Street Cred

What does it take to get it? Who awards it? What does one wear or display to illustrate that one has achieved it? Does it ever expire? And if so, can one get it back? If times change, which they do, does that mean street cred of, say, the 1980s corresponds to street cred of today? Does street cred only exist in the urban slums? What about "white flight" from the urban centers in the late forties, did street cred leave with the Prohibition-Era mobsters? If so, when did it come back? If not, why don't we associate street cred with the Al Capones of the world and related racketeering ethusiasts? Is organized crime devoid of street cred? Who decides that a person is no longer worthy of having it? If a rapper moves away from the 'hood and into the hills, but continues to make albums about "tha life" and sport a flak jacket at public appearances, does he or she still have street cred? Is that converted into hills cred? Is that just as good? Is it better? Is street cred merely a state of mind? What happens when we replace all instances of "street cred" in this article with "green beans," "my one-eyed panda," or "shoe leather?" Suprising isn't? Isn't it remarkable that a series of questions can be full of answers?