The M.O.E. Mentality of Some New Orleanians

With all this talk/controversy about Lil Wayne and how he's "cooning" or disrespecting his own people, I thought I'd add my two cents to the conversation to possibly she'd some light on his mentality as well as the mentality of some of my other people back home in New Orleans.

So, first and foremost, I am NOT a big fan of Lil Wayne and this post is not an attempt for me to make excuses for him, but rather for me to shed some light on the REALITY for many New Orleanians who either are still in the hood or come from the hood.

The first thing I want to discuss is the statement he made saying, "I'm a very successful man".
Think about that for a second....
How is he defining success? Since he mentioned that he was rich, he is basing his success on his money and/or material possessions, which really don't hold as much value as other intangible things such as morals, values, or family.
I also want you to think about or take into perspective where Lil Wayne comes from.
He grew up in Hollygrove & the Calliope projects. So growing up in such impoverished hoods, he had no choice but to "get it how he live" - as we say in New Orleans. That's a phrase that means survival of the fittest, do or die, or survive the best way you know how.

So, if you grew up with the survival mentality, not having much, then of course when you do get a lil change in your pocket you gon' act a fool, which is what Lil Wayne has done over the years; and serves as a testament to one of Juvie's (Juvenile) rap verses: "Acting like a nigga that ain't never had shit..."

Here's the Juvenile song I'm referring to (Juvenile's album 400 Degreez had a lot of catchy tracks on it, which I believe helped him to sell millions of copies):

Sadly, that's what many hood Boyz do back home when they get a lil change in their pocket. They floss. They stunt, and in Lil Wayne's case, he cooning to maintain his so-called "success".

Now, when the lady during the interview asked him how he would feel if somebody called his daughter a bitch or a whore, of course he's going to get upset; because now she has flipped the script on him. Sadly, many dudes back home can only imagine somebody else going through something, but can't see it happening to them. Case in point:
Retaliation....
New Orleans has been known for horrendous crime or murders. So think about this....A group of dudes who might represent a certain set, gang, clique, or hood, and if somebody disrespect them or their territory they don't have a problem with "giving a nigga his issue" which means to put the person in check either by a beat down or "have him fitted for cement shoes"....yet they don't think about karma. They don't think that somebody could just roll up on them and take them out, but they have no problem taking somebody else out.
That speaks volumes to a certain mentality, a selfish, individualistic mentality.

Going back to the hood mentality, many of them who grew up with nothing develop the M.O.E. (Money Over Everything) mentality, because again they don't have it, so they gotta get it. That's their focus, to get money by any means necessary, even if it means cooning.

The interviewer went on to ask him about Black Lives Matter.
My question is: why ask him about something that doesn't line up with what he stands for. Lil Wayne's brand speaks nothing for social justice or consciousness. Yes, he has a huge platform and one would think that he'd use that platform for good, but again...his mentality isn't there. He could care less about the socioeconomic status of his own people. He has made a clear choice to Stay in His Own Lane.
He told you what he was about and where his mind is, which is on his money.
So, personally, I wish media outlets would stop expecting certain people to speak up or out for issues pertaining to social justice and or positive change.
I've learned from experience that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Some people you just have to leave them where they are.
For years I had been trying to get my brother to move away from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but he refuses to leave. Just as many of my people back home are stuck in a certain mentality, there are some of us who refuse to settle for the struggle. Some of us have a strong will to strive for greatness or more.

If you are reading this, I want you to do the same, always strive for greatness or more, in order to better yourself and move forward! Life is too short to settle for the struggle, and yes I know the struggle is very real!

(My Brother & I were home home for the holidays in December 2009)

Going back to the interview. ..

Did you notice at the end of the interview when Lil Wayne got up and was about to walk away? He was cussing and he pulled out his Red Flag (we call certain bandanas flags back home), which represents the Bloods. Lil Wayne has been a so-called Blood for years, even when he was with the Hot Boyz he was flagging with Turk (Hot Boyz member). So, that goes to show how true this statement is:
You can take a person out the hood or projects, but you can't take the hood or projects out the person.
As New Orleanians, we have that same saying:
You can take a person out of New Orleans, but you can't take New Orleans out that person. If you pay close attention to when I talk, then you'll hear the New Orleans dialect.
But yeah, let's call it what it is...Lil Wayne is a hood boy who may have expanded his knowledge, yet he chooses not to show it, which is asinine to me! Why play into the stereotypes? You know why he do it? M.O.E. that's why! As long as he keeps that M.O.E. mentality, he will continue on his downward spiral, and his people  (Blacks & some New Orleanians) may not come to his defense at that point.

In closing, I want you to see Lil Wayne for who he is and understand his mentality or behavior during that interview: A hood nigga who likes to get high & coon to keep his money flowing.
If you ain't 'bout that life, then clearly you are not part of his fan base. I know I'm not. I cannot support such blatant hypocrisy, cooning, and materialistic ignorance.