You are here: Home / Archives for mrDaveyd

Be Warned Snitching Is Big Business

April 5, 2007 By
This past Sunday night Harlem based rap star Cam’ron appeared on the news investigative show 60 Minutes to talk about the ‘Stop Snitching‘ ethos that exists throughout inner city communities. He definitely came off looking bad as he allowed reporter Anderson Cooper to ask him a number of set up questions including; whether or not Killa Cam was a millionaire and whether or not he drove a Lamborghini.

A smirking Cam admitted ‘yes’ to both questions. He then went on to admitting how he would not turn in a serial killer even if he lived next door. Cam said he would move but not turn the killer in. Armed with this information and a few excerpts about Busta Rhymes‘ refusal to cooperate with police in the aftermath of allegedly witnessing his good friend and bodyguard Israel Ramirez being killed earlier this year, Hip Hop came off looking pretty bad. Absent from this interview with Cam was a historical or political analysis behind the ‘Stop Snitching’ ethos.

We didn’t get a run down about how informants/ snitches in the form of ‘house niggas’ were the ones who doomed numerous slave revolts including the one lead by Nat Turner. We didn’t hear about government programs like Cointel-pro where Civil Rights and Black liberation fighters and organizations ranging from Martin Luther King to Malcolm X and from the Black Panthers on down to SNCC (Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee) were brought down and undermined thanks to snitches (government informants).

Cooper and the 60 Minutes crew interviewed NY Police Commissioner Ray Kellyand somehow forgot to ask him about the ‘No Snitching’ ethos that exists within the police department. We didn’t hear about the infamous Blue Wall of silence. Nor did we hear about the unsavory practices used by police to get confessions and flip informants. Torture, Blackmail and other manipulations are commonplace. We didn’t hear how oftentimes it’s the police themselves who will snitch on snitches. As we learned in the Atlanta conference that far too often its the police who will dime you out when you try to do the right thing and be a witness to a dangerous criminal. The other irony is that often times it’s those dangerous criminals who will dime out their crew after the police apply illegal tactics.Also we didn’t hear about the No Snitching ethos that seems to be practiced by our very secretive Vice President Dick Cheney and Presidential aid Karl Rove. We can talk about the lack of snitching around important issues like the War in Iraq, the firing of Federal Judges. Hell let’s look at 9-11. Also we shouldn’t forget how Cheney went into Stop Snitching mode after he shot his homeboy in the face. The Cheney bunch are the epitome of ‘Stop Snitching‘ . They hold that position much harder then Cam’ron or any other rapper. And yeah try getting too deep into some of these guy’s illegal business and you might wind up missing like anyone else.

During the 60 Minutes interview we heard conversation about how big corporations profit off of rappers like Cam rapping about people to ‘Stop Snitching’. They mention his Cam’s record label Asylum but they never named the executives. They never mentioned the label being founded by David Geffen who is Presidential candidate Barack Obama‘s biggest supporter. Nor did they mention it currently being headed by former Def Jam CEO and now Warner Music Group head Lyor Cohen.

The relevance here is that anyone who works in the music industry knows there’s a serious ‘No Snitching’ policy especially when it comes to talking about how records get on the air. Yes we all know about payola but few of us know who the key players are and how they interact with the music industry. Just as some of those details were about to come out, we saw these big corporations settle. Hence when we have rappers talking about Stop Snitching it’s important to know the entire backdrop. When Killa Cam gets on TV and talks about he’s a millionaire who drives a couple of Lamborghini, its important to know he’s in the company and may have even gotten encouragement from some very powerful men who are ‘Stop Snitching’ practitioners that write him million dollar checks and probably drive Lamborghini’s themselves.
The difference between them and Cam is that they refused to show up on 60 Minutes and offer comment. They probably consider it snitching to go on national TV and even admit to the practice. Maybe they should’ve given Cam the memo.

The other glaring manipulation was when Cooper and 60 Minutes talked about Lil Kim having a reality Show after she was convicted of perjury. She got praised for ‘not snitching’. The Lil Kim show netted BET one of its highest ratings in history.

Like Cam talk of Lil Kim’s show was done in such a way as to make Hip Hop look not only bad but also as the sole culprit of this practice. Cooper and 60 Minutes castigated BET (Black Entertainment Television) for putting on the show but somehow stop short of mentioning Viacom as being the parent company or Sumner Redstone being its head. They made it sound like BET was all by itself, when in fact it was part of bigger machine that not only profited handsomely from the Lil Kim Reality show, but from what I was told had people outside of BET helping make this show popular.

Lastly Cooper and 60 Minutes didn’t talk about how snitching via government informants is a multi-billion dollar a year UNREGULATED industry for law enforcement. Lots of money and resources are spent keeping ‘snitches’ on payroll. We also didn’t hear about the fact that within the African-American community an estimated 1 out 12 people are used as police informants (snitches). Hence this argument about the police not having people willing to come forward is a bit misleading.

In this interview, we sat down with KC Carter who heads up Hip Hop Against Police Violence out in East Texas. We met up at a ‘Stop Snitching’ Conference in Atlanta last month that was put on by the ACLU. We had in attendance more than 100 people who included Hip Hop artists, professors, lawyers and police officers. We had victims of aggressive police and FBI stings which were set up by questionable informants. In this interview we spoke about was the high percentage of people who are routinely railroaded through the courts via snitches and the types of illegal tactics used to get confessions.

We also talked about how informants are used to indict large numbers of people in small out of the way towns with law enforcement using these arrests as a way to obtain funding by showing high conviction and arrest rates.

We also talked about how certain groups and individuals who are willing to speak out against the police or powerful people may find themselves victim to snitching tactics. KC Carter gives a run down of how the Geto Boys and Rap-A-Lot Records found themselves under the gun, especially after it was discovered that the Geto Boys were spending hundreds of thousand of dollars to pay for legal resources to try and few people who they feel were railroaded into Texas jails. KC talked about how informants were flooded into the 5th Ward in an attempt to bring down J Prince of Rap-A-Lot records and that law enforcement went so far as to try and get Scarface to become a snitch.

Yes indeed Snitching is big business in more ways than you can possible know. It’s just a shame that 60 Minutes got Cam’ron to talk about such a serious issue, cause from what they showed, he definitely didn’t break it down the way he should’ve. Well don’t fret ’cause we break the whole thing down in this eye-opening interview on Hard Knock Radio

http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=19554

KC Carter pt1 East Texas..Oppression in Tulia

KC Carter pt2 Snitch Conference and Abuse by Police

KC Carter pt3 Rap-A-Lot Records..Police Pressure and Fear

KC Carter pt4 Mac Dre and Snitch Policie


Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: 2007 daily news, Hard Knock Radio Intv, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

So You Wanna Be a Rap Superstar? Then You Betta Talk to this Woman-Wendy Day

March 6, 2007 By

In honor of Women’s History Month we recently sat down and interviewed one of the industry’s most powerful people-Wendy Day of the Rap Coalition. It was through Wendy Day that acts like Master P and Cash Money got their respective deals. It was through Wendy that artists like Slick Rick were able to get their lopsided contracts broken. A long time artist advocate, she’s the person that major labels love to hate because she’s committed to thoroughly lacing people with the ins and outs of the industry game.

Her website rapcoalition.org is required reading for anyone entering into the business as it contains a wealth of information ranging from the money breakdown when you sign a recording contract, to the politics of getting airplay. There’s information on how to copyright your material, how to start a record label as well as what to look for in a manager. Thousands of people flock to her site or read her columns in publications like Murder Dog where they soak up the information and go out into the world better prepared.

Originally Wendy was based in New York where she attempted to lay down foundation to start an artist union and unite the various factions within New York. She later focused her attention in the south and has been in Memphis and now Atlanta for over 5 years building coalitions and helping the Third Coast maintain their dominance in the rap game.

Back in the days Wendy was and can still tell you how to go about getting signed. Far too often she wound up having to help folks get unsigned because of the unfair contracts the industry puts before hungry artists. Nowadays she’s all about helping folks not get signed, but how to make more money on the independent tip. There are far too many success stories that have come from her camp to name off..

In this two part interview Wendy Day breaks bread on a variety of topics and shows us how to avoid industry pitfalls. We start off talking about the typical recording contract that many up and coming artists find themselves locked into. The most problematic are production deals where the producer is the middle man between the artist and label. In theory the money and resources are supposed to trickle down. In way too many cases they simply don’t and that’s when Wendy gets that frantic phone call from an artist trying to escape a bad situation.

Wendy explained the dynamics of how a street savvy hustler type cat from the hood can get got and ripped off in the music biz. She explained that far too often people enter into the music business not fully understanding or appreciating that many of the big time execs they come across come from gangsta backgrounds themselves. She noted the only difference is that these industry gangstas went and got law and business degrees so they appear legit, but they are definitely about their hustle at the end of the day. many succeed in making artists believe that they are being granted a big favor when they get signed, when in reality they are often times being pimped big time.

On a side note, folks may wanna take a look at the book Ruthless written by former NWA manager Jerry Heller. While the information and juicy stories about Ice Cube and Eazy E may be the thing that immediately captures your attention, the real jewels are when Heller talks about his background and all the power house people he came up with and what they have always been about. That book should be required reading as well.

In our interview Wendy lays out the true meaning and ramifications of RECOUPARATING and how that process keeps artists forever in debt. People need to truly understand what that word means and how it gets applied to ALL artists who sign to these major labels. It amounts to modern day share cropping.

We discussed whether or not industry conditions have improved now that we have high profile artist CEOs like P-Diddy, Jay-Z and others who are signing acts and running labels. Sadly Wendy noted that they have not. The average recording contract even by some of the new artist music moguls have not changed. She talked about the role capitalism plays in this industry and how it gets a lot of people caught up.

We also talked about the need for an artist union and why one doesn’t presently exist. She said lack of unity and ego have prevented this from occurring. In addition some artists are just so desperate to get on that they will literally sell their souls and not heed much of the advice given to them that will in the long run help them benefit.

We concluded our interview by comparing the way the rock industry works vs. the rap industry and the challenge we face in getting local airplay when the major labels are pushing a national agenda.

This is an interview you have to listen to if you’re trying to get into the game. This is our 3 part Wendy Day Interview

Wendy Day pt 1

Wendy Day pt2

Wendy Day pt3

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News, Breakdown FM Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Keeping It True School-An Interview w/ Monie Love

February 4, 2007 By

This is a great interview done by my boy Tony Muhammaed down in Miami Florida. He sits down with a true Hip Hop legend Monie Love..

In the beginning of January UAN had the distinct honor and pleasure of meeting with London-born Hip Hop pioneer Monie Love at The Marlin Hotel in South Beach for a fun filled True School Party, featuring super dope DJ and producer 9th Wonder on the 1s and 2s, where we reminisced while jamming to 80s and 90s Hip Hop and R’N’B hits all night long. Without question, Monie has come a long way since back in the late 80s and early 90s when she hooked up first with the Native Tongues Crew and later with legendary producer Marley Marl, producing vibrantly spunky jams that were guaranteed to “hype up the party.”

At age 36 and being the mother of three children, the Monie of today is a much more mature Monie, not only on a personal level but with her level of consciousness of how the industry works, landing work as a DJ on an MTV game show in the 90s and as a morning show radio personality in Philadelphia in recent years. This interview was very timely as it came two weeks after Clear Channel 100.3 and Monie had a “falling out.” It is speculated throughout the industry that this was actually an act of termination in response to an on-air argument Monie had with Young Jeezy just weeks prior.

It is believed that the incident ruined some “back door” payola (pay to play) agreement between Jeezy’s label or management and the radio station. With the overall message of Nas’ new album sparking endless debates among Hip Hoppers everywhere, it found itself in a big way at the radio station that morning. What was supposed to be a discussion promoting Jeezy’s new album turned into a debate about whether or not “HIP HOP IS DEAD” and whether or not Nas truly has “street credibility.” Based on the manner in which Jeezy interacted with Monie on the air, you could tell that he did not have a good idea who she was. Throughout the interview, Jeezy continuously disrespected her; first by questioning her background (being from England) in relation to Hip Hop and second by constantly interrupting her when she was about to respond to his statements. After Monie lashed out at Jeezy by explaining why she felt that “HIP HOP IS DEAD,” Jeezy walked out of the station (Peep the discussion on Odeo.com for yourselves).

Beforehand, Monie and I agreed that the interview was not going to be focused on this incident that has had Hip Hoppers talking all over the World Wide Web through e-mails, blogs and message boards. Yet, if you pay close attention to Monie’s commentary she makes some very strong general statements about Hip Hop artists of today that truly do not have knowledge of Hip Hop’s history (probably referring to Jeezy) and how commercial (terrestrial) radio and media has played a strong role in dividing the Hip Hop generation of 15 years ago from the Hip Hop generation of today. This is a very powerful and emotion filled one and one that is sure to get Hip Hop fans all over talking. Next month, look out for another powerful interview with co-founder of True School Corp., 9th Wonder of Little Brother. For now, enjoy this exclusive piece:

UAN: What is True School Corp. and how are you involved with it?

Monie Love: True School is an organization put together by several college alumni and one of them being the youngest set of alumni which is 9th Wonder, producer and DJ and member of the group Little Brother. I have been a member of the organization for about a year exactly and what the true school movement is about is creating a venue, whether it is a place to go, station to listen to, music to listen to for the non-represented Hip Hop fans which I would say range from about 23 and up. Many of them really don’t feel represented, especially 25 and up. Many of them really don’t feel like going out.

I love Hip Hop and I listen to it in my car and in my house, but I feel like I can’t go listen to it in a club because I’m going to find myself fighting to get in the club. So, what we are trying to do is create a venue and a forum for them to let them know that there is an audience out there that is just like you and we need to represent ourselves and we need to create venues to go out and party. We need to create stations and music formats that we can listen to that play the kind of things that we want to hear. It’s crazy to me how you can find 15 and 16 year old kids wearing a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and knowing the lyrics to a Rolling Stones song. That doesn’t happen in Hip Hop. It doesn’t happen because we don’t carry our own traditions, which True School Corp. is definitely an organization interested in carrying on tradition and passing it down.

UAN: I heard Chuck D once say that many in the older generation have compromised planting little seeds of knowledge on the youth in exchange for “looking good.” Would you agree with this view?

Monie Love: Absolutely and wholeheartedly! You know, speaking for myself, I do not compromise.

UAN: We know that for a fact!

Monie Love: I do not compromise, but in general for my generation a lot of us do compromise. We are so fixed on remaining in the 18 to 34 bracket or even younger that we end up not focusing much on the 34 end of it. Many of us are paying much more attention to the 13 or 14 year old age bracket and do not realize that it is not our audience and they aren’t really interested. It’s crazy that a lot of the kids are fixed on a lot of the snap dancing and all of that, but you put on some “boom bap” sh*t on, they do not know what to do. They do not know how to dance to it. It’s the craziest thing to watch because it’s like “Oh my God!” This came out before the snapping. The “boom bap” came first. It just bugs me out how these little white kids know about Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones and Def Leopard.

UAN: Well, a lot of the young white kids now know about the history of Hip Hop.

Monie Love: That’s ludicrous to me and we are partly … I wouldn’t say that we are 100 percent to blame because we are not. Radio has given a lot to Hip Hop and taken away from Hip Hop because radio has assumed the position of dictating what’s “in,” what you should be listening to now, what is “old school” and what is “too old.” Radio does that. TV does that. TV video shows do this. Media does it in general. Media does this by eliminating talent; creating hierarchy within Hip Hop … you could go as far back as Ed Lover not doing Yo! MTV Raps anymore. (Yo! MTV Raps had its final episode in August 1995)

UAN: I remember at one point MTV moving the show (Yo! MTV Raps) at some crazy hour in the middle of the night and Ed Lover and his partner Dr. Dre looked angry and were actually saying some things real negative things about MTV, about how messed up they were being treated.

Monie Love: Yeah, that was towards the end. You can even bring it up to speed more recently with BET getting rid of AJ and Free. They were the landmark of 106 & Park. Basically, media has this real fickle attitude towards Hip Hop and as far as it being on TV and on radio; they determine that someone is too old to be delivering it anymore. There’s no too old! It’s ours and it belongs to us! So we can be old, freakin’ grand parents, which some of us are. Like the set before me, they’re now grandparents. It’s ours and it belongs to us and it will be ours until we die therefore there is no better messenger for its history to come from than from us. The stories of old Hip Hop shows, of when this one got on stage and this one was at the park jams … because it all brings it up to speed. Everyone and everything has a history. You can not act like it doesn’t exist because then you’ll just sit there and ask, “Well, where did Hip Hop come from?”

UAN: Right! …. Uuummm … RUN DMC? (Laughs)

Monie Love: You know what I’m saying? … And yes, you know, right! But a lot of these kids can’t even sing a RUN DMC song from start to finish. It’s ridiculous and it’s stupid and it partly has to do with how media handles Hip Hop and promotes it like some disposable music form.

UAN: I remember back in the day when MTV had segments called “Closet Classics” and they would show TV broadcasted performances by Rock artists from the 60s and 70s. Even though kids that were into hard Rock in the 80s didn’t really grow up with Black Sabbath, yet and still many of them were very quick to identify a personality such as Ozzy Osborne as “God.”

Monie Love: That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Now, the other end of the responsibility comes from us, myself, Chuck, Flav, Ed Lover … you name it! It is partly our responsibility to do as Nas says on the Hip Hop is Dead album. On one of the tracks, he talks about carrying on tradition. We have to do that! It is our responsibility to do that. We have not been doing that! So, partly what is happening to some of the youth who are not Hip Hop fans … and you can tell someone who is making music today and put records out and are not Hip Hop fans … and the easiest ways to detect one of these people is if they have absolutely no clue of people who came before them. And not just knowing the obvious cuts it. Everyone pretty much knows about RUN DMC, Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick. That’s not hard. When you start getting into Sweet Tee and Jazzy Joyce …

UAN: Well, let’s take it back to Kool Herc and Bambaataa.

Monie Love: You know what I’m saying? Let’s talk about Diamond D, Boot Camp Click … all of these people. You need to know this kind of stuff! If you don’t know this kind of stuff then you’re not really a fan and if you are not a fan, then what the f*ck are you making Hip Hop music for?

UAN: Generally what artists today would you consider to be “True School?” What is the definition of “True School?”

Monie Love: Everything that you do not hear on terrestrial radio!

UAN: Well, what about someone like say a Busta Rhymes who is still trying to maintain the appeal of the younger audience? And some may argue that he has gotten legally in trouble for trying to lead the particular lifestyle he is now rhyming about. For instance, on his most recent album, on certain songs he mentions how he is a crack dealer. How do you view this?

Monie Love: Actually, Busta had his stint with that and was constantly getting into trouble as a young kid. Young kids find themselves sometimes walking a path that they have no business walking along and can get in all sorts of trouble. Some get saved, others don’t. Busta got saved through family and friends, through people that loved him and his group Leaders of the New School … But, I can tell you that Busta did have his stint of walking the wrong path totally.

UAN: So what would you say about the content of the album?

Monie Love: I love Busta’s album. Busta is able to mix it up. In listening to that album you can tell that he is able to bridge the gap with the youth today without artistically selling out where the hell he comes from. In order to do that all you have to do is listen to track number 8 which is a cut with him and Q-Tip.

UAN: What are your views of what may possibly be the future face of MTV as far as Hip Hop goes – the more abstract and content filled underground genre of artists?

Monie Love: I totally agree that there is a tremendous amount of talent out there that has not been tapped into yet. They are the emcees of the future and they are the people that are going to carry on Hip Hop for years to come. I would like to think that they would learn from their predecessors as far as … It doesn’t make sense saying anything if no one is going to hear it. If you make things so tremendously difficult to understand and you spend time constantly only within your own ciphers that have the same mental orgasmic intensions with their lyrical content people outside of your circle aren’t going to listen to you. You need to broaden what you say in order to bring some people in and understand what you are doing.

UAN: Right now, for True Schoolers, what is the best way to bridge the gap between generations?

Monie Love: By carrying on tradition, by passing the stories down, by creating an environment that people can get to their 30s and not think “Oh well, I need to hang Hip Hop up now. There’s nowhere for me to go and nothing for me to listen to.” That’s crap! There is an entire legacy of music, whether it is R’N’B or Hip Hop or whatever. There is a legacy of music that needs not be forgotten and therefore tradition can be carried on into the following generation. Those Hip Hop heads that are saying things that are so intricate and so crazy and so deep that the masses outside of them don’t understand, broaden your horizons, flow in a manner that you can invite others from the outside and what we are doing right now as the older heads is we are trying to create an environment that will set the tone so that when your sh*t comes out and your sh*t has had its run and your sh*t is now old, there is an environment for your sh*t to continue being heard!

For more info on True School Corp, visit www.trueschoolcorp.com.

source:http://www.uannetwork.com

Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Breakdown FM: Meet Hip Hop’s ‘Hitchcock’ Mykill Miers

September 4, 2006 By

Depending on where you sit within the diverse spectrum of Hip Hop music and culture, Mykill Miers is either someone you never heard of or a long time fixture in LA’s burgeoning underground scene who gave us classic albums like ‘It’s Been A Longtime Coming’. However, no matter where you sit, you most likely have heard his work.

When this longtime vet is not snatching off heads at rap battles or keeping young gang bangers in check at Juvenile Hall, he’s busy producing music for a long list of TV shows and commercials. Being Bobby Brown, America’s Top Model, America’s Top Chef,VH1, Old Navy, Sprite, Diet Pepsi and this upcoming season of The Apprentice are just a few of the many places where Miers has left his musical mark.

“It’s extremely important that, I as a Hip Hop artist have multiple streams of income”, he explained. He went on to emphasize the importance of artists remaining independent and owning their masters.

He noted that he’s able to license his material and do business all around the world and not have some major label taking a substantial cut while not seriously breaking him off or pushing him to the next level. “It’s all about the hustle”, he concluded.

He also added that its important for independent artists to ban together, share resources and create avenues that they control that will lead to increased exposure.

In our interview Miers offered up a lot of insight and oftentimes overlooked history about LA’s Underground scene. He spoke about central figures like the late Bigga B. He talked about how he came up and earned his stripes at the Good Life Café in South Central LA. This is the spot that gave birth to groups like Freestyle Fellowship and Jurassic 5. Miers likened those early days in the late 80s early 90s to the Apollo. He noted that cats were unforgiving if you came on the mic and did not bring the heat.

Battles were par for the course and Miers is more than tested. He’s one who is set to grab the mic and take a cat down anyplace, anywhere and at anytime. This was clear during our interview when we asked him to lay out the type of approach he would use if he had to battle fellow emcees and friends, Xzibit, Rakaa of Dilated Peoples, Snoop, Game and Jurassic 5.

Miers also spoke to us about the direction Hip Hop has taken with major corporations running the ship. He had some choice words for a number of rappers who he feels have sold their souls to be promoted by the corporate machine. He says he’s sees the type of negative impact much of today’s music has on the kids he works with everyday at Juvenile Hall. “They see artists like 50 Cent as a hero or even a brother. Everything these artists do these kids who are locked up wanna do”, Miers explained. He stressed the importance of providing balance and guidance.

He noted that him being an emcee has helped him to be relatable to the kids he works with. It allows him to have positive influence over more than a few. He also talked about how he avoided the lure of gangs in both his personal life and his music, while his brother engaged in it hardcore. He noted that being an athlete saved his life and that he wanted to commit himself to changing lives.

Miers is gearing up to release his new album ‘Trials of Job’ and is also working on doing a big concert inside Juve Hall which will hopefully include everyone from Xzibit on down to Jurassic 5.

Audio interview below with Mykill Miers and Davey D on Breakdown FM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkv1o_DWI6I

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Breakdown FM Interviews, Hip Hop Articles 2006 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Boogie Man is Gonna get You-Blame Hip Hop

August 25, 2006 By

THE BOOGIE MAN IS GONNA GET YOU
By Mark Skillz

http://markskillz.blogspot.com/

original article-August 25, 2006

markskillzson-225Black on black crime, drug abuse, HIV, promiscuity, materialism, greed and ignorance, what do these things have in common: Hip-hop. Or so they say.

It looks as if the boogieman for the first part of the 21st century will be hip-hop. Why is HIV spreading so fast in the black community? Blame hip-hop. Teen-age pregnancy is out of control. Blame hip-hop. Hurricane Katrina. Blame hip-hop. Those guys are killing each otherBlame hip-hop. You can almost blame hip-hop for anything you want.

Here I have another one: Erectile dysfunction. What? You mean you can blame that on hip-hop too? Sure. Use this as the reason: Because of the proliferation of pornographic based material that draws an indirect and oftentimes direct influence from the hip-hop culture, it is reasonable to presume that the viewing of such material over a period of time can cause the viewer to distort reality and to manipulate his male sex organ more frequently than is recommended by the office of the surgeon general.
Your pal,
Mark SkillzWillie Horton, remember that goddamn nigga? I say it like that because everywhere you went during that election year, every brother was some sort of equivalent of Willie Horton. He was what was wrong with the criminal justice system. And as I recall the first George Bush promised to deal with those types with a much heavier hand than the previous administration (of which he was a part of). Nowadays every politician and preacher has a new scapegoat: Hip-hop.

Ghetto translation: Son you been wackin off so much to them Trina videos that yo shit wont move no mo.

Its a liberating feeling to be able to blame something for our problems. Violence in schoolsGoddamn rappers, they did it. Somebody shot up a church. Lawd Jesus help us, look at what the rappers have made our kids do. You can blame hip-hop for almost anything now.

Like this person

Dear Mark Skillz,
I am writing to you because you are the only person that I feel I can talk to. I am short and was born Black and poor. If it wasnt for the rappers I feel like I would have had a better life. Maybe I couldve done something really meaningful with my life if it wasnt for rap music.

Signed,
Po and Ugly.

Heres my response:

Dear Po and Ugly,

Tough break bro.

Signed

George Bush had

My son is on the DLumm, ummm, ummm. Lord its the music these kids listen to. My daughter is a stripper. All them rap videos made your daughter want to be a stripper.

Lets get real here: Black on black crime who shot Malcolm X and Patrice Lumumba? That was Black on Black crime and there was no hip-hop to blame for that. The reasons brothers are killing each other are a lot bigger than hip-hop. Like: Lack of education, lack of home training, lack of direction, lack of love and respect for self and others, poor job prospects and no motivation to see beyond the block they live on.

Drug abuse: Hmmmm, what were yall doing in the 60s and 70s? I know I know, smoking grass (as you like to call it). Real innocent Leave it to Beaver type shit, huh? Nah, yall werent all up in clubs til the break of dawn doing reckless shit, nah, not yall. Yall was on some real wholesome, family-friendly Mike Brady type shit back then, right?

HIV: Hmmmm, that shit has been around for twenty-five years.

Promiscuity: What? White folks dont swap partners, have multiple partners and engage in bi-sexuality? Hmmmm Men (and not just Black men either) have been sleeping with multiple partners (and enjoying the hell out of it) since that first warm summer breeze first blew across his naked Johnson hundreds and thousands of years ago.

Materialism: Hmmmmever watch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? Whats that all about?

Greed and ignorance: Hip-hop does not make people ignorant you either are or youre not.

Has hip-hop as a culture helped to elevate our civilization? Since were keeping it real. No, not really. Like any other movement or culture its had its moments of beauty, but as a whole, nah. Is it supposed to? I thought it was music.

If your daughter would rather buy a thong than a book, dont blame hip-hop: Blame yourself. If your daughter believes her destiny is to be bent over on stage at 3 oclock in the morning making her ass clap, dont blame hip-hop: BLAME YOURSELF.

 

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Filed Under: August '06 Articles, Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006 Tagged With: , , , , ,

Is Rap Actually Music or is it a Bad Influence?

August 23, 2006 By
Is Rap Actually Music or is it a Bad Influence?
By renee
www.associatedcontent.com…tml?page=2
original article-August 23, 2006
Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

The world of hip hop would have you believe that rap is a very poetic way of expressing yourself through music. This can of course be true, but does what you hear from rap music sound very poetic to you? The influence that rap currently has on our children all around the world is unfortunately a very strong one. If you have not noticed many of the major leaders in the rap community try to get involved with good causes and political campaigns in order to make it appear that rap is a good thing. But have you really taken the time to listen to some of these rap songs? I mean really focus on the words and what they mean.

Eighty percent of the rap music that is currently on the top ten lists around the world contains violence. They glorify the acts of beating up another person, or even worse shooting them. Looking like someone who just got released from prison in their eyes is a good thing. Not to mention that half of the time they are yelling their lyrics in such a loud and annoying way you may not be able to really understand what they are saying. Remember this is where the fashion statement of wearing pants off of your butt and looking sloppy came from in addition to women who are half naked. What is the end result of half naked women in a rap music video?

Obviously girls think this is the way for other boys or men to notice them and to make themselves more popular in school. Another thing that rap music also seems to glorify is that what matters most when looking for a good woman is what her body looks like. This is why there are so many teenagers who have eating disorders or other emotional problems. They just dont feel that they fit the diagram of what teenage girls should like. Rap music also glorifies drinking, and sex. Two things which happen to be a major problem amoung many children today.

There are some rappers however who keep their lyrics clean and try to rap about positive things. Although the numbers of rappers who do this are very few there definitely are some out there who send a good message to children. One of these is Will Smith who has outwardly spoken about how he does not see the need to include vulgar language or lyrics in his rap music. So the bottom line is that when you are trying to determine whether or not to allow your child to listen to rap music, it is not so much rap itself, but the artist which they choose to listen too.

Rap music did originally start as a poetic form of music, it has just been distorted by people who choose to use rap as a way to promote gang violence and other means of self destruction. Make sure that you take the time to listen to the music that your child listens to. And dont be so quick to rule out rap music, just make sure that you take the time to listen to the lyrics first and then make your decision. For additional information you can visit the following websites: www.uic.edu, www.yale.edu, www.rapworld.com, www.rhino.com.

Here’s a compelling response to this article from my man Cenzi out of Chilee:
Hell yeah its a bad influence. I can easily prove my point with one example.

In certain countries that recieve hiphop music through whichever way possible, they start copying American antics, such as gangs. I have seen “crips” in the weirdest countries, where there shouldn’t be any at all. They only do this because of the whole Crip Walk @..%$ that popped off a couple yrs back. That was brought to them through hiphop.

Another example?

I can probably name about 10 different types of guns, some hard liquor I dont drink, different types of weeds, and I know about the word Ho as a demeaning way of treating a woman. and all of this thankx to hiphop. Now, I am old enough to take all of this in as “information” and leave it at that, but younger more impressionable minds want to hold these guns, try these weeds, drink these liqours and have a few hos…. Negative influence? hell yeah.

What can I get from listening to the other types of music? hmm.. no other music is so graphic in violent nature. Well except some of that thrash metal @..%$ that talks about some satanism… and yeah thats a negative influence too, buuuuuut, it aint and it will never be top ten material, not like hiphop, so it effects much less…

anyways.. I say this as a hiphop fan, and I love me some SPice 1 and Cold 187 lyrics (congrats on his freedom BTW), but I am old enough to discern bad from good. I wish more hiphop catered to younger minds. And I dont mean, give them watered down pop rap, I mean, give them more De La Soul, Quest and Visionaries…….

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Filed Under: August '06 Articles, Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006 Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

All or Nothing Mentality:

August 23, 2006 By

All or Nothing Mentality:

By Stephanie Mwandishi Gadlin
(StephGadlin@yahoo.com)

original article-August 23, 2006

I want to ask you all a sincere and honest question that isn’t
rhetorical or rigged with innuendo. And I’ll apologize for this
energy.but, Here goes: Why (overall) are our people SO complacent,
SO negative, SO non-energetic and ALWAYS willing to criticize, attack
and challenge any effort to make positive social change in one’s
community. Why can’t we collectively or block by block identify
issues, work on solving them, implement programs, be creative in our
approach, stay focused and dedicated to the tasks at hand.

I don’t believe this is a crab in the barrel syndrome it is something
much deeper and much more calculated. But what is it? Help me put a
finger on this.

I am convinced that many of our people would rather have ALL of
nothing than be a part of a LITTLE of something.  Some would rather
have ALL of the pain and the problems rather than be involved in
easing some of the pain; solving SOME of the problems, day by day,
walk by walk.  Its like the gang banger who is holding down a block
that he does not even own. His power is a false but brutal power.

I have experienced incidents where a certain well known “leader” is
criticized for not being in the `hood or not being accessible to
the `grassroots.’ They said he was flying all over the globe and
would never set foot in the `hood.’ Then when you say okay, how about
I solve that problem and bring the leader to the hood, bring the
leader with RESOURCES to the hood, the leader is attacked for doing
what..COMING TO THE HOOD!??? “What the hell are you doing out here,”
or “Go back to the so an  so!” “You’re just running a bunch of B.S.”
or “You’re trying to pimp the people.”

On the flip side here in Chicago many of the resources for our
oppressed neighborhoods are restricted and held up by Negro “power
blockers.” They play this class game and this popularity game where
if an Upperclass Negro declares `you’re in” then you’re inbut if you
don’t come the “right way” (That means kiss a whole lot of bougie
Black behind) then you’re out and they will block everything you do.
They elevate and celebrate and reward themselves at their benefits,
luncheons and parties and talk about how they `overcame’ while in the
meantime they do NOTHING, nadda, not-a-thing, to assist and aide in
lifting the economic tensions and oppression of the majority of
people in the communitywhom they claim to represent. This group
likes to talk about how much consumer spending Black folk have; and
then they build their businesses off the selling of this information.

So grassroots, everyday people have no access to their own media;
their own (big) businesses; their own politicians; and the things
they really sacrificed to obtain. Is this what Dr. King died for?
What about El-Hajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X)? So when Marcus Garvey
was talking “do for self” is this what he really meant?

The Upperlcass Negroes where I live said nothing as the people in the

projects were run out of their homes. In fact the encouraged the
tearing down of these slums; yet, demanded not a plan for re-location
for the people. Since their homes are paid for, they said nothing
about gentrification of neighborhoods. They don’t care that the
biggest Black paper in town is a racist rag called the Sun-Times.
They are applauding the city’s only Black owned radio station cutting
a suspect deal with Clear Channel. Because they eat everyday, they
say nothing about the lack of grocery stores and clinics and health
resources for the poor. Since they don’t eat gyros and polishes, they
don’t care about closing their restaurants and allowing the Koreans
and Arabs to feed our people.

Okay, I know some of us suffer from `mentacide,’ and I am fully aware
that there are operatives, paid and rewarded, to keep confusion and
inactivity brewing in many of our urban communities. I understand
COINTELPRO, but why do we continue to fall victim to it. Poverty is
good business for a whole lot of people, right?

So I vent out of frustration. I know the answer is to struggle
forward. But I must pause and ask these questions. Is anyone feeling
me out there? Are there any answers? Is there no fight left?

Stephanie

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Filed Under: August '06 Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Life style articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , ,

Two Females Perspectives on the Movie ‘Crash’

August 23, 2006 By

Crashing the Black Female Image
By Stephanie Mwandishi Gadlin
(StephGadlin@yahoo.com)

original article-August 23, 2006

While much ado is being made about Crash winning the Best Picture
award at the recent Oscars, Black women shouldn’t be so quick to
cheer a film that in the end winds up reinforcing many of Hollywood
stereotypes we have fought against over the last few decades.

It is well-documented that the female image in U.S. entertainment
culture routinely depicts Black women in the following ways

     *     As poorly educated, unmarried
     *     As sexually repressed or obsessive
     *     As routinely hostile to Black men and boys
     *     As tragically mulatto (light skin); racially confused
     *     As an over-religious mammy more concerned for the welfare of whites than her own children
     *     And, as overweight, comedic and/or obsessed with “finding a man.”

Upon further look Crash reinforces the notions about Black women as
emasculating, helpless, sexualized victims while at the same time
works to soften and then rationalize anti-Black, racist behavior of
the whites depicted in the film.

We are introduced to the first Black female character through the
light-skin, Brit-born actress Thandie Newton who is incidentally
performing a sex act on her director-husband  [played by Terrence
Howard] as he drives home.

Following a questionable traffic stop, we are soon face-to-face with
an out-of-control Newton–whom we are constantly reminded is
intoxicated–who while pleading helplessly with her terrified husband
is sexually assaulted by a racist police officer, while his seemingly
non-racist partner stands ideally by.  Her husband, the Black man,
cannot save her, and will not save her, least he wind up in jail or
dead. To the viewer we are left to wonder if he is a coward or a hero
who chooses his battles wisely.

Later, Newton launches into a tirade about her husband’s lack of
masculinity, lack of blackness and lack of courage. Howard does his
best to defend himself, but unwilling or unable to go toe to toe with
his wife’s fervor, winds up internalizing his rage. “Its all your
fault,” he reminds her over and over again. The wife screams, shouts
and threatens to report the officer, played by Matt Dillon, to his
higher ups in the police department, but doesn’t.

Howard’s character, along with one portrayed by veteran actor Keith
David, represent Black men who would rather sacrifice their self
dignity than their careers. Neither of them are willing to take on
the white power structure for the sake of pursued justice. They are
neither noble or honorable. They are empowered, powerless victims who
understand ‘their place’ in a society dominated by white men.

We last encounter an emotionally impacted Newton upside down in her
car during a traffic accident. With life-staking moments  ticking
away, to her horror, she comes face to face with her would-be hero,
the same white cop who just hours before sexually assaulted her. In
this twisted paradox, a noble, yet ‘they made me racist” Dillon
rescues Newton and she collapses thankful, grateful, tragic, into his
strong and masculine arms. She stares almost lovingly into his eyes
as she is ushered away from the crash–perhaps thankful that she
didn’t report him to his superiors after all. And so are we.

Though it is subtly implied, we never see Newton’s character
reconcile with her own husband. Instead, we are left breathing sighs
of thanks that this white man, could put away his racist leanings to
do his job. After all, we have since found out that Dillon’s
character is only a racist because his ailing father was forced out
of a job and better health benefits because of affirmative action. We
empathize with him as we see Shaniqua, the African American HMO
official, unapologetically deny his claim.

Dillon’s character’s racism is a byproduct of society’s cruel turn of
events that place Black people in positions of authority.  His
mental illness isn’t to blame, its “Shaniqua” fault. Its all of those
Blacks who put good white folk out of their jobs, because of
affirmative action, who make him behave this way. We see Dillon’s
character tortured by his father’s condition as he help’s his dad on
and off the toilet. We should empathize with him, not pity him, and
further understand that his racism is not of his own making.

The third Black woman (played by Beverly Todd) is not suprisingly
depicted in the film is a drug-addicted, incoherent mother of a
indifferent police detective, played by Don Cheadle, and a likeable
thief, portrayed by Larenz Tate. We are introduced to her through her
environment, a garbage strewn apartment. She sits near comatose on
her balcony wondering when her youngest son will come home.

There is no back story about this family for us to empathize with. We
do not know if this woman is married or widowed. We don’t know what
drove her to drug addiction. We do not know if her sons are the
product of one union or two, one-night stands. This mother’s wounds
are self-inflicted and so her problems all stem from her own poor
choices. There is no explanation or excuses, she is what she is–
a “crack head,” single mother, battling her addiction alone. She has
no food in the refrigerator because put the groceries in her arm or
her pipe. Her passive, brown eyes tell us its not her fault, but the
verdict is still out.

A fourth Black woman, portrayed by Nona Gaye, might as well have been
invisible. Her character had no point, no focus, no direction and no
purpose–unless of course it was to illustrate how professional Black
women will stand by their (WHITE) men no matter what–even if it
means exploiting, entrapping and disrespecting her own Black men.

Crash tells us that mother actually loves the criminal son (Tate)
more than the one who has seemingly taken a route of responsibility,
education and career advancement (Cheadle). We do not understand why
this tragic mother would embrace her two-strikes, car-jacking son
over her more responsible one. Is this a subliminal suggestion that
Black mothers or people, in general, are more accepting of criminal
behaviors? We never find out why.

Throughout the film we are reminded that Crash’s white characters are
flawed and racist only because society drives them to be this way
(affirmative action, reverse discrimination, rampant crime, etc.);
while the Black characters seemingly suffer because of internal
wounds (drug addiction, poor choices, criminal behavior, etc.)–not
institutional racism. The only one who speaks for them and attempts
to explain why these characters engage in antisocial behavior is
another white man, a public relations hack hired by the District
Attorney. Even his explanation of poor schools, lack of opportunity,
and police misconduct is dismissed as being nothing more than
cultural whining.

Black people suffer because of self-inflicted wounds–remember. White
institutional racism is just a misunderstanding, remember.

When Tate’s character and the one portrayed by Atlanta-based rapper
Ludacris, attempts to justify their poor life choices, the audience
is left laughing at their self-examination. These two are comedic
relief. It is funny that one of these men find conspiracies in white
society. It is funny that they choose to only rob white people. It is
amusing that they seem remotely intelligent. It is funny when
(Ludacris) comes across another victim and it turns out to be a Black
man (Howard). We laugh when he is disarmed, chastised and then given
his weapon back.

None of these Black people in the film are really all that redeemed–
despite Crash’s poor attempt to show some sense of morality. Dillon’s
character, however, is immediately redeemed by his heroic act; the
suburbanite (Sandra Bullock) finds herself redeemed by recognizing
the humanity and friendship of her Latino housekeeper; and a
supposedly non racist cop (Ryan Phillip) who winds up killing one of
the carjackers, is excused all together because it appears almost
justified. All of the whites in Crash are really good people who are
just victims of circumstance.

The Blacks, Latinos, Asians and Middle Eastern people depicted in
Crash are all guilty of their poor choices, society’s stereotypes,
cross-cultural miscommunication and their own cowardice. We shake our
head at the Asian human trafficker but not at European who seeks to
buy slaves. Complete with American flags waving in the background,
our patriotism is subtly reinforced throughout the sequence of events
featuring the Latino locksmith and the Persian storeowner.

I must admit that I raised these questions after initially giving the
film great reviews. This is a good movie. It is the best example of
propaganda film in some time. Crash does what all good Hollywood
films should do, it evoked emotion, thought, and reflection. It
entertained. It forces us to transfer real human emotion to contrived
and a set unrealistic events in order to authenticate its hidden
message.

We passively accept the racist reinforcement of Crash while at the
same time believe we are rejecting it.

Given the backdrop of Crash’s Academy Award win on the same night
this same the group also awarded Three 6 Mafia’s “Its Hard Out Here
for a Pimp,” as song of the year, I had to take another look.  How
could “the Academy” reject Howard’s performance in one of the
most ‘thought provoking’ films of the year; yet, nominate him for his
portrayal of a pimp suffering from a midlife crisis?

Had I been duped into believing that an industry that has so rife
with depicting Black people as more criminal, more violent, more
ignorant than we are could suddenly change its stripes? Had I been
pacified by the Oscars given to Halle Berry, Denzel Washington,
Morgan Freeman and Jamie Foxx?

People responded to Crash,  and rightly so–it pushes psychological
buttons. Its vivid imagery makes you ignore the generalities and
tricks you into thinking you are rejecting basic stereotypes rather
than reinforcing them.

I know people will read this and take me to task. “This was a good
movie,” someone will shout.  “This was an excellent film,” others
will say. “You have too much time on your hands,” another might
retort. “It was only a movie.”

For those comments and others I am reminded of the African
proverb: “beware of the naked man who offers you his shirt.”

Thank you for reading my words,
Stephanie in the City of Wind

======================================

Here’s a Compelling Response to this article:
 
I’m directing this one at my namesake Ms. Gadlin…albeit a bit late because you all can be pretty prolific with your daily posts and it’s taken me a minute to catch up.  🙂
 
Stephanie, I do thank you for your insights on the film and you have given me some food for thought on how the project can be perceived by others whose views may differ slightly from my own. I loved the film and still do, though I am now prompted to rent it and watch it again more critically after reading your post.
 
I had the pleasure of seeing “Crash” a week before its official release at the Denver Pan African Film Festival. One of the reasons I may view some of your points differently is because I had the added benefit of seeing the film with executive producer Don Cheadle in the audience, who conducted a Q&A session afterwards.  “White Hollywood” was not viewing this film as a propaganda machine. As a matter of fact, it was only through the involvement of Cheadle, fresh off of his Oscar nom for “Hotel Rwanda,” that the film ever made it to the big screen. Because of the inflammatory nature of the stereotypes depicted in the film and the various subject matter, it was exceedingly difficult for them to get the film made at all. Every one of those actors worked for Union scale, rather than their usual potential paydays, because they believed in the ideas set forth in that script. It was an ensemble piece in every sense of the word.
 
What I appreciated about the film is that no one was “let off of the hook” when it came to their beliefs and actions. One could certainly argue, as you have, that Terrence Howard’s character was not redeemed in the end. But to me, that was necessary and the point. Many of the people (of all races) who take a righteous road in Hollywood do not work often or again, period. Doesn’t make it right, but it’s reality. [Think about all of the drama that the Dixie Chicks have gone through from criticizing GWB] Like the film’s carjackers, we can all probably sing sad songs about intelligent hoodlums we’ve known and loved, brothers who could hold down a “real job” but don’t, for any number of reasons…and then wind up in jail or dead. Likeable, loveable men who did what they felt they had to do, for better or worse. Redemption is truly in the eye of the beholder.
 
But the essence of the message in “Crash” was cause and effect. We make choices every day to say and do certain things based on our experiences and circumstances. And we should be mindful that not everyone sees and reacts in the way that we would to these same stimuli. Ultimately, we are ALL responsible for the choices we make and the ripple effect that they create in our lives and those around us. Though I may not agree with how certain things played out in the film, I do appreciate that I was presented with a film that made me think and feel in the first place, unlike much of the product that is put out by others in the industry. No offense…but I’ll take CRASH over THE COOKOUT and SOUL PLANE every single time.
 
Respectfully,

STEPHANIE RENEE

 

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner
Filed Under: August '06 Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Life style articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Is Busta on Steroids? Beating Victims Speaks Out

August 22, 2006 By
dbanner1newparis
Is Busta on Steroids? Beating Victims Speaks Out

bustarhymeslook225A while back we ran an interview with former Source owners Dave Mays & Benzino shortly after Busta and Mays had their altercation in Miami. The end result was Mays getting hit upside the head with a bottle and having to get stitches. Benzino alluded to the fact that Busta was on steroids and needed to check himself. At first many of us laughed it off and attributed the remarks to a jealous Benzino, but in lieu of this latest altercation, one can’t be too sure.. What’s really going on?

Beating victim recounts rappers rampage,
BY NICOLE BODE and ALISON GENDAR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
playahata.com/hatablog/?p=1801#more-1801
original article-August 22, 2006
Busta Rhyme victim was a former fan and plans to file a civil lawsuit after the teen suffered a concussion and a split lip. His violent unprovoked account gives credence to rumors of steroid rage. (This sounds more legitimate than Buster Rhymes story.)

One moment, Roberto Lebron was telling Busta Rhymes he was a big fan – and the next thing he knew, the rapper was kicking him in the face.

That was the dramatic account offered yesterday by the 19-year-old Bronx man, whose allegations of a Chelsea beat-down landed Rhymes in his latest scrape with the law.

While I was on the ground, he was kicking me in the face, Lebron said yesterday. I saw him kick me.
Lebrons crime, he said, was accidentally spitting on Bustas ride on Aug. 12.

Me and my friends were walking across the street. I spit on the street and it landed on a moving car. It was a Maybach. That car stopped, along with two black SUVs.

People came out and they were walking up to me. We realized it was Busta Rhymes, Lebron said in a phone interview arranged by his lawyer.

He asked me, Homie, did you spit on my car? I said Sorry, I didnt mean to. Were big fans of yours. That was the last thing I said, Lebron recalled.

One of his people hit me in the face and I fell on the ground – and then Rhymes came over to finish the job, he said.

Lebron said the star and his crew kicked and punched him in the middle of Sixth Ave. near 19th St. – then yanked his Nike sneakers off his feet and tossed them away.

Rhymes beefy posse kept Lebrons three friends from coming to his aid, and bolted after about two minutes, he said.

I guess they got tired of beating me up, said Lebron, who was a student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice until he took a full-time job hooking up televisions in hospital rooms.

Lebron filed a formal criminal complaint on Saturday, and cops busted Rhymes after his concert at Randalls Island.

Here’s a response from my man C Wise regarding that question…

I keep telling folks this is a mid-life/end of career crisis this man is going through. I’m not a doctor nor do I claim to be one, but Busta’s behavior over the past year has drawn those to believe he’s suffering from roid rage. He’s been in some many different altercations, even with a security detail, Busta seems to find himself drawn into these conflicts, some of which sound like they can be avoided by just walking away.
After learning more about what happened to Proof back in April, it made me realize that black men seem to be the ones killing each other more and more everyday. We are often thrown in to situations that can result in violence. I’m not trying to rip off the Boondocks, but lately Busta is making headlines for various “Nigga Moments”, and I’m afraid the pattern he is following may result in us saying another RIP to another Hip-Hop legend. :|

Is it Steroids? I don’t know and I don’t want to be the one to ask either.

 Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Filed Under: August '06 Articles, Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Hip Hop News articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

The Prophecy of Hip-hop

August 21, 2006 By

The Prophecy of Hip-hop
by DJ Paradise Gray of X-Clan-Aug 21 2006

Paradise the Arkitech

Paradise the Arkitech

“Government Intelligence” is a misnomer. With at least a 30 some odd Billion dollar budget, the pre 911 “Intelligence” Agencies didn’t have a clue about what was going on. In spite of the reports of Arab men at flight schools asking to learn how to fly but not how to land. That was a clue that I would expect the lowest level security guard to alert on. How did they miss that? To borrow a line from Keith Sweat “Something Just Aint’ Right”. What I do know is that I’m very uncomfortable with the people who have their fingers on the red buttons. I’m no conspiracy theorist but Bush is looking more and more like Senator Palpatine to me
by the day.

Some people may think that rappers are no rocket scientists, but either someone’s lying about what they knew or rappers are clairvoyant, because they sure did a heck of alot better job than the government, understanding the danger and possibilities for terrorist attacks on The World Trade Center.

Eric B & Rakim’s song “Casualties Of War”, released in 1992 on the “Don’t Sweat the Technique” album, Rakim says:

“So now I wait for terrorists to attack,
when a truck back fires, I fire back,
I DUCK FOR SHELTER WHEN A PLANE FLYS OVER ME,
REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR? NEW YORK WILL BE OVER G”,
Kamikaze, strapped with bombs,
No peace in the East, they want revenge for Saddam”.

Equally prophetic and kinda weird is this next one from Busta Rhymes who seems to stay in the news lately.
(Hip-hop Cointel Pro is on you Busta! Be very carefull, you are probably being set up for a big fall).

Busta rhymes song “Against All Odds” from the 1998 album: “Extinction Level Event (The Final World Front)”

Busta’s prophecy is two-fold here, a combination of both of the other examples.

First Busta’s E.L.E. cd cover features lower Manhattan (the area where the World Trade Center was located) going up in a large blaze of fire, then at 1.19 of the track (911 backwards) – Busta Says:

“DESTROY ANY ARCH RIVAL, OR ANY CHALLENGER,
MAKE YOU REMEMBER THIS DAY NIGGA, MARK IT ON YA CALENDER,
I’m showin’ you somethin’, you ain’t sayin’ nothin’,
My niggaz make noise like a bunch of volcanoes errupting,
NONE OF Y’ALL NIGGAZ REALLY WANNA WAR,
THE TYPE OF NIGGA TO CRASH MY PLANE IN YOUR BUILDING IN THE NAME OF ALLAH”

No wonder they keep hunting him down like his name was Osama Bin Busta!

And last (but not least), The Coup, their CD cover never got released to the public, however it is still pretty easy to find on the internet:

The planned cover art created in June 2001 for The Coup’s “Party Music” album depicts The Coup with an exploding World Trade Center in the background, Coup DJ Pam the Funktress conducts the proceedings with 2 batons as “Boots” Riley handles what looks like a detonator but is actually a guitar tuner. The Cd was released in November 2001 with a different cover after the actual attacks on the World Trade Center.

Could this all just be a coincidence?

—
Paradise Gray
Honorary Chairman, Pittsburgh LOC
National Political Hip-hop Convention
Grand Arkitech Of The BlackWatch Movement
Minister Of Arts And Sciences Millions More Movement
Director Of Almost Home Youth Ministries
One Hood
www.myspace.com/paradisegray

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Filed Under: archive articles Tagged With: , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »