Two weeks ago, I was walking from Bellagio past Caesar's Palace. A group of kids in their late teens/early twenties are walking in front of me, and they've got all the regalia--the pants, the hats, the bling--as well as the language and gestures of true hip hop gangstas. They even had the lewd and rude remarks to the ladies down. Even the pimp roll. They looked like clowns from a ghetto Cirque du Soleil.

I'm serious. Please, you guys who can quote rap lyrics and wear your pants down around your knees and your hats turned 1/4 sideways, explain to me what's the fascination.

I heard a black comic deliver this joke and it says it all for my understanding:

"Reparations for slavery Zero dollars

"Contribution to the economy by hip hop...Billions

"Two white kids from the suburbs calling each other nigga...Priceless"

To some people, it just seems ridiculous. To others, strange. The comic/actor Richard Belzer calls it "imitating a bankrupt culture." So, I'm really serious about this here. I would like to understand it. Intellectual curiosity demands it.

No flames.

I actually don't know why it is like this
it's always the suburbs, they want to be as cool as the gangstas in the videos.
the farther you go out of town, the more extreme people dress.

in most cases these people aren't clever. Especially as soon as they start to speak like gangstas. I mean intelligent persons may dress strange because they want to have some kind of an image. But you soon find out what's really behind it... as soon as they open their mouth. I'm not seeing intelligent people saying things like "eyh man! what are you looking at me?" and try to start a fight Problem: You can be whatever you want... but what do you want to be actually?
Those who aren't clever simply follow someone. Choose a group you want to be part of, dress like them and act like them.
They enjoy the image of looking gangsta.

this is my 2 cents... seeing as how I am pretty young and actually back in HS could had been classified in what you are describing. However, i actually did hang out with mostly black ppl at the time. In HS and what not, ppl do it kinda depending on what group of ppl you hang out with. Just like preppy white kids dress in all abercrombie and fitch with ripped jeans. ANd the emo kids wear girl pants and Indie band shirts. I suppose dressing "hip hop" and being white is shunned upon because it is perceived as trying to be like another race (being something you are not). When young suburban white kids do it, it is usually just a phase like it was with me. Now that im older (21), when you see 20+ white ppl dressing hip-hop they are generally not well to do suburban kids; they are usually not in college, working some crappy hourly job and living in the Budget Suites.

Ok, so it seems that you guys have no more idea than this old guy. I can dig it.

One thing makes sense. Guys who act this way aren't on the Mensa invite list. That I really can dig. lol