Von

Ever listen to Lil’ Kim’s verse on Get Money (the mid-90s classic)?

No, I mean really paid attention?
Before she was America’s Dancing With The Stars sweetheart—she was hardcore! The “black Marilyn Monroe”—who spit lyrics that’d make the filthiest of sailors blush.

As proven on this song:

 

 

Pretty vulgar, right?

 

 

So, while people eagerly dance to this song at crowded nightclubs—common sense would dictate that it’d be completely inappropriate to play at full volume on a crowded train.

 

However, everybody ain’t got “home training,” as the old folks say.

How else to explain the young idiot who blasted Get Money through his iPod at FULL volume—on a train full of horrified passengers?

 

Suffice to say, one hasn’t really experienced awkwardness until baring witness to an elderly Caucasian lady’s reaction to hearing Lil’ Kim rap about ejaculating down another gentleman’s esophagus during oral sex.

The shame of it all…

 

Now, I’ve been riding the Green Line train from lovely Forest Park to downtown Chicago (and back) for years now. And I’ve seen some crazy stuff in my day (like the night some random crackhead called me a bitch).

But this recent epidemic of folks using iPods as boomboxes has gotta be the most ignorant shit EVER seen on Chicago public transportation.

I guess headphones ain’t good enough no more. Nah, man—now they just blast it at obscene levels in enclosed public places.

 

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Why not just ask dude to turn it down?

Definitely a valid question.

However, if ol’ boy’s ignorant enough to blast ignorant rap music on a crowded train—he probably won’t heed your suggestion.

 

Case in point: a few months earlier, another young dumbass got on the train and proceeded to blast his krunk music on my crowded train.

After a few minutes of hearing the most ignorant rap lyrics ever known to man, a white professional gentleman had finally had enough.

He decided to do what all of us had wanted to do.

 

In a pleasant, respectable tone, he asked: “Could you turn that down, please?”

A sensible request, right?

Clearly the dude blasting his krunk music was out of line by disturbing the rest of the passengers?
And the way he asked wasn’t disrespectful or harshly worded.
Surely the youngster would see the error of his ways and respect his elder’s wishes.

 

Sadly, though, this turned out not to be the case—as he didn’t take too kindly to the request.

“Fukk you mean turn my music down?”
“Hell naw!”
“I can’t believe this nigga asked me to turn my shit down!”
“Can you believe this nigga asked me to turn my shit down?!”

 

Needless to say, he didn’t lower the volume. And, uh, yeah—it was awkward for everyone involved.

 

I briefly caught eyes with an older African American lady. If I had to guess, I’d say that she was in her 50s or 60s. She’s from an era where our people fought for the most basic of human rights. Back in her day, courageous folks shed blood, sweat, and tears so youngsters like him wouldn’t be forced to move to the back of the bus on public transportation against his will.

And this is how this generation repays her? By getting on the train and acting a damn fool?

She had a look that all but said: I busted my ass back in the day for THIS?!

 

It forced me to embrace the unfortunate conclusion: these fools done lost their damn minds.