>I hate the message it sends to our community, to our young
>girls, in particular.

Okay but it was a man (my Pops) who sent me that message as a girl. I did not get it from a song or the radio.

>You think young girls, already completely and totally
>surrounded by the 'baby mama' phenomenon, will be able to
>discern that this is a 'keep ya head up' type of song, rather
>than an encouragement, albeit a subtle one, to perpetuate the
>behavior that leads to these anthems?

Most girls are smart and a lot of them can think critically about what they hear. The problem is the messages that get from adults, sometimes their own parents and relatives.

>Actually, I *can't* understand why folks are defending the
>song given all that's going on in our community. But, to each
>his own.

I couldn't care less about the song.