Photo credit: TMZ

OK, bear with me now. So there's a music video out there that features the music video star lynching a very small child. Instant outrage factor, am I right? The song is called "Look at Me" so I kind of hated the idea of even writing about it. I mean, the guy is obviously starved for attention and this is some race-baiting nonsense and a ploy to get "made" overnight.

Imagine if the child being hanged was Muslim or Black or Asian or… and tell me again about those double-standards that don't exist, I thought to myself. It was about then that I realized, sometimes I may jump the gun a bit. I took the time to hear the fellow out and I can't say I entirely disagree with a lot that he's saying and though I may find the method he used to grab the world's attention highly distasteful, I must admit, myself (and around 5 million others) may have never heard it otherwise.

That said, the means with which this rapper chose to encapsulate his message has (very understandably) turned off folks of all races who didn't bother to look past the shocking, and perhaps uncalled for, graphic depictions.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It's time to make a stand. Report this <a href="https://twitter.com/xxxtentacion">@xxxtentacion</a> video for violent content against a child. RT on all platforms.<a href="https://t.co/1XBvXvESwH">https://t.co/1XBvXvESwH</a> <a href="https://t.co/I7un2j0npS">pic.twitter.com/I7un2j0npS</a></p>— Lucid Hurricane ✘ (@LucidHurricaneX) <a href="https://twitter.com/LucidHurricaneX/status/908009460106489856">September 13, 2017</a></blockquote>

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<a href="http://www.tmz.com/2017/09/13/xxxtentacion-look-at-me-video-child-hanging-lynching/>The rap itself (and the accompanying video) is farly hard to deal with</a>. Violence, gratuitous obscenity and disturbing videos of police brutality. At around 1:30 the classic "can't keep my d**k in my pants" refrain gives way to something almost reminiscent of that all too rare commodity that is, inspiring hip-hop with a somewhat positive (if rough around the edges) message.

<blockquote>You ever seen a nigga hung with gold chain

About to sing about the same things that we claim

Shot your back but niggas like a task force

Mobbing on the streets and robbing stores and ski masks, bruh

Niggas ask for peace and then riot, then bring violence

Cause this a game of cat-and-mouse and you gon' bleed silent

What's the justice in saying "fuck it" and grab the pump

To kill a woman with many children makes you a chump

Look at all the stores you wreckin', nigga I reckon

Think about the people who own it for 'bout a second

I know you got your problem but brother, they got theirs

This is not a game, cause violence grew a pair

But, yo, you'd rather hear me say "fuck black prejudice

Let's murder different races, grow hatred and form irrelevant

Views and etcetera, knives thrown, damaging lives blown

Oblivion all cold, oblivious

I won't daresay that you should stop the fucking ignorance

Murder us, killing shit, I enjoy the thrill of it

Raising blood of officers' corpses, offer 'em, auction 'em

Don't you bark at them, never heard of them

I could preach 'em peace and say "fuck it and preach the murder"

But this ain't fucking life that we living

Go ahead and grab the extension, get another one

Uncle, cousin, brother, send glory to all the chosen ones

That will rid you of innocence

But in a sense, innocent will soon be holding the ignorance

Blasphemous, killin' her own, murdering black–</blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This kid XXXTentacion has real problems.</p>— Ferrari Sheppard (@stopbeingfamous) <a href="https://twitter.com/stopbeingfamous/status/907761461019205632">September 13, 2017</a></blockquote>

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At this point, the rapper, XXXTentacion, puts the noose around a tiny boy's neck in a muted and disturbing display. The video ends with an outro/monologue that references both black on white and white on black crime:

"Equity and equality; the end result we all, the ones that don't want to live in misery that is, desire. And naturally we all black and white are schadenfreude or malicious."

"Murder is murder whether you're black or white. You should always feel free to voice your opinion, but to act out on these irrational thoughts in any shape or form is disgusting. You can not, as black or white, call yourself a supreme race when moved out of your comfort by the opposition's color."

Despite the attempt (it seems) as an uplifting message, the means of presenting it sullies the message which seems to be lost in the click-bait laden controversy. Another point to be made is it <i>still</i> is a case of the pot and the kettle, the goose and the gander. While conservatives and libertarians and other "dissenters from popular/(PC) opinion" can be demonetized or banned for the slightest of things (or in the case of ReviewBrah, <strong>NOTHING AT ALL</strong> content like this rap video or <a href="

https://www.inquisitr.com/opinion/4369570/stray-from-the-path-advocates-antifa-violence-in-good-night-alt-right/">the Antifa praising "punk" tune that advocates violence against Trump supporters</a> don't seem to result in the the fall of the b&hammer.

An anon at 8chan had this to say:

<quote>Lol, he starts listing "hate crimes" after the hanging and he features a black on white crime, looks like they are taking the narrative back a few steps and trying to push people towards a centrist "we all commit crimes" mode of thought rather than painting non whites as the eternal victims. The thing with the hanging kid is supposed to represent your bigotry damaging your child but it also seemed like a veiled "this is what will happen if your child is racist" message. All in all it's trash.</a>

Hip-hop's first major injury was around 1983. Before that, the period from the late 70's to the early 80's the hip hop genre was a far cry removed from most of the rap and gangsta rap of today. The Fearless Four in 1983 sing about the "Problems of the world today" advocating their listeners to make something of themselves and improve their lives and communities: "Should have went to school, studied computers, then I wouldn't have the problems that I'm dealing with today."

But that doesn't work well for the Powers that Be, so Mtv and Time Warner stole Sugar Hill Records' back catalogue just before "Yo MTV Raps" emerged on the scene to turn Hip Hop into a new breed of materialistic, crime-worshipping commercial music that encourages a toxic culture.

People of all races are affected by toxic, materialist, trash pop culture, not just African Americans. Perhaps, a trend in positive messages would be the best thing for youth of all races.