On my way to work today, I was listening to Howard Stern on the radio as usual. The guest of the moment was famed hip-hop star Ludacris. Now, as you all should know, I’ve got some issues with the entire hip-hop subculture. Lemme offer you this disclaimer before you go crying “racist.” Skin color, heritage, ethnic/cultural background, that means nothing to me. I judge people by the quality of their beings. They are either good or bad, case closed.

And granted, I am not a fan of hip-hop in general. My tastes tend to lean towards the rock edge of things, but that is just a personal preference. I am, however, irritated and severely alarmed by the glorification of the hip-hop lifestyle portrayed in both song and on the screen. Welcome to the Bling Bling Revolution, as I call it.

But to get back to the point (so you can see where I’m going with this), Ludacris was on Howard Stern this morning. One of the questions Howard asked him (semi-jokingly) was if he carried a gun or not. Ludacris responded he did, but added that it was “for show.”

He carries a gun for show.

Does that bother you at all? Does that make your ears perk up? This man, who fancies himself a superstar in the hip-hop community, carries a deadly weapon, designed for the sole intent to end life, for show. When you hear a comment that proud, that smug, that blatantly ignorant, it’s really hard to disagree with even the most extreme right-wing conservatives who preach against the evils of modern music, particularly rap and it’s glorification of drugs and violence, and its degradation of women.

This is where musical preference falls by the wayside, and disdain for a subculture sets in.

Just some more fuel to the fire: I was watching Scarface a few nights ago on cable, and Ice-T was offering between-commercial commentary on what the film means to him and how it has influenced the hip-hop community.

For those of you who’ve never seen the film, lemme sum it up for ya: Cuban refugee makes it big in America by working as a lackey, killing his superior, and selling cocaine. At the height of his fortune, he is murdered my enemies. That sums it up in a nutshell.

The film does, however, offer up lavish sets, especially in the Miami clubs and Tony Montana’s palatial estate. The phrase, “The world is yours” is echoed throughout the story ad nauseum, as the only thing Tony (Al Pacino) craves is more power. He wants to rule the world, and for a time, he does. But the fast life founded on drugs and crime winds up being his undoing. I know, it sounds a bit clichéd, sure. But it’s still a marvelous picture.

The screenplay was written by Oliver Stone, who at the time was battling cocaine addiction himself. In many ways, it is a social commentary on the criminal underworld, especially as it pertains to drugs. Think of it as one big “Just Say No” campaign with piles of coke, scores of bullets, and a barrage of 182 “F-Bombs.”

However, many in the hip-hop community have taken the stylish imagery from the film and tried to model their livelihood based on that. Think about it, every time Cribs invades a rappers house, the constants are always the same: Cristal, fancy pool, flashy bedroom, and Scarface on DVD. I sincerely doubt that Ice-T or Ludacris ever took a contemporary film class, otherwise they’d be able to read between the lines and figure out that the movie preaches against the type of life they’re leading. Either that, or they just don’t care.

I’d be really curious what Oliver Stone and Brian DePalma think of how the hip-hop community has idolized Tony Montana. I’d love to conduct an interview to see just what they think of this business, ‘cause I gotta tell ya, it disgusts me. Rap used to be a serious social genre. Artists like NWA, Grandmaster Flash, and Public Enemy used the form to preach against social injustice, racism, street life, police brutality, and other topics pertinent to African-Americans at the time.

Now, however, like most musical styles, it has degenerated. In this instance, it has degenerated to one grandiose six-figure, diamond-encrusted, fully-locked-and-loaded Cinderalla story come true for many rappers. But come on, let’s be honest, how long can those fortunes sustain before they start to wear thin on the public? Didn’t you guys see MC Hammer’s Behind The Music? The story doesn’t end pretty! Royalties will only cover so many payments on your Bentley until one is deemed an empty investment by the record company. Even half-assed overpriced clothing lines aren’t likely to keep you afloat.

Whatever the case is, these folks don’t have as rosy a future as they might like. It absolutely turns my stomach to witness such a gross abuse of money.

Or maybe all those Scarface DVD’s just got cut off halfway to the end. Yeah, that’s it. Word.

Goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow.