A Dying Breed

In urban culture today, you tend to see a high rate of fearlessness. Folks are eager to express themselves either through entertainment or fashion. There is nothing wrong with expressing ones individuality, but where does the bar of acceptability lie? How far will a person go to avoid blending in with established trends? Has the well of creativety come so close to running dry that men feel a necessity to borrow styles from the opposite sex?

When you look at the overwhelming amount of femininity permeating the formerly impenetrable walls of masculinity in urban society these days, men just seem to be losing. As women are increasingly becoming the bread winners of households, it's almost like men are just turning into straigth bitches. Terms like "metrosexual" are now commonplace and accepted in society. Grown ass men rock skin tight jeans that appear to suffocate all air and comfort to the sack, the one aspect of our existence that defines our manhood. Men, particularly those in urban media and in the public eye, rock earrings in both ears, and won't hesitate to promote fragances that bear striking resemblances to perfume. You also often hear about women complaining that their men spend more time in front of the mirror than they do. The list goes on and on, and after Kanye West's performance the other day, this suspect behavior shows no signs of slowing down.

R&B music used to have its share of male singers who actually sounded like men. Baritone and bass voices are a thing of the past. Nowadays you probably can't find a single person in R&B who isn't trying to hit Mariah Carey notes in their music, and even the content itself is emasculating. There have always been rumors about an underground gay society that rules everything in urban media, with figures like Puffy at the forefront, but naturally, much like the rumors of the illuminati in control from behind the scenes, there's no hard facts to back this speculation. There's a saying that goes, "Believe none of what you hear, and half of what you see." If there's any truth to that, then Kanye West just proved he is at least HALF a fruit booty. What man in their right mind would think rocking a leather skirt on national television is acceptable? How has Lil Wayne gotten away with wearing leopard print jeggings on stage in his performances? And what the FUCK is wrong with Drake's wrist (see: any performance from Aubrey on youtube).

Andre 3000 made a song years ago where he mentioned that soon we will have to visit museums to see what a lady looks like. That couldn't be further from the truth. Ladies are everywhere these days. Well, their tendecies are, at least. With the way urban society is now, you can find lady traits in females and in men. The endangered species in urban culture is not ladies at all, it's men who act like men. The booty warrior, Fleece Johnson (again, youtube. Or Boondocks) would have a field day with these motherfuckers and the way they carry themselves. And unfortunately I don't think anyone has the answer or the solution to this problem. I don't know that society as a whole sees this as enough of a problem or detriment to take action against it. The desire for androgyny may consume urban culture in future generations, I just pray that when I bring a child into this world and he gets old enough to express his individuality, it's something that I can be proud of.