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I'm a Pimp! Well, Not Really

By Breanna Turnley
Black College Wire

New York disc jockey DJ Absolut has compiled a CD of pimp-themed songs.

What thought comes to mind when the phrase "I'm a pimp" rolls off the lips?

It's an image that has led to controversy over whether it is positive or negative.

The modern definition of a pimp is that of a controlling man who objectifies women and forces them to prostitute themselves as a means of bringing in money for himself, giving the women a small portion of their earnings. As times have changed, so has the image of the pimp.

Rap artists Nelly, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg have been active participants in the evolution of the pimp image. 50 Cent's ever-popular song "P.I.M.P." has been heard on radio stations everywhere. Nelly has created an energy drink called Pimp Juice and has even used P.I.M.P. to stand for the Positive Intellectual Motivated Person Scholars program he started in conjunction with Fillmore Street Brewery. The scholarship is designed to aid college students, who deserve recognition for their hard work in academics and extracurricular activities. A portion of the sales is to go toward his charity foundation 4Sho4Kids.

The pimp image that most of our parents think of is negative. But the modern-day pimp is a high-roller with self-confidence, power and an over-the-top fashion sense.

Asked what he thought a pimp was, Deshawn Hunt of Marietta Ga., a sophomore sociology/criminal justice major at Dillard University, said he thought a pimp was a person who has a lot of females and a lot of money, and was very popular.

Tressa Thomas, a Dillard sophomore and history/pre-law major from Baton Rouge, La., said a pimp was someone with a lot of power. "Someone who can freestyle poetry that can change your mind about the world and can sell reading glasses to a blind man because his game is so tight. He is someone who is manager, CEO and co-owner of the world's oldest profession," she said.

The hip-hop industry affects the hottest new fashion. People want to wear what entertainers wear. The latest rap song is stuck in your head because it has been played on the radio so often. The word pimp can be seen as a catchy slogan written all over T-shirts.

Hunt said he believes the pimp image has helped the hip-hop industry.

"It has made it better. It has helped because the hip-hop industry has turned the real meaning into something positive to bring in money to the industry," Hunt said.

Thomas said it has both helped and hurt.

"It has helped the spreading of hip-hop because weak-minded people levitate to things that project an image of wealth, glamor, sex and easy living. It has hurt the industry because it makes artists look ignorant, shallow and self-oriented," she said.

Everyone should pay more attention to what one watches, listens to and repeats. Be careful when you say, "I'm a pimp." The question is, are you really, and if so, what kind are you?

Breanna Turnley is a student at Dillard University who writes for The Courtbouillon.

Posted Nov. 15, 2004