Why does it seem like rappers can’t keep their noses clean as of late? With the exception of Kid Rock and Tommy Lee getting into their little scuffle at the MTV Video Music Awards, and Brittney Spears’ apparent self-destruction; rappers have been subjected to nothing but bad press.

Now, the saying goes; “there’s no such thing as bad press.” But when the news is about you being arrested for gun and drug charges, the attempted murder of an associate for supposedly stealing $2000.00, or having the dead dog carcasses buried in your yard, the reaction to that type of news would probably be less than stellar. One can only guess what the headlines will read if Nas does indeed title his next release Nigger.

So far, the only good news coming out of the Hip-Hop community is the talk about KRS-One leading a 'Stop The Violence Movement' resurgence, with some of the top names in the game backing him up. But what good are they to the cause if they can’t stay out of the negative limelight their selves?

Busta Rhymes, Lil’ Wayne, and Cassidy have all been mentioned to take part in the event, and they’ve all had their own brushes with the law either recently, or non recently. Some might say that those particular incidents were nothing but publicity stunts to sell more records, and others might just call it flat out stupidity. Regardless of the reason, why jeopardize everything you’ve worked hard for your whole life in just a few short moments of irresponsibility?

Is it just the arrogance of rappers thinking they’re above the law because of their bank accounts? Or is it just the fact that some old habits never die? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the American Dream was to live a wealthy, and non-stressful lifestyle. But a lot of the heavyweights in the Hip-Hop world are living in America’s Nightmare instead. Some of their lives looked simpler, when they were living among the have-nots.

Now plenty of them have matching handcuffs, to go along with the custom made bracelets that you can spot a mile away just by the glare of flawless diamonds. The funny thing is, for every rapper that brags about how much “this” costs or “that” costs, I’ve never heard them brag about how much their bail was. And 9 times out of 10, the cost of bail, and lawyer fees are way more valuable than those precious items that they hold so dearly.

So at the end of the day, are the critics right to blame Hip-Hop for some of the misfortunes of society? Or was The Notorious B.I.G. correct when he said that more money brings more problems? That right there, is the million-dollar question. It’s just too bad that no one is bragging about it.