“Street Kings.”

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streetz is out

I have been on a loop, listening to all the stories of the guys who used to be into the streets heavy. I am talking about the men you hear about in well-known rap lyrics. But what is it, what is it about the gangsters in the street that make them so appealing. Why are they so attractive and the everyday hard working man is not so appealing? Could it be that if they want something, they go and get and the everyday man is afraid to get what is coming to him? Or is it the outlaw mentality that people love so much?

outside the law

The appeal of the man in the street initially is the go for it mentality. They say I want this or that, they go get it. And if they can’t get it handed to them, they’ll take what is felt is theirs. But what we really get attracted to when looking at the outlaw is the way they elude the system. There is something for some reason that is so ingratiating about these men eluding the government; a government that makes promises on  daily yet never deliver. So when you have men in the street who can work around the system, you silently cheer, but you also have this fear because you know who they are and their capabilities.

levels in the game

MAFIA

• The photo below is of the movie The Godfather. It depicts the Italian Mafia which is the highest level of gangsters in American history. They have not only been the topic of films and songs, but have influenced the way men and women dress and talk. Almost every facet of pop culture has a bit of the mafia in its existence.

STREET GANGS

• The picture below is from the movie Colors which depicts street gang violence in Los Angeles. The movie takes us into the lives of two police officers as they patrol gang riddled neighborhoods in the inner city. These group of men (gangs) are attractive to young males and females growing up in inner cities because of that need to belong to something.

PIMPS

• The movie below is of the 1970’s film The Mack with head actor Max Julien. The movie explores the life of pimping, profession so many young men glorify. The guy in the movie who is able to have all the women, nice cars, clothes, and the gift of the gab. These types of movies took over in the 1970’s spurring out a generation of young men chasing the pimp dream.

DRUG DEALERS

• The last movie is of the fictional character Scarface. A megalomaniac drug dealer who sold cocaine; a key figure in so many young men selling drugs in the 1980’s and songs being made in hip hop. The drug dealer has always been glorified, so much so that famous musicians bare the names of some of these men.

downfalls

The problem with all the movies that I just named are the downfalls in each film. There is no riding into the sunset at the end, only heartache. You have never heard of a retired drug dealer, gang member, pimp, or mobster. They meet their demise, yet for some reason it never stops people from following in the footsteps. Because we have such deep connection to these lawless men.

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