Real-life conflicts often unfold in Hip Hop and it can cause chaos that could have been avoided. In a genre where we have witnessed many rappers make it big as they climb out of the street life and into stardom, there are still those who not only carry their blocks on their backs but often get into Rap beefs over feeling as if their crews or colors have been disrespected.
In an interview with the Off The Record podcast, Waka Flocka spoke candidly about why rappers can’t live two lives and how artists need to take responsibility for their dangerous lifestyles once they make it big.
Theo Wargo / Staff / Getty Images
“I was bringing the lifestyle into Rap,” said Waka. “I wasn’t supposed to do that.” Akademiks wanted him to explain what he meant. “Alright, put it like this; I got [an] electric wire, right?… But then, I finally found out I can swim in water without getting shocked. So, I start swimming. I’m like, ‘Oh, this sh*t is cool! It’s happy!’ But one day, I drop a plug in that mother*cker and everybody get electrocuted. So, is swimming dangerous? Or what you just did made it dangerous.”
“Meaning, that people are bringing danger into a lifestyle that pulled them out of danger,” the rapper added. “So, you make it dangerous. You can’t tiptoe in one and walk in the other. You gotta put two legs, two arms, and your head forward when you’re walking.”
Waka said he can’t trust someone who is trying to “balance the streets and music” because there it doesn’t exist. “Either you’re street or you’re music. That’s it.” He admitted that there was a time when he was “bringing the lifestyle into Rap,” so he knows firsthand what that can do for someone’s career and their way of life.
Check out the clip of Waka Flocka’s interview with Off The Record below.