Yes, to a degree Biggie had a choice, but making the right choices are sooooooooooooooooo much easier said than done. I guess what the real problem with gangsta rap is that too many people don't see it for what it is and unfortunately they want to idolize the negatives of someone else's life. I guess the problem is that there isn't enough people who educate themselves enough to recognize sensationalism when they see it. For me all the gangsta rap shit is fascinating, and not because it is flamboyant and edgy, it's fascinating because it clearly demonstrates the tragedy of humanity. -The tragedy of how we can let an entire culture eat itself, and there is simply nothing we can do about it. How it is a result of history (slavery) and how the effects of one people oppressing another affects the far future for a long time (even though we pretend it doesn't). So many things are connected, and one thing I have realized is that there are no absolutes without exceptions. You know, Socrates was wise because he knew he wasn't. Now, who the hell says art can't ruin culture (although ideally I don't approve). No one says that art is a positive medium of expression. Art is simply the creation of something out of nothing and designed by the human mind with the intent to express thought. Just because it serves a negative purpose does not make it not art. Understand definitions before drawing conclusions.
To me it isn't de-evolution until it breaks the sciences of that artform. (Example - Soulja Boy -He breaks the sciences of art by producing non-harmonic beats with simplistic melodies and antirythm along with incoherent lyrics.)
I guess I try to see things on too large of a scale. Everything that I consider I first consider through its affect on the world and humanity. Then I evaluate its value. I try to analyze this shit with an alien point of view, so that I can see these issues clearly.
