Dear Lil Wayne Stop Promoting the Bloods

Dear Lil Wayne Stop Promoting the Bloods

By Casey Gane-McCalla November 4, 2009 3:58 pm

http://theurbandaily.com/news/casey-gane-mccalla/dear-lil-wayne-stop-promoting-the-bloods/

Dear Lil Wayne,

My friend brought over your mixtape , No Ceilings, the other day and I gave it a listen. I have to say I was impressed. You clearly are a talented rapper with an excellent ability to ride beats, clever wordplay and smart punchlines.

Still one thing about the mixtape disturbed me. Your constant references to the Blood gang and soo woops seem like something a 15 year old kid might be saying, not a veteran rapper who has been in the game for more than 10 years.

I realize that many people in poor neighborhoods join gangs because of peer pressure, the threat of other gangs, for a way to make money and for  a sense of family. Still, you have been a professional rapper earning money since you were 14. What reason did you have for joining the Bloods? It seems that you are claiming the Bloods to increase your street credibility and help your record sales.

After the Derrion Albert beating, we see the negative effects gangs have on African American youth. Everyday, gang violence leads to teenagers in the hood getting stabbed, shot or jumped. As the “Best Rapper Alive,” when you start bigging up a gang it makes it seem cool to your young fans. These young fans who use your slang, dress like you dress and idolize you, now want to be in a gang like you.

I know you don’t think you’re a role model. Still your record label, BET and urban and pop radio are constantly marketing your music to children between the ages of 10 and 14. When they play you Lollipop single on BET, the kids who watch you buy your album and mixtapes and get to hear all your Blood gang propaganda.

Hopefully, your time in jail will give you time to reflect about your actions. Gang violence is a big problem for young black males.  In L.A. two thirds of all youth killings are gang related. Gang members are 60 times more likely to be killed than non gang members.

Being in the Bloods might be cool for you, but for the thousands of kids in the hood who join, it is a deadly choice, that far to often leads them to jail or the morgue.

Please, for the sake of your impressionable fans and the image of African Americans across the world, stop promoting the Bloods. You are a very clever young man with more power than you may know.

Sincerely

Casey Gane-McCalla

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RszyKLfvxpc&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGYTeRUWK5k


Archives

Comments

  1. good write up

  2. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!!!

    I’ve spoken to other streets cats, folk in the Industry and NO ONE seems to want to come out and just call this what it is!! How the hell you start bangin’ BLOOD as a young adult and millionaire entertainer?!?!

    Its disgusting….

  3. Yeah it’s disgusting, but hey.. the Hip Hop Apologists will say it’s ok, and twist it all around to figure out a way to blame “Whitey” for all of it.. where’s the accountability?

  4. Leave the past behind says

    How can you complain about lil wayne while at the same time celebrate the anniversary of another gang – the “black spades”. Regardless if their called “black spades” or “bloods” or something else lets be real, all these people are confused, chaotic, slow minded twinkies with nothing better to do and obviously never really got it together. It’s the same in the present with street gangs and it will never change.

    The best thing to do is be creative, stay out of trouble and encourage others to do the same in the first place… and just laugh at the rest of these people.

    If you think Lil Wayne is “disgusting” – check this out:

    http://www.ogapponline.com/

  5. Maranatha says

    I feel bad for this guy for thinkin lil wayne is as good as he is. Weeze doesnt deserve the credit the author gave him.

    He is like the white r and b singers he usher and ludacris promotes. Mediocre at best. Just because a record sells, doesnt mean its good.

    Get rich or die tryin sold millions, but who still plays the CD?? No one. Why because it is not a classic like all the gangstarrr albums or the beatnuts which i still listen to regularly.

    I a 37 year old adult never bought a lil wayne record and never would, simply because he makes garbage. Just because the zionist state run media says lil wayne is poplular, that doesnt make me think so.

    Wake up black people. Use your brain. Think for your self.

  6. Today I co-sign with Maranatha and Leave the Past Behind… touche’!

  7. Southeast Beast says

    Why are kats bringing this up now. I’ve always called this buster out. Him and his “Daddy” Baby. Not one of these fools was red raggin untill Mack 10 signed with cash money for that one album. Form someone who came up during the late 80’s early 90’s doing the gang thang I’ve never really understood why any artist on a major would front saying they bang. There have been a few exceptions, but weezy, jim jones, even jigga who was ” bloodin & cripin” with DPG was dumb. I was blessed to come to my sesnses and try to something to better my situation but all these kids who are so easily influenced get to the point in life to make that decision.

    Chuck D stated every Brotha aint a Brotha, well i’m here to tell you every Damu aint a Damu.

  8. I’ve had this same concern for over a decade now with Snoop Dogg. I also wonder how they get away with repping one side over the other when on tour. Seems like every blood in the country would be gunning for the worlds most well known crip walker and vice versa for Lil Wayne.

    I also agree the author gives lil wayne way to much credit for his percieved talent. I guess it’s my age and the fact I have been paying attention the past 20 years but he hasn’t added one thing to hip hop that hasn’t already been done better by several people already.

  9. flavorblade says

    Bloods recruited Cash Money. Baby jumped in. Little Wayne followed. From there some hoods in N.O. took the cue. Now it’s all good for L.A bloods there. It’s about street money.

  10. wow gangs recruiting rappers now? I wonder if peeps like LL Cool J and Chuck D would of wanted to be recruited by gangs for street cred and rep, I think not! It’s about the times and mind set you are in if you want to be into and play into that type reality. And it just shows us how much we have soldout the past 18 years.

  11. Robert Jr. James McClendon says

    Gangs aren’t recruiting rappers. Rappers have been doing aadvertising for the corporation since the “West Coast” came on the scene. Lil Wayne, TI, all you all ain’t nothing but “parole models” for ignorant parents and their kids. Kill all ignorant people involved in helping ignorant people – hurt our people (hip-hop), is what I say – from the semitic to the hammitic. Hip-hop – Helping Ignorant People – Hurt Our People. Tell the truth, Davy D. These ignorant people are “parole models” put on pedestool by the industry to sell records to white kids and mislead our kids into “Black misery” – the penal system. Help the young people, Davey D!!! Time to grow up from this shit, here!!! Kick the truth to the young Black youth what Hip-hop (Helping Ignorant Perople – Hurt Our People) has been doingto the Black community since 1987, starting with Compotn, California. “Jews” won’t interview me, ”cause they know I’m a tell the truth!!! They know “The Origin of Rap Music” leaves their bullshit out of Rap’s History and the bullshit they are doing to the Black Community. The industry been pushing this gang stuff on our people since Professor Griff spoke on… You covering for this wicked indusrty, Davey D.

  12. flavorblade says

    I don’t see the gang in itself as wicked. It’s formation is a reaction to classism. I fuck wit’m and I’m very mature. As afar as you saying the gang did not recruit Cash Money. Not only did they recruit, rumors has it Baby paid a million dollars for his “five star” status. You know they wasn’t going to beat his rich ass in.

    Robert there is a different between things you know about; and things you have an opinion on.

  13. I like this write up. He is saying stuff people have known for a while though. Let me correct myself. He is saying stuff intelligent brothers have known for a while. The sad thing about all the gangs is that these younster really don’t know the story of how the gangs came to be. They are fighting someone elses beef most of the time.

    I work with young adults in the community. I always ask them, how did the beef begin and I get so many different stories. And a lot of these young men really do think all these rappers are really “wit it”. Its really sad when you see how influencial rappers are on a grassroots level… especially the younger ones like plies, webbie, lil’ bootsie and wayne.

    All in all I LOVE HIP HOP as long as it continues to re-present reality and not negatively influence reality.

  14. Robert Jr. James McClendon says

    Favorblade, all I know is “my” people are in jail and the corporation just keep recruiting more or more parole models. Time to grow up and accept the truth. BE MEN GOT DAMMIT AND STOP SELLING OUT YOUR SONS, LITTLE BROTHERS, LITTLE COUSINS AND NEPHEWS. IF YOU ARE bLACK, YOU KNOW I AIN’T GIVING NO OPINION – LOOK AT THE PRISON POPULATION FOR MY PEOPLE AND THE LATINOS. GROW UP AND STOP HELPING IGNORANT PEOPLE – HURT OUR PEOPLE (HIP-HOP). I DON’T CARE HOW MUCH THEY PAYING YOU ALL. GET A “REAL” FUCKING JOB!!!!

  15. Rob, I see it all the time, they be beating around the bush on here. They be saying the same stuff you’ve been saying, they just afraid to say it the people who got all the money and hurting our people the most. Hip-hop is everything negative for the black males between the ages 16 – 27. It does nothing more than advertise “ignorance”. Look at the prison population. What you say, Brother, they always try to smooth it over in a “Willie Lynch” type of way. I see who they all working for, too. See some of them on television sometimes.

  16. Robert Jr. James McClendon says

    I do not get on here like I used to, but I check out the poison from time to time. I work with youth and I can tell who’s going to end up in trouble by who’s trying to emulate the “Hip-hop” people, with their skinny jeans and pants hanging down, Hip-hop (Helping Ignorant People – Hurt Our People) is an introduction to the “penal system” for Black males, moreover, its a mere form of entertainment created by jews to sell globally at “our” children’s expense. Am I anti-semetic? Just been telling the truth so long about this bullshit, I ain’t afraid to tell “them” to their faces. When I say kill all those involved in Hip-Hop (Helping Ignorant People – Hurt Our People), I’m serious. Time to get new jobs and stop surviving off of the “destruction” of young Black people. These people have been getting away with it for too long now. “Know your enemies”. Its obvious, to me, that those who continually comment in support of Helping Ignorant People – Hurt Our People (Hip-hop) are apart of the this bullshit that is simply “Helping Ignorant people – Hurt Our People” (Hip-hop) and are collecting a check from the industry for doing such. THEY’VE BEEN USING “MUSIC” EVER SINCE PUBLIC ENEMY SHOWED THEM THE LIGHT TO MESS OUR YOUTH UP. Know your enemies. You all done made enough money off of this “Black mysery”. Yaweh, destroy these people like…

  17. flavorblade says

    You know the first gang blacks belonged to? The chain gang.

  18. u can’t re-present reality, reality is what it is, what u can do is make sure ur reality is real, not a selling tool to sell records to a certain targeted consumer group. And not buy into a masquerade show as a form of reality, todays commercial rappers fall into the camp of needing mental awareness help.

  19. Robert Jr. James McClendon says

    Yeah, that would be on the boats of the Middle Passage. If you only knew history, Favor Blade. You’d see the poetic justice and humor in Yahweh giving his people their “dentity” back for which they were originally “chosen”. “MENTAL AWARESS HELP” – somebody else sees what’s been happening.

  20. Robert Jr. James McClendon says

    And ask Professor Griff who actually financed the Middle Passage.” History” is the key to all this bullshit, that’s whay people always want to control all of the books, movies, videos, magazines music, and newspapers. THE TRUTH FROM “KEMET” TO HIP-HOP WOULD SET BLACK PEOPLE FREE FROM THEIR IDENTITY THIEVES AND SPIRITUAL AND MENTAL OPPRESSORS..

  21. Truth to power says

    AND DON’T FORGET THE INTERNET, MY BROTHER, BECAUSE THEY CONTROL THIS, TOO. THE MOIVE “THE MATRIX” ASKED, “WHAT IS REAL?” EVERYTHING THESE FOLKS DO “NOT” CONTROL!!! STARTING WITH OUR U.S. PRESIDENT, TO THE BANKS, TO THE MEDIA, TO HIP-HOP, TO YOUR MINDS – THEY CONTROL IT. AND LETS NOT TALK ABOUT RUSSELL SIMMONS..

  22. FRUITOFISLAM19 says

    Lil Wayne ain’t a real blood . Stop fronting like a retarded muthafucka!!!!
    The illest killas that belonged to the Crips and Bloods that banged for their hoods back in tha day are either dead now,disabled, or locked in the pen doing 25 to life.Real gangsters don’t live forever so lil wayne better realize that what he’s doing gonna catch with his stupid ass sooner than later!!!!!!Studio gangsters are sad because they are crappy role models. Instead of kicking knowledge of self over dope beats, we get coonism,gangsterism, dope dealing,woman mistreatment and downright ignorance like slavery never ended and we as black folk are still chilling with the slavemaster on the plantation afraid to do for self and leave the master for good and uplift our own damn people. Pathetic indeed…………………Pathetic indeed !!!

  23. 30 years from now it will still be an issue.

  24. I agree completely. Wayne is doing this for fake publicity, and when 40 Glocc and them ran up on Birdman and Wayne in their truck in LA, they were scared to get out. Wayne is a great rapper, but a gang member? That he is not.

  25. yall B hatin to muckh fuck all yall tlkin 5hit ckus im Blooded to da fulle5t 5owwop gangin all day wana trip let it rip let yo Bitckh suck my dick BU5t her up n let dat true ckolor drip

  26. all yall nothin But a Bunckh of pu55y5 hahah

  27. arethey forced to belong a gang that the job of thier dads and moms.dont be so cruel

Trackbacks

  1. […] Dear Lil Wayne Stop Promoting the Bloods He probably read this letter Reply With Quote   […]