Why Do Rappers Name Themselves After Criminals?
Rick Ross, CIA Linked Cocaine Dealer, Will Be Released
Who are the rap heroes’ heroes? You can find the answer in their names.
Current hip-hop heavyweight, Rick Ross, is named after a California crack cocaine dealer who partnered with the CIA in a drugs-for-cash scheme that funded an insurgency in Nicaragua. “Freeway” Ricky Ross, who left prison this month after serving 20-years of a life sentence, was not really a boss. He was a pawn.
50 Cent is named after a Brooklyn stick up kid who robbed and murdered local drug dealers. 50 Cent’s right hand man is named Tony Yayo, after the popular slang for cocaine. Another one of 50’s nemeses, Fat Joe, refers to himself as Joey Crack.
Even one of hip-hop’s most cerebral rappers, Nas, named himself after the world’s most infamous drug dealer, Colombia’s Pablo Escobar, when he adopted the alias, Nas Escobar. Countless amounts of other rappers have named themselves after guns, drugs, Black gangsters, Italian mobsters and fictional gangsters from television and the movies.
One of New York’s most popular rappers, Jim Jones, may or may not be named after the infamous Guyana cult leader who lead his followers into mass suicide. But he seems to have the same sort of cultish devotion to make his fans drink the proverbial Kool-Aid.
Should the Government Bail Out Hip Hop?
A name is a very important step in forming one’s identity. Malcolm X made a profound statement of his identity when he changed his last name from Little, because that name had likely been given to his family by white slave-owners. When Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali, he also made a step into determining his identity as a Black Muslim. What does it say about the identities the rappers assume when they name themselves after criminals, guns, and drugs? Are they joining a religion of criminality and violence?
By adopting the names of infamous criminals, rappers are glorifying and idolizing criminals. Oppressed people tend to idolize successful criminals as one of the few examples of success from their communities. Many communities see these criminals as Robin Hood figures who battle oppressive governments to give back to their communities. Still, most of these criminals only hurt and exploit those communities. Drug dealers spend money on cars and jewelry for themselves, and hold basketball games or give away turkeys on Thanksgiving as token gestures. Whatever they may give back is negated by the violence and addiction they bring to the community.
While the rest of society seems to condemn crime, hip-hop glorifies it. Terms like thugs, gangsters and goons, which have negative connotations in mainstream society are positive terms in the hip-hop world.
Drug dealers and gangsters are not heroes. By glorifying and idolizing them, hip-hop continues the negative cycle of poverty, drugs and violence that it once fought to get out of.
It’s cool to watch a gangster movie or a documentary on crime, But nothing is cool about getting shot, going to jail or being addicted to drugs. Most rap fans are under young and impressionable. If these fans look up to rappers, and the rappers idolize the criminals, what’s to stop these fans from idolizing criminals too?
There was a time, in the late 1980s, when rappers named themselves after people from the Black Power movement. Not anymore. By naming themselves after famous murderers and community poisoners, today’s rappers are either letting the Feds now about their real criminal backgrounds, or, more likely, letting the general public know that they are fake wanna-be gangsters.
Famous Gay African-Americans
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Leah_Wade6-15-2009 6:21 pm
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nappyrhino5-10-2009 2:17 pm
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alpha1119065-10-2009 2:14 pm
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nappyrhino5-10-2009 2:12 pm
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TomSlick045-7-2009 11:36 am
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COOL_BENTLEY5-7-2009 4:43 am
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COOL_BENTLEY5-7-2009 4:27 am
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COOL_BENTLEY5-7-2009 4:04 am
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knightstar5-7-2009 3:17 am
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YOURNAWTEEGIRL5-7-2009 3:14 am
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knightstar5-7-2009 2:54 am
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YOURNAWTEEGIRL5-7-2009 2:51 am
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Kenneth015-6-2009 6:45 pm
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iluvgrits5-6-2009 6:41 pm
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SoDelicious095-6-2009 6:31 pm
« Previous 1 2I am so sick of people!!!! Point blank
Obama is not black get it out your mouth!!!!!!!!!
why are we still asking about this mess?
is anyone REALLY surprised? in certain aspects of our community, criminality is valued over things like education.
don’t believe me? ask a 13-yo kid about capone and see what they can tell you.
then, ask that child about guion bluford, charles olgetree or edward brooke.
Unfortunately, there aren’t too many positive rappers out there. I don’t listen to much rap, but I used to…back when rap was an art, not just a party song. Real Hip Hop died in the late 90s. So the main stream media dictates what sells. No one can relate to the message so they like to relate to the image. You have to go underground to get real hip hop.
nas’ full name may be nasir, but “the death of escobar” is what got him on this list.
yeah what criminal was named vanilla ice
Hip hop sucks because of u suckers buy into all of the fictitious nonesence and then take their words literally. We need to strengthen the minds of our young people asap.
you have men trying to idle their role models, like kids do, leave em alone, lol
It’s not NOREAGA when talking about the real Panamanian dictator. It’s NORIEGA. Went to combat in Panama back in 89 to take him out of power. Operation Just Cause
For the record, Nas’ full name, is Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones. Nas is just a shortened version of his first name.
No disrespect to the editor of this column, but why are you questioning the fact that artists who do gangster rap assume the names of notorious gangsters? Who would go see a rapper who named himself after Dustin Hoffman? The Notorious Dustin Hoffman??? I mean, I love Mr. Hoffman’s movies, and I respect his acting talent, but his name just doesn’t illicit the same excitement as the name “Biggie Smalls”, hon. It’s just that simple.
Lord..if I see one more fool misspelling such words as STUPID as STUPIT…I am going to SCA-REEM!
I think it’s slightly gay to be honest (no offense to any gay ppl btw) but if I had to guess the answer to this article’s title I’d probably say the same reason movie directors make movies based on actual true stories…It’s really not that deep or complicated. It’s all entertainment, so who cares? They’re just bringing light to these criminals’ stories. Before all the history channel doc**entaries there was no way for people of this generation to hear actual true stories about kingpin criminals except when a movie was made. Now they have rappers making theme songs to those guys’ lives all the time. It’s all a fantasy to most based on a reality to some (the guys they named themselves after) It’s all entertainment, you guys are the ones taking it to seriously.
OTHER WORDS RAPPERS NEED TO SHUT UP THEY SNITCH ON THEIR OWN SELFS BECAUSE THEY TALK
TO MUCH ON WHAT THEY DO FO A LIVING(mostly crime)
need to put the mic a little
closer to their mouths and gag on it if they SHUT UP mo offten
Drug dealers(THAT INCLUDES WHITE COLLAR TOO) spend money on cars and jewelry for themselves, and hold basketball games or give away turkeys on Thanksgiving as token gestures. Whatever they may give back is negated by the violence and addiction they bring to the community.
EVEN THOUGH THESE ARE MOVIES
NEW JACK CITY, AMERICAN GANGSTER WHICH IS REALITY IN THE HOOD A CROSS AMERICA
NOTICE IN THESE MOVIES THERE IS A DEAD END STREET
(no benefit in drugs sells)
cant be a millionaire either the reason why to many snitchers in the hood
and killing fo the block.
Today’s rappers are either letting the Feds now about their real criminal backgrounds, or, more likely, letting the general public know that they are fake wanna-be gangsters.
NO WANT TO BE HOMO THUGS
what do 50, rick ross, eminem,
jim jones, nas, jayz(gay z)
freeway,jada,beans have in common?
notice they like to hold steel
stiffs real close to their mouths go figure that joke out.
them guys need to be on rupaul
drag race show them homo thugs
that cant rap.
WOW YALL FOLKS CAN YALL SEE
5O, R ROSS, JIM JONES
KNOW THEM THUG FAGS RAPS ARE
VERY CORNY AND WEAK
JUST LIKE ALARM CLOCK SPEAKERS JUST LIKE NAS AND
GAY Z OPPS JAY Z AND THE
COO COO FO COCO POPS(ROCAFELLA)
AND EMINEM( WHAT THE SWEET RAPPER) GAY TRAILER TRASH AZZ
OF COURSE COMMON THAT MAKE NO SENSE AT ALL PLEASE SHUT UP
COMMON THE RAPPER YOUR WACK AND CANT ACT
LYRICS ARE SO STUPIT DUM IDIOTS
THEY USE MOBSTER NAMES TO FIT IN, OTHER WORDS THEY THINK THUG
GANGSTER IS BEING COOL
NOT BEING COOL BEING A STUPIT FOOL U ASK ME
Its strange how these men with their pants hanging, mouthful of gold teeth, “Buckwheat” hair syle and tons of fake bling, always seem to be attracted to very normal looking women. The only down side to the women’s appearence
are her “tramp stamp” tatoos and the clown at her side. As a black man, I can see no benefit in selling drugs, and shooting other brothers just to wind up in prison as someone’s b***h as not an option. Black rappers have done more damage to this generation than all the genocidal efforts of the KKK and other racist combined. Wake up young people, you have no one to blame but yourselves!!
I AM ACTUALLY KIND OF SUPRISED NEWS ONE POSTED THIS
IT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING URBAN DAILY WOULD HAVE DONE
I DON’T THINK THEY’RE TRYING TO MAKE BLACK PEOPLE LOOK BAD THOUGH..I THINK THEY’RE SPEAKING THE TRUTH…I MEAN HOW IGNORANT IS IT TO ONLY FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE AND JUST IGNORE THE OTHER S**T?
THESE RAPPERS ARE MAKING THEMSELVES LOOK BAD
PEOPLE LOVE CONTROVERSY THAT’S WHY THESE ARTICLES ARE MORE POPULAR…PEOPLE NEED TO START TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS AND CLEAN THEIR S**T UP SO PEOPLE WILL STOP STEREOTYPING AND LOOKING AT PEOPLE AS NEGATIVE
BLAME YOURSELF NOT NEWS ONE
Since young blacks place honor and social status in having served time in the penal system, along with shunning an academic education, this has created a culture to which they are attracted. It is the easiest to attain — being stupid then going out and doing something stupid — you’re there! As long as there are people who envy these scoundrels, they will prevail. How sad!
LEAST*
OMG I CAN’T STAND WHEN PEOPLE SAY “WELL AT LEASE THEY’RE GETTING MONEY”
MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING!!!!
PEOPLE WILL SELL THEIR SOUL FOR THAT S**T AND IT’S PATHETIC
Rappers, nowdays, are about the bulls**t rather than thanking god that they have a chance to be a rolemodel about themselves. Hip-Hop should be shamed for dudes naming themselves after people that then paid their dues for doing the wrong thing. I believe that if rappers would live by what they say in their raps then everything would be better about the world, rather than being about the bulls**t that surrounds the world today. Take responsbility for your actions, stop talking and start walking! I’m out!!!
i could give a flying phuck if them sons of biotches named themselves after biblical figures. As long as they are making good music then they will always get my monetary support. As for all yall saying that they are fake, well how do you know they are fake? It’s entertainment not real life. Jus b’cuz T.I. got caught purchasing big guns don’t mean he any more gangsta than Nelly. And just cuz Plies wears his pants down by his ankles and sport a mouf (not a mouth) full of golds dont make him any more gangsta than Usher. The skinny of it is, some people winners and some are losers. U the loser! Downing the way they make their living. In that case, take back that big screen tv, take those rims off your car and take those fake az diamonds out of your ear. Then you may be able to advise someone on being real. Until then, which rapper really has shot someone or is still selling dope? you find em, get me a day pass to get in the prison too. holla back
Very Interesting.