Andre Berto Tell 'Em

I'm watching the Andre Berto Vs. Carlos Quintana Welterweight title bout on HBO. I have some cynicism to express.

As Berto, the Haitian fighter currently pitching in with relief efforts in his homeland, entered the ring, a horrible display of what some may mistakenly call Hip Hop appeared. Commentator Jim Lampley explained "...he's being escorted into the ring by a rap star named Soulja Boy, who had a number 1 hit a couple of years ago, and is helping Andre in the effort to bring more consciousness to Haitian relief."

I think he was singing the swag song. It was hard to tell ('em) because all I could hear was "yyyeeeeaaaahhhh" over and over again. This passes for a performance. I know it's just a ring entry, not a concert. But, a little effort and technical know-how would be nice. I guess that comes with talent, which is why I missed it here. I mean, it's for charity. Could he put something into it? Anything that makes it look at least on par with his school's talent show? Remember in The Great White Hype when Damon Wayans' character enters with Method Man putting on an energetic performance of "Bring The Pain"? Or, how about in real life when he and Redman joined Roy Jones Jr. and rocked out to "Da Rockwilder"?

I know every little bit helps, but just how exactly is Soulja Boy's music supposed to help in this cause? What person with any means to donate time or money is going to be positively influenced by Soulja Boy? Is he hoping his fans will spread the word to their parents? The Soulja Boy fans I know can't remember the simplest of messages, and are far too concerned with Axe body spray and texting to think about world issues. Well, maybe he's hoping they'll take the 10 seconds to text the word 'Haiti' to some number and run up their parents' phone bill for a good cause. Hold on Haiti. Help is on the way!!