6 Rappers Who Have Zero Street Cred

Screen Shot 2014-11-28 at 1.07.04 PMMacklemore

A Seattle native who grew up in the suburbs, Macklemore’s success has raised more than a few eyebrows. The rapper has won four Grammys, including one for 2014’s best rap album, in which he beat out heavy-hitter Kendrick Lamar. The backlash Macklemore received for winning over Lamar’s “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” was almost immediate.

“It’s typical,” rapper and actor Ice Cube said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s the Grammys. What do you expect? But for them to pass up true skills for what could be fly-by-night success … I don’t want to diss anybody, but seriously?”

 

Screen Shot 2014-11-25 at 4.22.00 PM

Rick Ross

The Miami rapper caused many fans to doubt his street credibility when he admitted in 2008 that he had worked as a correctional officer.

In his song “Rich Gangsta,” he says, “Feds tore apart the squad ni**a, that’s why I had to play the part ni**a/That wasn’t me, it was a job ni**a,” he spits, clearly referencing the scandal. “It gets deeper, that was just a start, ni**a.”

“That particular line most definitely referred to me being a C.O.,” Ross told MTV’s Sway Calloway. “And that being a job and just understanding the grind and the hustle and anything else I may have done. It’s just a job; it’s a hustle.”

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top