I THINK THEY BLOWING IT OUT OF PROPORTION. ITS NOT UP TO RAP ARTIST TO RAISE UR CHILDREN. IF BY THE TIME UR CHILD IS IN 6TH OR 7TH GRADE HE OR SHE HAS NEVER SEEN AN ADULT HOLDING A DRINK SMOKING A CIGAR WITH MONEY AROUND. THEN THERE GONE BE IN A WORLD A TROUBLE WHEN THEY GET A TASTE OF THE REAL WORLD. A CHILD SHOULD BE TAUGHT AT HOME FIRST THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS MEANT FOR ADULTS NOT CHILDREN,IF U PARENTS DONT FIRST INSTILL THAT IN A CHILD THEN U CANT POINT THE FINGER AT ANYBODY BUT URSELF FOR NOT DOING UR DAMN JOB. I MEAN THE NIGGA HAD ON A VEST AND SOME GRENADES IN THE PIC BIG DEAL, BUT THATS COMPARABLE TO A POSTER OF AN ARMY MOVIE OR SORCOM US NAVY SEALS VIDEO GAME, UR KID CAN BE AT WALMART AND TAKE A GLANCE THROUGH THE DAMN GLASS AND SEE THAT.. IF THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A NEW RAMBO MOVIE COMING OUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ALL GOOD THOUGH…THEY NEED TO GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE WIT THAT BULL S**T.. “IT SEEMS LIKE WHEN A BLACK MAN SEES A LIL FAME AND SUCCESS HIS IMAGE HAS TO LOOK SQUEAKY CLEAN IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE ACCEPTABLE” I NEVER SAW NOBODY AIRING OUT “TIM THE TOOLMAN TAYLOR” FOR HIS TOOL TIME SHOW, AND IF U DO UR RESEARCH ULL SEE HE DID ALL KINDS OF JAIL BIDS FOR SELLING CRACK AND POWDER IN HIS LATE TWENTIES AND EARLY THIRTIES THEY EVEN GOT HIS JAIL PIC ON THE INTERNET, BUT U NEVER HEAR BOUT THAT S**T ON TV.

OMG! this is killin me. i wanna jus go crazy! media isnt responsible for raising our kids. and i feel if u feed the right things into ur child theyll kno how to separate the ENTERTAINMENT from the real world.

What the hell was Gorilla Zoe doing within 100ft of a elementary school? ANy school of impressionable youths for that matter? I would have definitely kept my children home that day, and possibly switched schools for their bad judgment in booking this artist [personally] for their school.

The principal should be fired over this and Gorilla Zoe sent back to dumbassville. What an idot!!! Just another example of a “Thug” that’s too stupid and scared to really stand for anything worthwhile! Tim the Toolman is WHITE!! Big diff. White people have a whole country (world) to support them and their mistakes or devious behavior; Black people cannot afford that imagery of NIGGAS anymore. Its time to stop being children and be MEN. I’m sick of all these 35 year old men walking acting like children. The white man is laughing at you [us].

As a parent I know it’s my responsibility to raise my children the best way I can. I don’t expose them to anything bad and I know keeping their minds filled with positive things and having God be a strong presence is going to make things a whole lot smoother. But what I am so tired of hearing people say is “not to let the media raise our kids” Even the best parents in the world can’t always be perfect. I’m not speaking on parents who leave beer cans or mary jane seeds laying around. Or momz is banging dudes while the kids watch cartoons. I’m talking about parents such as myself who put their children first and lay down their lives for their kids. Rambo is a fictional character nothing like Sly Stallone. Gorilla Zoe is a real person, the way in which he portrays himself is very real. Everything in the poster is what he does in real life. Understandably when a child is home the parent raises the child, but when the child is at school the parent loses a bit of that power. Especially when the principal brings someone in that is not a good influence on the students. Sometimes it takes a village to raise our kids and everybody doesn’t always know whats best.

wow, the school couldn’t afford anyone else worthwhile speaking to younger children…and some wonder whats wrong with the younger generation…..*sigh

First off, no person named “Gorilla Zoe” should be allowed to do anything with the youth, especially with the recent controversy with the monkey (gorilla) and President Obama. There are so many great people that could come to speak to your schools, why chose someone who isnt a good representative for men and the black race as whole! Thats ridiculus! I dont care what fame you have, if it is negative, then you will have no influence over my kids other than WE DONT DO THAT OVER HERE! This is the most backwards things I have heard all day!

I forgot to mention in my previous post (#5). I’m wondering why the principal didn’t bring anyone positive to speak to the kids. Someone like Kirk Franklin…oh I forgot the whole no God thing in public schools rule. But yet someone who uses drugs and alcohol gets to parlay right in front of all these impressionable young minds. SMH

This was not a right move on the part of the school officials. It is different if he were an ex rap turned entrepreneur or anything else of a positive nature. Not someone calling themselves “niggas” and women every other word but woman. Handing out a poster such as that one was a stupid thing to do. It is unfortunate that children have no chance in this world because of the adults allowing them to be corrupt by such filth. And yes it is getting tired some seeing legally aged males acting like thugs and niggas. It is tasteless and just plain sad. Grow up and become protective men that children can admire. A prayer must be said for the children of today. God Bless them. To God Be The Glory.

What’s makes Gorilla Zoe such a bad person? Because he’s a rapper? He’s an entertainer, people, and he does what entertainers do best… write stuff that sells. His music may be a good influence for children.. but if he is being a good role model by telling these kids to get their education and not live the life he lived, then kudos to him. These parents should appriciate someone giving their kids a positive message.. cause some of these schools dont really give a damn about their students. The poster might have been the wrong thing to do, but his overall message should have been the key point of this visit… and y’all are mad over a damn poster.

On a side note.. and this is my opinion: If you can’t keep your 11 year old away from guns, alcohol and weed, you suck as a parent

WE would not have allowed it, but these kids relate to some of these rappers. At least Zoe told them to stay in school. I would not have been happy with mine coming home with the poster, but as a responsible parent I would have sat down and had a heart to heart with my kid and explained why this is something that they should not glorify.

Kids see 10x’s worst on the TV and never get an explaination. This time some one, Zoe, was there to give a clear message. Now it is time for the parents to be PARENTS and explain to their kids.

ya’ll should be proud that a black man especially of that type of apperance even would consider speaking!it doesn’t matter where yu from or what yu do in your life,if yu still want to do the right thing then so be it, only god can judge shout to Gorilla!

If he spoke a positive message…then that’s all that counts. I dont care if your name is Gorilla Zoe or Will Smith. And passing out those flyers was maybe a bit much for 5th and 6th graders. They already see enough negative images on the daily. If I was a parent I wouldnt have been “too” upset. I would have been more concerned about what the rapper said to the kids and I’d ask my kid what he learned from what was spoken.

looks like someone didn’t do their research

I understand completely where the parents are coming from…I wouldn’t want him to be passing out that kind of poster to my 10 year old with him smoking, carrying a gun and count a large amount of money and only God know where he got it from or what type of message it sends to children. he might of been speaking positive stuff to the children but too bad he’s not sending the same message in his music witch is why he shouldn’t have been at that school in the first place.

I bet you that does parents will by GTA 4 for there kids, stop being hypocrites people I bet you they have every violent video game out there to same thing.

I understand why a child’s parent would be upset about the flyers (as a parent I would too). But two things to keep in mind. If the topics that he discussed were good, then I would not be upset at all. As for the flyers, maybe he was passing them out as a way to get the kids to see that the images that rappers are presenting are for the most part just fairy tales. I wouldn’t do that if I was a rapper for the simple fact that 5th and 6th graders would not be my target audience. I also believe that the parents themselves should use the flyers to talk to their kids about the things that they see on TV, because at the end of the day Gorilla Zoe, Jay-Z, etc. do not raise our kids.

Parent’s understand this even before your child turns 21 or when they turn 21 they will somke and drink to see what it tasty like and that real.

Well I’m not taking nobody’s side but the parent are right cause thats a bad look on kids that age, but on the other hand thats what he represent so……

All I can say is that he did give a positive message but the poster was a bit much but the parents should not trip because it’s already been said that they will go out and buy video games that show more violence and go buy movies that they know their kids shouldn’t see so why are they bugging they need to check themselves before they jump on that man he was basically promoting his album also and they did a good job at promoting it all over the news.

it was just the poster, that all really he should have really think about the poster and what it have on it, it should been more something like dreams are real, and you can achieve every goal that is possible. that would have been more propable.

Okay, the poster might have been a little wrong. But I think that it was a great idea to have him there, because Gorilla Zoe, and rappers like him are the people that children are paying the most attention to regardless of what parents and teachers do to stop it and I think children are more likely to listen to what he is saying versus someone else.

The speaker just used the children for a means to an end. So that is the lenght of his apperance. Whomever gets hurt in the process seems inconsequential to the rapper which does seem insensitive. Though the two way street is open and is an opportunity for parental involvement. And it very much seems as though to toy with impressionable minds is very acceptable within this community. Also in the generation of Buster’s it was so announced the difficulty of finding a “Good Man” or “Good Woman” and now excuses are made for repungnent behavior. I say Proposterous! And I will do whatever and search for however long to ignite decency.

rappers SHOULD NOT EVER be invited to speak at ANY SCHOOL OR COLLEGE until they learn how to speak the ENGLISH language proper or at least get a degree from a school or college, and i dont mean HONORARY!!!

this is a hard one. to be honest I do not believe rappers should be talking to elementary school kids that young. Most rappers, and i repeat, most, are school drop outs or past felons. As much as they may have turned their lives around, i dont believe they should be giving their testimony to elementary school kids. Lets face it. we are living in a society where all parents want their kids to be celebrities, football stars and all. But who will be the doctors? Even college kids get carried away by the celebrity and their past lives, which is sad to say, mainly associate with the bad side. NOw when guns and drugs come in the picture? NO WAY!!!! he should do alot of community service and never rap about guns, drugs and hoes!

juicy2fly i beg to disagree with you. yes the kids are listening to those songs. why? they shouldn’t. blame the media on that. What happened to the good old play songs? not only were those listened to, the kids sang them too as well. now wonder why kids think of drugs and sex at such a tender age?

By all means, I do not like this guys music at all but, I think it was a good thing that he went as a motivational speaker to the school. Kids are learning the wrong things at a younger age than when I was growing up. Sometimes their Role Model choices aren’t the best but sometimes that’s what it takes for some kids to listen. I totally agree with the poster being the WRONG thing BUT at the same time, even if he wouldn’t have brought the posters in ONE kid would have brought a poster in with a negative image of him on it and it still would have been an issue. So either way, it would have probably been an issue on his part. It’s up to us as Parents/Leaders to make our/their kids are being guided in the right direction.

More attention in the D…

I see where they are coming from when they say the poster is wrong… sure it’s wrong, but if the parents are doing their jobs as parents they shouldn’t have anything to worry about. I grew up listening to all rap… and i’m talking about from the 69 boyz let me ride that donkey and on to 2pac hail mary and i’m a pretty decent person. I don’t smoke or use drugs… I do drink from time to time… that stuff doesn’t really influence kids… it influence them only to rap not to use drugs if they do choose to use them in the future its because they want to. I’m tired of older people critizing rappers, hell more blue songs talk about sex, but it’s ok for them to listen to that. GET REAL and be happy that we are making as black people instead of saying s**t like ‘you young people’!

ITs amazing how far we have fell as a people…… And we wonder why we are so far behind.

THEY NEED TO GET OFF MY NIGGA GORILLA ZOE DICK DAMN!!!!!!!!!!

THEY NEED TO GET OFF MY NIGGA GORILLA ZOE DICK DAMN!!!!!!!!!!
THATS WHAT HE DOES AND THEY KNEW THAT BEFORE THEY INVITED HIM SO TOUGH F**KIN LUCK!!!!!!!!!

hahaha the principal is on gorillas side! “spoken words r just as positive!” i love his song hood ngga! but i am against the poster.

seems like we are al rushing kids to be grown ups before they know what life is? how many of us as adults really know what life is?

again we live in a society where we have to turn a negative to a positive. is that really worthy? especially when it has to do with our own philosophy?

Question for those who disagree with what Gorilla Zoe did or what not. When was the last time you actually went to a school or even volunteered at your own children school to help make a difference in your community. I know when I was that aged if he would have visited my schol it would have really meant something to me to know that he had took the time out to do what he did. Guns and drugs is something alot of Kids see everyday so whats the big deal I know I did but I dont do drugs. It all starts at home and not with the media if people took the responsiblity for the children and actually raised their children then there is nothing to worry about got to keep your children active in a positive atmosphere besides school and home.

Kevint_722 CLEARLY YOU’RE THE ONE THAT’S ON HIS DICK
WHAT HE DID WAS DUMB AND IRRESPONSIBLE

Its a poster!! Gorilla Zoe said something postive to the kids. Now as a parent you should be able to tell your children what’s right and what’s wrong. People today are always trying to find something to complain about.

Dallas TX?? The city marked #1 in having the highest crime rate? Same city with a website dedicated specifically for crime on http://www.dallascrime.com/ ?

I am not surprised at all. 11 and 12 yr olds? In about 2-5 years half of them will be in jail or dead and the other half will have been pregnant and collecting welfare. The rest of the world will move on.

I wasn’t surprised that the principle was black. She was probably some ghetto chick that made it out the hood to lead a school nobody else feels is worthy of leading.

Wow.. how to a person go to a school with impressionable school childern, give them the inspirational “you can be anything you want” speah and then turn around and pass out posters with guns and alcohol??

No wonder why the Black race is soo damn far behind.. It’s more to life than rapping, drugs, hoes and liquor..

My grammer is off, but it’s all good.. Ya’ll got my point !!

Meant to say principal. If I was a parent of a kid there I would have yanked my child from that school and enrolled them into a private school.

as a parent, you should be able to teach your child whats right & wrong. just because they see it doesnt mean they have to do or follow it. he came with a postive message, so he should get some kind of thanks for that one, but hes also about making his money, and if he has to hand out posters with guns, money and alcohol on it, then that’s his hustle. at the end of the day, hes got bills and people he’s gotta pay, just like the rest of us. get over it people.

the man came with a message to the youth.. you cant please everyone

Get over it people? That’s what you had to say? You obviously dont have children that age. As a parent of a 5th grader I can tell you that I would be p*ssed if somebody handed out a poster like that in school. Rapper or not. It was inappropriate. I can appreciate his hustle but he must not have given much thought before handing those out to kids. He exercised very poor judgment on that one!

Yea get over it… if a lil poster has more of an impression than mom & dad, then apparently youre not good parents

Well damn a “cleaned up” version of the poster. all that’s gonna do is make the kids wanna find the “dirty” version of the poster. But regardless, the kids knew who he was before he came to their school, and knew what his music was about, so i don’t think they’d be anymore confused if they had the poster or not. the poster is just a visual for them to be more confused. I just think it was poor efforts by the principal

HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! Well idk about that poster, but if you kid is so easily swayed by some stupid album cover…the problem is not with Gorrila Zoe, the problem is with YOU!

i have a 4 yrs that i am taking care who anit mine in dna .. and if i went to go pick him up @ school and he tells me that some rapper gave him that kinda poster i will go off and 5/6 grader dont need to now about money/alcohol and guns … they need to know wat is right and wrong ….. people .. you also have to remember @ the end of the day even if you teach your kids wats right and wrong there going to be parents who dont so called have the time and we cant change that so as parents we mite as well teach those who has no idea how wrong it is for them to learn about guns/money/alcohol ….i mean ok that is his hustle .. i understand but how far will u go for your kid and some times it a mistake that you cant change cuz your kids wanna be just like that rapper or like any other rapper ….

now if he would have gave out t-shirts with his name on it i wouldnt care but that is way to much for a poster ……

dis is no big deal when u break it down because they see guns drugs and acohol in video games movies and even school this ain’t the old days kids are gettin early exposure to volence at an early age but i’m still not justifying it.

somebody always talking about the end of the day s**t. what about the beginning? did you see how crunk them kids was while the light skinned boy was talking during that interview? them damn kids already out of control. pictures just leave images in your head, they don’t decide life choices. how many people that left a comment don’t smoke or drink and never had a gun in they possession? probably had a thousand speeches though…. so I’m not picking sides.

i listen to hip hop all the time and my parents are strong christian. Its all about what u allow in ur household. Yea a child my day so wrong of course he/she is not perfect just show make sure u show ur child the i hey i have rules in my house and that type of music is not allow.

They need to get it right. It was a middle school not elememtary…so their 13 and 14.Pearl C of all schools in the middle of the hood…South Dallas. I’m from Dallas and by middle school we had all seen guns,drugs, and alcohol. Some using em. Shiddd…I used to smell the weed everyday at lunch and my padna was slingin rocks. They need to get with the program,look in the mirror and think if their teaching their kids right from wrong.

JUDGING FROM THE COMMENTS I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THE MAJORITY OF COMMENTS WERE LEFT BY REALLY, REALLY YOUNG INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE KIDS. YEAH IF I WERE YOUNGER, I WOULD PROBABLY FEEL THE SAME WAY, THAT IT’S OK FOR THE KIDS TO SEE GUNS AND MALITIA PARAPHINALIA, AND STACKS, ALCOHOL, ECT. SEEING THEY SEE IT EVERYDAY ANYWAY BUT IM NOT AND THAT WOULD BE IMMATURE AN IGNORANT. LETS BE REAL THOUGH, WE KNOW KIDS AE EXPOSED TO GUNS SEX DRUGS AND VIOLENCE AT AN EARLY AGE. IT’S EVERY WHERE! BUT WE CAN SCALE DOWN THE LEVEL OF THEIR EXPOSURE. LETS NOT BE IGNORANT, WE CAN’T SHARE A COMPELLING SPEECH ABOUT STAYING IN SCHOOL AND MAKING THE GRADE FOR FUTURE SUCCESS THEN TURN AROUND AND GIVE THEM A POSTER THAT PORTRAYS THE OPPOSITE! IT’S HYPOCRITICAL AND KIDS TODAY NEED AGRESSIVE PARENTING! WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN A LEVEL OF RESPECT BY TEACHING AND SHOWING. YES NEGATIVE IMAGES CAN STILL INFLUENCE 5TH AND 6TH GRADERS, I KNOW I WAS A 12 & 13 YEAR OLD ONCE AND I WANTED TO BE LIKE THE MARY JANE GIRLS OR MJ! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE HEARD OUR CHILDREN RECITE RAP OR IMMULATE RAPPERS SUCH AS LIL WAYNE.DONT GET ME WRONG, I DIG LIL WAYNE BUT WE NEED TO MONITOR AND EXPLAIN TO THEM WHY ITS NOT OK TO OBJECTIFY WOMEN AS B***HES AND S**TS. THINK ABOUT IT LIL WAYNE SAYS AND I QUOTE..”AND IF YOU CAN’T SWALLOW THEN SHUT B***H GOGGLE!?” THINK ABOUT IT, WOULD YOU WANT A KID TO REPEAT THAT TO YOUNG LADY WHO COULD IN TURN BE YOUR DAUGHTER, NEICE, ECT? ADMIT IT WE NEED TO CLEAN UP OUR IMAGES A LIL BIT. OUR KIDS ARE EXPOSED TO TOO MUCH AND THE DROP OUT RATES, PREGNANCIES, DRUGS AND VIOLENCE ARE CLAIMING OUR YOUTH! NO, RAP MUSIC IS NOT THE CAUSE, BUT WE LACK GOOD OLD FASHION PARENTING. WHILE I KNOW THAT THE IMAGE ON THE POSTER IS JUST ADVERTISING, IT STILL IS SOMETHING AS A PARENT I WOULD NOT PURCHASE OR ALLOW MY SON TO PURCHASE AND BRING INTO MY HOUSE….WOULD YOU? AND IF SO WHY NOT JUST GIVE THEM A GUN, DRUGS, ECT. AND SAY “HERE YA GO..ENJOY, YOU SEE IT EVERYDAY ANYWAY SO I, YOUR PARENT WANT YOU TO TAKE THESE THINGS SO NOBODY ELSE CAN GIVE IT TO YOU LATER.” SOUNDS FOOLISH DOESN’T IT?

Why in the sam hell would anyone send a rapper to talk to 6th and 7th graders?

i agree that the poster was stupid… but his message wasn’t negative…

the posters may have been out of line, but what did you think he’s a rapper with a lil brain I guess. maybe he doesnt have kids of his own. maybe he didnt have the proper up bringing by his parents.

I don’t see anything wrong with the fact he went and talked to the students. I’m sure that the message was a positive one, one the other hand that’s what some children see everyday,but to see zoe talk in a different light and do something positive for the community was a plus. I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm but it wasn’t thought of to just bring a picture of himself without all the extra to give a kid an autograph would have been a lot nicer. When I was in high school, when the HOTBOYS first came out they came to our school as part of a promo by the radio station.

you can thanks russel simmons and rick rubin for this.

So, what did he talk about? Did
he try and recruit some of the kids? turn them into rappers?
I agree that the posters were in poor taste but did he give them a positive message? If so,
lighten up. By the time kids are in the 6th grade they are
already pretty much baked into
how they are going to turn out.
If their parents are teaching
them, setting a good, positive
example, then they should feel
confident that they aren’t going to run out and try to get
liquor and guns. Kids aren’t as
gullible as we adults think they are,

I BACK GORILLA ZOE, HE SPOKE POSITIVELY AND THAT’S ALL THAT MATTER’S. I HAVE CHILDREN, AND THAT POSTER ISN’T AS BAD AS HALF THE THINGS YOU SEE ON TV AND IN MAGAZINES. HOW MANY MOVIES HAVE PEOPLE SMOKING CIGARETTS?? ALOT!! WHAT ABOUT DRINKIN?? EVEN IF IT’S A BEER, STILL…A LOT!! IT’S NOT LIKE HE TOLD THE KIDS TO FOLLOW HIS LIFE, HE JUST GAVE THE KIDS A FLIER WITH THE COVOR OF HIS ALBUM TO TELL THEM WHEN THEY COULD GET IT IN STORES. PLUS HE CALLED AND APOLOGIZED FOR THE POSTER AFTERWARDS, SO GET OFF HIS BACK!!

I have to argue that his “speaking positively” is NOT all that matters. His actions should be in line with his words. Otherwise one just cancels the other out. He needs to work on his image before he starts dipping into elementary schools influencing children. The administration of the school should be held responsible.

SUPORT ALL THINGS BLACK.WE ALL KNOW EACHOTHER A LITTLE BETTER FOR .IT LETS KEEP HIPHOP IM TALKING REAL HIPHOP.NOT THAT ON THE BLOCK FAKE PIMPING.