Been noticing this as well as I get older. A Black man with an obvious level of intelligence still has to have an "edge" to him to be respected by many Black women and OTHER Black men.
Tupac's skill and lyricism alone wasn't enough, it was the "thug" image he portrayed that aided his success. This theme has continued for modern-day rappers.
A community activist can't simply earn respect by helping out and warning against gang culture, he needs to have prior experience in the streets to be taken seriously by "the hood".
A straight-laced, no-nonsense Black man, whether working class or professional, blue collar or white collar, is still viewed as "boring" or "lame" by many in our community (particularly under the age of 30), but trappers and scammers are respected for "getting it out of the mud".
I'm noticing a growing number of Black men my age who no longer feel pressured to act out the stereotypes that the men before us did, which gives me a sliver of hope, however the future still looks bleak.
We need to take a concerted effort to rip the control of the American Black man's image out of the hands of rappers, athletes, and entertainers. Otherwise, the blemishes will never be wiped away.