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“Gangsta Rap” is a genre that is teetering on the brink of passé, but that’s not stopping kids on the streets of Manhattan from acting like thugs over Dr. Dre’s line of headphones called “Beats.”

Beats lets you “be true to your color” in red, blue, green, pink, silver, black and white. They feature stereo sound in high performance, high-definition and sound isolation. The headsets range in price from $300-$500, but some aren’t paying for them.

A portion of Dr. Dre’s headphone customers are terrorizing certain neighborhoods, flashing weapons and snatching them off the heads of 13-year-old schoolboys and girls.

Beat thieving is becoming a serious problem in Uptown Manhattan and North Brooklyn, affecting victims specifically in this area.

“The perps are beating up youths, threatening them, and in some cases brandishing weapons,” according to an exclusive report by the New York Post.

In the past four months, there have been “dozens” of Beats-related crimes. Thieves covet Beats for themselves as a sort of status symbol, or they resell them. Since the sound quality of the headphones can be quite engrossing, victims are likely consumed in their music, unsuspecting the potential attacks. A video that the Post borrowed from World Star Hip Hop, demonstrates that this issue is becoming even more sinister.

The video, captured by a witness’ iPhone (News - Alert), shows an altercation between two men wearing sagging pants. Footage makes it clear these are not two friends clowning around the subway tracks in the Bronx. In broad daylight, one of the young men slashes the other in the neck with a broken bottle over what is later revealed to be a mugging over the victim’s Beats. King l3on posted this comment underneath the video, “S#@! got real over some damn headphones!”

Victims’ reports over such incidents are rarely effective because many people do not have their headphones insured, and there is no way to trace them back to the thieves.

What’s really sad is that people are starting to fear wearing their Beats in public, so that bit of music that made waiting for the subway or walking to class more enjoyable, must be sought after through different means – probably of less quality.

An investigator for the Post revealed that instead of the headphones making the statement, “I’m cool,” it says, “Come and rob me.” Dr. Dre wouldn’t want this. Not only has he grown up, but he’s also from the West Coast.