The Hood in You
It's almost a sickening feeling, really. Almost like swallowing a whole gumball or eating Thanksgiving dinner too fast. It's not "the punch," like the death of a close friend or your grandmomma. It's not the big drop, like failing a test you had to pass, or a ride at Great Adventure.
Its just in you. Sticks to you. Stays with you forever. Its the Hood in you. You love it, you embrace it, til' death do you part. And yet, you spend your life trying to get away from it. You want to be successful? Want an education? Want a better quality of life for yourself and family? The Hood is not conducive to those desires. Nope, its much worse than a monkey on your back or the little voice in your head.
Don't get me wrong, the Hood does not have to be a housing project, a crime-ridden, drug-infested neighborhood. The Hood is found in the suburbs, deluxe apartments and back road towns. Most people think of the Hood as a way of life and of thinking rooted in the principles loyalty to family, friends and the block; a value system built on maintaining the community unit against the odds of the struggle. This is a significant part of the Hood, but not its total makeup. The Hood brings fear and loathing to you and yours.
See, the essence of the Hood for those who live in it and of it is fear. Fear that there is no other way. Fear of the breaking the status quo of those who came before you that did not quite live up to their own expectations. Fear of turning your back on these same people. Don't believe it? Go away to college and come back with that little piece of paper. Friends dont look at you the same, family doesn't look at you the same. And the truth is, you don't look at them the same way either. The Hood gets as small or as large as you want it to be, and the more you learn, the smaller it gets. The people in it and of it start sounding alike, and you feel bad that you feel the way you do. But it doesn't stop there.
It's not only about college, its simply about breaking the cycle. Any form of success grants you that magical mask that Langston wrote so fondly of, and Kanye picked off for today's youth. "Do better than I did" is the mantra for today's parents. The bar is set pretty high for these times, and you wonder why all the pressure. Let's suppose you do make it and turn out better than your folks are. You are at the top of the world, yet you fear your dialect, your slang, your laughter. You don't want it to come out the wrong way at the wrong time. Your beliefs get compromised whether you want them to or not. And you have to sit there and eat it, because in the end, it will enable you to give the Hood the chance to eat. Ask NBA players about it with the new dress code. Ask Shawn Carter about sitting with reporters from the NY Times, Forbes Magazine, and other corporate sponsors. And he is one of the lucky ones that gets to be in an executive position and maintain his sense of self. Ask Colin and Condoleezza about it.
The Hood gives us a love/hate relationship. You love it for making you tougher, smarter and more caring about those around you. But you start to hate it, because those people you love stay there, and can't see the way out. You become smarter everyday, but the Hood doesn't love you for it because it can't understand the beauty in variety. You want to be tough and stand up for what you really believe in, but you can't because that's not good for your business, your company, your livelihood. You feel like a punk, and the Hood don't like no punks.
When its all said and done, the Hood will always be in you, and you will always be in it. It's a match made in Ghetto Heaven. Your legacy will be one of the one's who made it out of the Hood, but when you look back over what you have accomplished and what you sacrificed to do so, will you feel that it was all worth it? When you see people throwing their Hood up, loving their block or city to the point that they never leave it behind, how will you feel?
Better get some R.O.L.A.I.D.S.
Its just in you. Sticks to you. Stays with you forever. Its the Hood in you. You love it, you embrace it, til' death do you part. And yet, you spend your life trying to get away from it. You want to be successful? Want an education? Want a better quality of life for yourself and family? The Hood is not conducive to those desires. Nope, its much worse than a monkey on your back or the little voice in your head.
Don't get me wrong, the Hood does not have to be a housing project, a crime-ridden, drug-infested neighborhood. The Hood is found in the suburbs, deluxe apartments and back road towns. Most people think of the Hood as a way of life and of thinking rooted in the principles loyalty to family, friends and the block; a value system built on maintaining the community unit against the odds of the struggle. This is a significant part of the Hood, but not its total makeup. The Hood brings fear and loathing to you and yours.
See, the essence of the Hood for those who live in it and of it is fear. Fear that there is no other way. Fear of the breaking the status quo of those who came before you that did not quite live up to their own expectations. Fear of turning your back on these same people. Don't believe it? Go away to college and come back with that little piece of paper. Friends dont look at you the same, family doesn't look at you the same. And the truth is, you don't look at them the same way either. The Hood gets as small or as large as you want it to be, and the more you learn, the smaller it gets. The people in it and of it start sounding alike, and you feel bad that you feel the way you do. But it doesn't stop there.
It's not only about college, its simply about breaking the cycle. Any form of success grants you that magical mask that Langston wrote so fondly of, and Kanye picked off for today's youth. "Do better than I did" is the mantra for today's parents. The bar is set pretty high for these times, and you wonder why all the pressure. Let's suppose you do make it and turn out better than your folks are. You are at the top of the world, yet you fear your dialect, your slang, your laughter. You don't want it to come out the wrong way at the wrong time. Your beliefs get compromised whether you want them to or not. And you have to sit there and eat it, because in the end, it will enable you to give the Hood the chance to eat. Ask NBA players about it with the new dress code. Ask Shawn Carter about sitting with reporters from the NY Times, Forbes Magazine, and other corporate sponsors. And he is one of the lucky ones that gets to be in an executive position and maintain his sense of self. Ask Colin and Condoleezza about it.
The Hood gives us a love/hate relationship. You love it for making you tougher, smarter and more caring about those around you. But you start to hate it, because those people you love stay there, and can't see the way out. You become smarter everyday, but the Hood doesn't love you for it because it can't understand the beauty in variety. You want to be tough and stand up for what you really believe in, but you can't because that's not good for your business, your company, your livelihood. You feel like a punk, and the Hood don't like no punks.
When its all said and done, the Hood will always be in you, and you will always be in it. It's a match made in Ghetto Heaven. Your legacy will be one of the one's who made it out of the Hood, but when you look back over what you have accomplished and what you sacrificed to do so, will you feel that it was all worth it? When you see people throwing their Hood up, loving their block or city to the point that they never leave it behind, how will you feel?
Better get some R.O.L.A.I.D.S.
posted by Mr. Carter at 11/17/2005 11:53:00 AM
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