When I stated we don't control our image, I understand we have a choice But what if the only picture you see of your own people causes a type of confusion in the mind of young people. Think about it so called mainsteam rap music sticks to the money,cash,hoes formula right
A young kid in the ghetto has no father figure during the formative years and his single parent mother works hard and gives him every oppurtunity she can. Though his mother is teaching him right(Though I realize we have choices) eventual we look outside of ourselves when we are young to help shape ourselves and what do we hear and see that it is o.k. for us to womanize or that the drug game can be a stepping stone to a rap career.
The music won't make him directly go and sell drugs but might cosign the alienation that the child is already feeling, instead of hearing the message of a mos def or a dead prez, Kids get hit with some constant degrading material.

Now I'm not saying you should ban a certain type of music I just think that we need to see the whole of black creation so that we can make better choices. That goes for movies and TV as well(not just a one sided patrial of us as mad thug killers).
We are some of the most programed people in the world and through this programing in the scope of public image black creativity/intellect/expression has been redused to simply natural talent and nothing we can say we learned or perfected. Black people have been redused to the stature of pimps,hoes,gangstas,buffoons,grunts,heavies etc.
If you are constantly told a lie you start to beleive it is true.(i.e. WE have a choice but some of us don't realize it they think life is the ghetto and they were not ment to have anything but that,Many of my homies died with this Ideal and I understand how negative media that we don't control cosigns this type of learned hopelessness)