Black-Tee Critiques: Why Are Rappers Misunderstood Vol.1 Lil Boosie

“Black-Tee DaPromoter Critiques…”

“What I Learned From The Streets”

By Lil Boosie

As I sit on on the front porch at my aunt’s house in Birmingham, Alabama, I’m listening to the album entitled “Incarcerated” by Lil Boosie. I was compelled to explore the true meaning and message intended in the lyrics from Boosie. I felt the need to finally step up and compile facts and logical reasoning to expose the true meaning and positive messages of the beauty in his musical and instrumental composition. Being an advocate of urban music and also being a radio personality knowing the story of Lil Boosie and how he is mostly misunderstood by the majority of society is my driving force, because our young “black men” are being entrapped in the unfamiliarity of what they do not understand. Why are our young men resulting to the streets? What outlets do they have to make it out of the streets? Who is supporting and guiding them out? How much longer can we tell them what they should be doing and not reaching out to help or for that matter stepping up as a whole to make it better? Lil Boosie has expressed in a radical untraditional form through his music, of the dangers, deception, manipulations, trickery and death that dwell in the streets. He is exposing to our youth, around the world, of the false images portrayed by the media and movie industry to obtain fame, fortune and stability in this life. My focal points of the song “What I Learned From The Streets;” are the mood of the sound and the lyrics of the artist.

Lil Boosie used a dramatic, classical undertone to support the mood of his musical composition. From my understanding I am able to detect the usage of woodwinds, percussion, brass and a piano, all instruments that are often used in classical music production. What really caught my attention was the use of bells, which symbolize a form of awareness of an event or a situation of somber nature. As you listen to the baseline you can associate the mood of being on a hunt for hope. It sets the tone to focus on the essentials of life instead of the “hype” of life. It’s almost, as if, it is a death march to the negativity that the “streets” bring to destroy the minds of our youth. It also proclaims the victory of setting and reaching goals through the adversity that has been exposed to the youth through the streets. The entire composition pulls out the struggle of, the pain, grief, strife, and survival that is witnessed and lived in ones eyes and heart on a daily basis coming from poverty stricken communities across the world.

Analyzing his lyrics he is often perceived as a menace to society; only hearing the negativity in his use of profanity, but not for once hearing the real message of him informing the youth based off of his mistakes, life learned lessons and his promotions of the grimy behavior of people and the streets. Take this line for example: “Look. No matter how good you treat em (ooooooh.) That dope will make em do evil learned that from that clown Jeefers. These niggas turning on they own people (auntie told me) these niggas devils out here…” If I had to interpret these lyrics to my grandmother, I would explain that he is stressing, just because a person’s heart is honest does not mean that the next person’s is. People will manipulate your honesty and then blame and entrap you on situations that were or are unknown to you. Another example from a collaborative artist known as (Shell), “Man look, these hoes aint no better they be vultures too”. Basically, what he is saying is, that some women have hidden agendas where they will use whatever it takes, i.e. mind, body or soul to get whatever they so desire from men, regardless; of how he has to get it, she places unrealistic demands on him to prove his love for her. Overall, Lil Boosie has exposed the uncouth reality, vicious capabilities and the ravenousness of survival in the streets.

In conclusion to my critique on this musical piece, I can relate to the message at hand on an observational standpoint. Unlike most I was fortunate to have parents and family that were able to remove me from a poverty stricken neighborhood; however, all of my life I have had to witness friends and peers become victims to the streets for survival purpose, for selfish greed and man made success. I have had to attend the funerals of babies, women and men, because of the thriving ignorance from a lack of knowledge and opportunity dwelling amongst people in those stricken communities.

Earlier I proposed questions to the people on how we could change and make things better. Now is the time for unity, understanding and love. Maybe, just maybe, this will be a great start to help future generations.

-Black-Tee DaPromoter

LIL BOOSIE - WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE STREETS LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/what-i-learned-from-the-streets-lyrics-lil-boosie.html#ixzz26gazpyBW

*Black Tee DaPromoter*