There is a meme with a chiding ideology floating around the social media world that reads "Stop trying to rap; we need electricians." And I, for one, not only take offense to it, but recognize how foolish, sheepish, and miserable it is for the person who started the meme, and those who agree with it. As a hip hop head, cultivator of the culture, and an artist producer/rap artist myself (one who has reached the age of 44 while just really making a break into his music), I weep for individuals who have been so blinded by this world that they cannot embrace the artistic expression of rap music as being something adults should continue to pursue, or to think that someone who is less skilled in the art form should then be bullied into a career field that fits the needs of the general public. Now, don't get me wrong, I know the meme is to be taken as a joke. And telling someone to "be an electrician" is really just a catch-all to tell him or her to find a career that is in high demand. But let's deal with this for a moment to show you the misery the oozes through the sentiment itself. 

1. Only Rappers? Why is rap the only genre AND segment of hip hop music itself that gets this type of condescension and dismissal? Who says "Stop trying to sing; we need carpenters," or "put down your guitar; we need more plumbers"? Nay, the shots seem only to be taken at rap, as though it is the only art form that carries juvenile skin that should be shed at an age determined by these mockers. 

2. Social & Societal Relevance? Considering that rap and hip hop music and culture was born out of a need to escape the plights and perils of the inner city--- drugs, broken homes, unemployment, poverty, etc--- and bringing about a sense of community through the various elements of its expression, it seems more than ridiculous to assert that now, after the culture has excelled, a person should return to the regular society servitude of working a job that "society" needs. Fuck YOU! You may have worded the meme "Stop doing what you love and what makes you feel young and free to enslave yourself to what people need." Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But that's actually what the meme is saying. 

3. What About The Economics? I'm a very spiritual person, who studies The Bible, and I'm very outspoken about my views on life and society. I live a nomadic and minimalist type of life, which has helped my views on economics and social life sharpen to see the miserable reality that has plagued almost everyone--- especially in the United States. The economy is getting worse and worse, while people enslave themselves at two and three jobs to make ends meet in a house or apartment, where home values, mortgages, taxes, and rent are continuing to climb to reach the undetermined level of greed that seemingly won't peak out unless the meteor strikes earth and wipes out all of humanity. The pressure is on the average person like never before. 

So to be in a hopeful position of engaging a leisure and passion that makes one feel youthful, artistically free, and soulfully empowered, whether as a hobby or as a career, is something that is hard to come by these days. And mixing in my spiritual views that The Kingdom of God is about youthful faith, living, and expression, I find it most irritating to be told to STOP doing something that I--- IN MY 40s--- am finding life and youth in again. In which case I say, FUCK YOUR ELECTRICIANS; I'M STARTING MY RAP CAREER.