walking the tight rope

Walking the tight rope The recent murder of Tupac Shakur is a great tragedy and a waste of a young, promising life. Shakur at only 25 years-old had come to represent a volatile mixture of youthful energy, exuberance, arrogance, self-confidence and, at times, foolishness. He represented possibility on the one hand and self-destruction on the other. What mustn't be overlooked as the Hip-Hop Community mourns his loss is that there are many young Black men like …

…gifted, misguided, young poet who spoke with insight and energy to his hip-hop world, but who committed the unpardonable sin of using his immense poetic talents to degrade and debase the very people who needed his positive words--his fans . . . Kenneth Carroll is Washington coordinator of the WritersCorps program which conducts writing workshops in D.C. neighborhoods. His book "So What! For the White Dude Who Said This Ain't Poetry" will be published in December.