There Are Those Who Call Him... Timz?

Theres a war going on outside No birds around here just bullets that fly This is the refrain from a controversial rap song, 'Iraq', written by new artist Timz. Timz, a.k.a. Tommy Hanna, is an American rapper of Iraqi and Chaldean descent. He is a recent graduate of San Diego State University, and has become an underground music sensation with his song and video. Because of the song, and its political nature, Timz has been interviewed by many people, including FOX News Hannity & Colmes. The conservative hosts try to lead the discussion, apparently thinking the young rapper a non-thinking buffoon, perhaps even a terrorist. He's not buying it. His views on the situation in Iraq come out in the H&C interview: “I believe that the country – the state that it is in now – it’s actually more dangerous than when Saddam Hussein was in power. At least people could walk down the street without being afraid of their neighbor killing them. I understand that there was a fear of Saddam Hussein and his reign of terror. Yes, I don’t promote Saddam Hussein and the things that he has done in the past. However, I do believe that it was safer as a region for a regular person like myself to walk down the street and not be afraid of the next person coming up to me and kidnapping me or killing me for no apparent reason." His song seems to reflect this sentiment. Admittedly, the song has some very pointed lyrics: And look what they decide to give us Blood from the world to fill up our rivers And what, we supposed to be grateful? You kill my family and I should say thank you? No thanks, you got your tanks, I got my God, bring it on... These words seem ironic, as Timz is a Chaldean Catholic, not an Arab Muslim. He was asked about this in the H&C interview as well. His response rings true, at least to me. “When Saddam Hussein was ruling, we were not persecuted in the way that Chaldeans are being persecuted now in Iraq. Nowadays we are getting kidnapped. It is a civil war between Sunnis and Shiites and there are Christians stuck in the middle...At least when Saddam Hussein was there, he kept some of these extremists down. And again, I’m not promoting Saddam Hussein. I’m just saying it was a bit safer for people like me.” The bottom line is that everyone - American or Iraqi - above all else, wants to be safe and live their lives. From Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, safety is transcended only by psysiological needs - eating, sleeping, etc. The need for this safety drives people's behavior. No real surprise that people in Iraq would respond according to their needs as well. In thinking about Timz and his motivations, I would like to believe that he did the song for purely altruistic purposes. However, we also know the old Brendan Behan adage - There is no such thing as bad publicity. Timz, being a business major, undoubtedly knows this as well. The controversy surrounding the song has given the fledgling rapper more publicity than he could have ever hoped to get. I am not implying a causal relationship necessarily exists, but one has to wonder. All in all though, I think I will spend the $0.99 to buy the 1 song off of his Myspace site. I like the sound, as well as some of the lyrics. And it will never cease to stimulate discussion.