On lockdown

This article is reprinted from the East Bay Express.

Gangsta rappers from Tupac Shakur to 50 Cent have been criticized constantly for romanticizing their violent lifestyles. Then there’s C-Bo. This West Coast Crip-hop artist, originally from Sacramento, at least attempts to level with the impressionable young minds that worship him. His new CD, The Greatest Hits, is rife with thugged-out tales of extreme street life but also includes the following disclaimer: “Warning! Do not attempt any of the gangsta shit recorded on this album. It was recorded by real gangbangers, killers and drug dealers who really lived this shit. Any attempt to copy this lifestyle may result in serious injury, jail time, or death.”

No one knows this better than C-Bo, a.k.a. Shawn Thomas, a.k.a. Avenal State Prison inmate No. TV44269.

For a complete copy of this story, check the May 5, 2005, print issue of SN&R or visit the East Bay Express to read the original version.