Friday, February 4, 2005
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Martin Luther King Jr. must be turning over in his grave. I don’t remember anything in his “I Have a Dream” speech about dropping out of college.
February brings not only Black History Month, but also the 47th annual Grammy Awards. What do these events have in common? Certainly not social responsibility. On Feb. 13, we’ll find out whether the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences will award Kanye West for poisoning the minds of America’s youth.
West’s album, “The College Dropout,” garnered 10 Grammy nominations including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. The 27-year-old rapper dropped out of an art school in Chicago after only a year and shared his experiences on the album.
The lyrics poke fun at the credibility of a college education. West devalues the worthiness of a degree by saying, “All the regular homeless people have newspapers and look what I have.” The quality of West’s beats and rhymes deserves accolades but the message does not.
West falls into the same category as Eminem. Both have earned nominations and awards for their music but neither believes in social responsibility. Eminem picked up Grammys for rapping about how much he hates fags. West encourages dropping out of school. What positive messages to send to kids. These rappers make exceptional music, but they don’t realize that their main audience — 12 year olds who turn on “TRL” after school — hasn’t lived in the real world and can’t distinguish fact from fiction. If little Johnny can score a rap deal with Roc-A-Fella records by spitting rhymes about rims, hos and getting high, why should he waste time going to college?
Mature adults may realize that this music can’t be taken seriously but impressionable children don’t know the difference.
West contributes to low enrollment of minority students in colleges, a trend in American culture.
Fewer than 10 percent of KU students are minorities, according to the University’s Web site, www.ku.edu.
If West’s message changes the minds of America’s youth, all the money and effort that the University spends to recruit minorities will go to waste. Black students can achieve just as much or more than their white counterparts, but they won’t receive the opportunity if they never enroll.
West has started recording and will drop his second album later this year, according to Entertainment Weekly. I hope he will take into account the hard work and sacrifices of King, Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks when he selects his tracks.
Caster is a Shawnee senior in journalism.
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