I was under the impression that the gangster image originated with poor black people too. In any case, I'd have to agree bein' "gangsta" is way overrated.
This brings to mind a Carlos Mencia joke (even though I hate the man) that said something like when a white person dresses in baggy clothes and mumbles in gibberish it's called being "homeless" but when a black person does it it's called being a "rapper"
lol, he prolly stole that joke too though.