Nine-year-old Amor “Lilman” Arteaga of Flatbush, Brooklyn is so irate over the continuing pants sagging trend that he wrote a rap about it — aptly titled “Pull Ya Pants Up.”
The song sends a punch with the catchy hook, “Think that your swaggin’, ’cause your pants are saggin’? Pull your pants up! Pull your pants up!”
Amor punctuates his message with the line, “It’s not just your pants, your pulling us all down!”
His message is catching on. The pint-sized performer has already debuted his first single to “cheering crowds,” according to the Daily News. Amor first presented “Pull Ya Pants Up” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series in his native Brooklyn at the behest of a famous fan — Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.
Markowitz is so supportive of Amor that he co-stars in the tyke’s video. “I’m Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough president,” the local leader exclaims in an opening shot from the steps of a Brooklyn administrative building. “Every day in Brooklyn is ‘Pull Your Pants Up’ [sic]! And I’m proud to present the one and only, Brooklyn’s own, Lil Man Amor!”
Amor then launches into his intro for the song, explaining why its meaning is critical. “This [is] for all the people that think sagging is cool. Juts pull just ’em up! I’m getting tired of seeing all these dirty underwear when I’m walking down the street. Pull ’em up!”
In fact, pants sagging is seen as so distasteful that some locales across America have passed ordinances banning the practice. Even President Obama has weighed in on the style, stating “brothers should pull up their pants. You’re walking by your mother, your grandmother, and your underwear is showing.”
Amor’s inspiration for penning the timely ditty with his dad, Juan, was similar to those feelings voiced by the president.“It’s disrespectful showing your butt off,” the fourth grader said. “I’m always seeing boys, girls, rappers, singers — everyone is sagging out.”
Amor hopes to next bring “Pull Ya Pants Up” to the airwaves with appearances on BET and radio play. Until then, he will continue creating music focusing on social issues such as violence.
“There’s too many shootings. Even little people like me are getting killed,” Amor concluded. “I see a lot of different things on the news. We gotta stop the killings.”
Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter at @lexisb.