Cité Libre: Toronto Hip Hop Culture insight: Greed, Money or Knowledge?

As a community, people have become desensitized in a way so horrible that it's hard to imagine. They have been programmed to think a certain way... that way is the way of the corporate lifestyle. Individually it is extremely difficult to perceive the way people function, as they keep thoughts to themselves and generally don't share secrets. However, collectively, as a majority or mass, the average motive is more prominent.

Now, more then ever, there are many music videos advertising different car, jewellery, clothing, and alcohol companies. Many disagree with these assets being thrown into the music scene, however some do not. What one really needs to do is ask a few important questions and stop fussing over the smaller details. Are these material objects really the culprits ruining the music scene? Are these material objects diverting the artist's attention from their deepest thoughts and causing their pool of creativeness to become shallow? No, no they are not!

Money... everyone needs money. Money feeds people, their family, and friends. It has put clothes on their backs, books in their knapsacks, and puts them through school. It pays bills, keeps the vehicle maintained, and the lights on in the house. Money is the adhesive that helps stick one's material life together.

Greed is the monster; the recurring obscenity being spoken within the sanctuary. It is the evil, un-holy, spirit affecting the evangelized. Greed is the communities' never quenched thirst for more material objects.

What are material objects anyway? What makes them viable to the human race? Are they more than just convenient shapes with textures and colors? Are they so mandatory that they must make up the lives of industrial hip-hop artists? These are also important questions to ask.

Say one's television gets stolen. Chances are the criminal left all the books on the dusty shelf behind. If he doesn't have the internet he can drive to the library and use their services, they're generally free. If the dishwasher breaks down, he can fill the sink and do them manually. These opportunities will give him more time to think and assess his issues too. Notice that all the scenarios that went wrong... The individual could survive without his material possessions but had to compensate them with his basic mental abilities. Beyond the material objects, beyond the money, and the constant greed lies our mental properties. Wisdom, intelligence, the way people think, the way they perceive thoughts, and the way they behave are some examples of what makes up the subconscious realm. These are the only properties that we cannot live without. It does not matter what happens to your material objects as long as you still have mental abilities. Without mental power one could not survive. Be greedy for knowledge, and thankful for what you know.

Presence wrote this commentary for Hip Hop Canada. Check out more of their outstanding coverage of Canadian Hip Hop. LINK

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