Hip-hop H20

He's cool. He's crunk. And now he spreads the word about the world's impending water crisis.\nJigga, what?\nEarlier this month, MTV announced that rapper Jay-Z will star in a video diary entitled "Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life." Both Jay-Z and MTV expect this extra coverage to spread awareness among youth of the global disappearance of drinkable water sources.\nBut wait! Jay-Z is famous, and famous people are supposed to squander their good fortune. Will Jay-Z's noble efforts get him kicked out of the disgruntled rappers club?\nJay-Z does not have to face the cruel reality that nearly two million children die every year because of contaminated water. He has the ability to snap his fingers and get a dump truck full of crystal-clear spring water delivered to the door of his "crib." Yet, here he is, championing the United Nations-MTV global campaign on water conservation.\n"How could I be out there and not do anything?" said the rapper responsible for such poetry as "Big Pimpin'" and "Justify My Thug." Apparently, this hip-hop mogul hides a heart of gold underneath his rough exterior.\nIn his TV show and concerts, Jay-Z will tout solar-generated water pumps, kits which test drinking water for safety and even "The PlayPump," a merry-go-round that doubles as a water pump, which can only be described as "tight." \nHowever, Jay-Z claims that many young people are unaware of the global water crisis, an assertion which has little to no base in fact ... right?\nBut, um, just for the record, what water crisis is he talking about?\nClean drinking water is becoming scarcer every day. While the past few decades have produced a massive amount of legislation to regulate the dumping of pollutants, it's difficult to enforce such laws. Nor can underfunded environmental groups control the problem of waste runoff from agricultural operations (translation: no one can stop cows from "doing their thing" and keep it out of the water). \nHowever, there are ways to combat this water crisis locally. While it might be tough, if IU students would STOP THROWING THEIR CIGARETTE BUTTS IN THE JORDAN RIVER (just a suggestion), we could prevent carcinogens from entering our water supply. Besides, apparently smoking is bad for you.\nYup, it's true. Bloomington gets its water from Lake Monroe. Everything you throw in the Jordan will eventually find its way into your cup, and, disturbingly, during last year's Jordan River Cleanup, participants found socks, beer bottles and enough cigarette butts to circle the earth 97 times.\nMmmm ... that's good water. \nAnd these are just local problems. Turns out there might be something to the rapper's claim.\nAlthough refraining from using the Jordan as a cesspool would only constitute a baby step in combating this imminent problem, even small victories can add up quickly. Besides, as the saying goes, every time a river is cleaned up, a rapper gets his wings. \nWell, not really, but I bet Jay-Z would appreciate it anyway.