karate Chop Remix” will

view the Emmett Till reference

as representative of every African

American youth. They will

hear that lyric and presume we

all live with that same simpleminded

frame of thought even

though all of us do not.

Lil Wayne never should have

made such a disrespectful lyric.

Not only does it make him look

like a fool, but it also serves as

a poor representation of African

American youth everywhere.

• Justine riddick Copy Desk Chief