Why do rappers and athletes have such a big influence in the black community?

[Ronnie Lott]

So we settled with nikkas who can barely read at an 7th grade level cause they can shoot/catch a ball?

You sound jealous and upset. You're also incorrectly generalizing black rappers and athletes.

Plus it says a lot about you IF rappers and ballers with 7th grade educations are doing better than you

 

[KidJSoul]

most people idolize celebrities

plus many blacks are poor and/or live with circumstances that make it much harder to succeed through traditional means

 

[iFightSeagullsForBread]

They're living the dream.

 

[Colin X]

You sound jealous and upset. You're also incorrectly generalizing black rappers and athletes.

Plus it says a lot about you IF rappers and ballets with 7th grade educations are doing better than you

I'm not some broke 30 year old reflecting on life thinking about where I went wrong.


I'm a young breh in life going thru college so I can become a legal gangster


I listen to 21 Savage, Trill Sammy, Lil Uzi, Carti, my favorite rapper Jeezy and I love sports.


But they're not the most important thing in my life and I don't look to them for influence

 

[NotAnFBIagent]

Cause they have money and fame
Living the life is more appealing than working a 9 to 5 to most people

And it's not just blacks celebrities in general are worshipped

 

[FSP]

art/sport is central in all human society not just the black community*

That's true but I think OP meant to say that there is a strange lack of "other" idols. Besides MLK and President Obama who else can you name in the last 50 years that has attained widespread recognition in the black community without being an entertainer or athlete? shyt, I can think of only one or two and I'm a pretty big geek myself.

 

[Ronnie Lott]

I'm not some broke 30 year old reflecting on life thinking about where I went wrong.


I'm a young breh in life going thru college so I can become a legal gangster


I listen to 21 Savage, Trill Sammy, Lil Uzi, Carti, my favorite rapper Jeezy and I love sports.


But they're not the most important thing in my life and I don't look to them for influence

Ok cool. What's your point

 

[Heafcliffe]

....because, sadly, they are considered the ones who have "made it"

 

[Larry Lambo]

I don't think there's an issue with entertainers having influence as much is it is parents not promoting alternatives routes to success.

Like a lot of kids I dreamed about being in the NBA, but I also dreamed about being an architect, an investment banker, a successful business owner, etc.

A lot of kids only see sports and entertainment as ways to achieve and when it doesn't happen they don't have anything to fall back on.

 

[Ronnie Lott]

That's true but I think OP meant to say that there is a strange lack of "other" idols. Besides MLK and President Obama who else can you name in the last 50 years that has attained widespread recognition in the black community without being an entertainer or athlete? shyt, I can think of only one or two and I'm a pretty big geek myself.

The op sounds dumb by generalizing all black youths. Some are influenced by rappers and athletes, some are inspired by engineers, doctors, firemen, producers, film directors, parents etc

There's nothing wrong with being influenced by an athlete if a kid has athletic ability. If a kid has a gift, they should use it.

 

[King Poetic]

because athletes and ESPECIALLY rappers have nikkas thinking they pockets are stacked up and they living the high life when majority of rappers aren't even living better than a 9 to 5 person..... so a lot of blacks are like i don't need a education to become a rapper especially with the technology today they assume they all going to pop

 

[Lifer11]

....because, sadly, they are considered the ones who have "made it"

What's sad about it? They have made it. Most of them are making millions to play a kids game or tour the world doing something they love.

Like other people said celebrity worship is rampant in every culture and race today and that's a problem, there definitely needs to be more emphasis on becoming doctors and just giving back to our communities in general, but there's nothing wrong with celebrating someone who made it to the pinnacle of their craft, and young kids aspiring to do the same, they just need to be taught that not everyone is gona make it and they need to have something to fall back on.

 

[FSP]

I don't think there's an issue with entertainers having influence as much is it is parents not promoting alternatives routes to success.

Like a lot of kids I dreamed about being in the NBA, but I also dreamed about being an architect, an That's investment banker, a successful business owner, etc.

A lot of kids only see sports and entertainment as ways to achieve and when it doesn't happen they don't have anything to fall back on.

That's true too

I think you gotta think about it from the kids perspective

Who's mostly shown riding around in exotic cars, getting with bad women and rocking diamonds? It's pictured that academia can kind of get you there, but a good entertainer or athlete is wildly successful and has millions of dollars. And for the most part its...kinda true. For now. In black society there aren't many notable examples of people who got that far with academia. Now, there are many black millionaires who aren't in that field, but they are rarely shown is my point. NDT and Daymond John are the only two I see with regularity, in fact(other than Obama obviously), and DJ is only in shark tank.

That's why I say be careful when nikkas shyt on Obama, he really is one of our only examples of academic success bringing exorbant amounts of wealth and power, and his era is almost at an end.

The other half of this equation I blame on women because of the utter thirst to be with a dude of that caliber of success and status just fukks up a nikka compass completely, but that's another story.

 

[Colin X]

The op sounds dumb by generalizing all black youths. Some are influenced by rappers and athletes, some are inspired by engineers, doctors, firemen, producers, film directors, parents etc

There's nothing wrong with being influenced by an athlete if a kid has athletic ability. If a kid has a gift, they should use it.

My problem isn't really with the kids tho.


It's more the adults who still look up to them and treat their words as law

 

[Big D Bangston]

Because they are in the media more and are more celebrated than the black scientists and other professionals.

They also have more "wealth/swag" associated with them.

Dunking a ball/Passing a ball/Rapping/Acting is more sexy than Performing surgeries and inventing things that could benefit your community/the world.