Lil B's "I Got AIDS" hip hop message dominates urban media

Rapper Lil B has taken on AIDS and the reluctance of the African American community to get tested for the virus or use condoms.

In a powerful rap released today, Lil B's "I Got AIDS" tells the tale of a young man caught in a downward spiral of anger and disbelief after he gets his AIDS test results. "I Got AIDS" is real talk for a community that has yet to effectively broach surging HIV/AIDS cases in its communities.

Lil' B is a 22-year-old rapper from Berkeley, California.

"I Got AIDS" intro is a telephone call from a guy stunned with disbelief about his HIV results. He calls what sounds like an innocent girlfriend to release some of his disbelief. "What's up, I can't believe this," he says. He has news from his doctor about his new HIV status and she sounds surprised. The rapper is calling to see if she knows anything about how or why he has it.

I got AIDS, G-- Damn, I can't believe this ____.
Last time I ____ , it was my girl
I can’t believe that
Let me think,,
G --damn, there was another girl.
I gotta lot of things in my life,
but now I’m in a swirl,
No protection
I shoulda used a condom
Instead of trusting these women

I never got tested I felt fine
I never got sick
Plus I looked good.
My mom said, keep your ___ in your pants
and you’ll be good
I was worried about getting her pregnant
If I had known,
She had full blown AIDS

And she’s sexing everybody
Cuz real talk,
Cuz she ain’t even tell me,
Mad at her last man,
She held the pain in her belly,

Lil B returns to the phone conversation with the girl who's no longer an unsuspecting female, but a well-known HIV carrier. The rapper tells the woman that a few people he knows believes she has given him the HIV Virus.

He tells her that he heard she was HIV positive virus and then he asks her what’s going on. The girl then tells him she has something to tell him. He says “Oh, now, you’ve got something to tell me.”

The rap resumes, the rapper in typical urban, hard-core lament about life and its trial, continues his rap message without eliciting sympathy for the messenger. Hip hop's legend has been the ability to relay stories of violence, crime, and sexual abuse without holding listener pity parties. "I Got AIDS" is in line with the genre.

Now I’m _____
Cuz I had unprotected sex
Take it from me
Go get checked
That’d be yo' best bet
On top of that, I got herpes
when she gave me AIDS
my life ending early
if I don’t got no cash to pay
Magic Johnson, only one that’s still alive
Sitting down all alone it makes me w anna cry.
If I could go back in time,
I woulda used a condom. Now I’m dying
saying good bye to my momma,
Damn.

The telephone convo resumes. The rapper says there are two other women he slept with and laments that his ife is about to be over.
The girl tells him she’s sorry. But he says that's not enough. He tells her he'll never trust anyone again.

The music stops with a public service announcement from Lil B that lasts a minute long. Just because people look healthy, he says, doesn't mean their aren't any sexually transmitted diseases lurking inside of their bodies. Looking good and fine, he said, isn’t an indication that a person is HIV free.

This video is has PG rated lyrics.

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