After spending much of the last week listening to Lupe Fiasco’s new album and writing the Tale of the Tape on the record, I was inspired to go back and listen to some more hip-hop containing a similar message. As stated in the review for Food and Liquor 2, seldom do rappers touch on the vice that is materialism and its effects on us individually and in our communities. We see it in hip-hop constantly, yet it is equally prevalent in the world of professional sports.
Ironically, tonight at 8:00pm ET ESPN’s 30 For 30 series returns with the documentary entitled Broke, a film that delves into the spend-o-holic nature that consumes professional athletes. The movie profiles former star athletes like Andre Rison and Bernie Kosar, as they take viewers through their stories of poor decisions and mismanaged money. Given the recent news of Vince Young’s bankruptcy (although he denies this claim), and the rumors surrounding Terrell Owens’ current financial state, it is evident that this sobering epidemic is still running rampant in the world of sports and entertainment.
With that in mind, here is an excellent song by Kendrick Lamar off of his 2009 EP that seeks to understand the mentality behind the madness (part 2 is also very dope). This kid gets it; I hope he maintains this same frame of mind after his major label debut good kid, m.A.A.d. city drops later this month.