mrDaveyd | Hip-Hop and Politics

Howard Dean Gearing Up to Hold Hip Hop Townhall Meeting

January 7, 2004 By mrDaveyd

Editors Note: Looks like Marketing to the Hip Hop crowd is a priority for some, but for the record Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton have been dealing with the Hip Hop audiences long before Dean, but its nice they are reaching out..

-Davey D-
============================

Howard Dean

Wil Bannister aka Wil b, and Lu Chi Fu Music’s, Erick Bennett, have been asked, by Howard Dean campaign advisor and organizer, Jasper Hendricks, to organized and head up a “council” of notable Hiphop artists and influential members that will sit with Gov. Howard Dean, the current Democratic front-runner, LIVE and IN PERSON, IN OUR COMMUNITY, moderated by Lu Chi Fu Music’s flagship artist, and author of the controversial Hiphop song, “DEAR MR. BUSH”, WIL b.

Being called “A Hiphop Town Hall Meeting with Howard Dean, the event is expected to be attended by various members of the Legendary hierarchy of the Hiphop community, TBA on a later date, LIVE in Los Angeles at a Church, also, to be disclosed on a later date; All due to the necessary security precautions for the event.

We anticipate this historic gathering to be a deciding factor for the Dean campaign in the urban communities. Details of the event will be released, on January 15th, once all are confirmed, however, organizers Wil b and Erick Bennett, say this event will not only be historic for Hiphop, but it will also serve to bridge that gap that is often found between the Hiphop community and our political officials. Because of a lack of understanding of the needs of the people in the urban communities.

Check out www.LuChiFuMusic.com or www.DeanForAmerica.com for details and updates, daily.

Available for FREE download on our www.LuChiFuMusic.com website, Dear Mr. Bush”, the controversial new single from, Wil b, was almost sidelined recently after Secret Service Agents investigation of the lyrics of rapper Eminem led them to the lyrics of Wil b’s “Dear Mr. Bush”.

With lyrics, such as,

“how did you manipulate a war from our post-dramatic trauma…”,

when referring to questions of the Presidents knowledge of a possibility of a September 11th prior to the actual tragedy,

and,

“Dear Mr. Bush, man, it’s all so clear, why we travelin for war, when you got it right here. I see terror everyday, man, we live it over here…”

It is no surprise, but we are happy to announce, that, no investigation has been planned that we know of. We will definitely keep you posted.

LU CHI FU MUSIC ANNOUNCES:
www.DEARMRBUSH.com

Also, our, www.DearMrBush.com will be up and running towards the end of January just in time for our planned First Annual Hiphop Town Hall Meeting with Howard Dean.

The website is a free site for all users that will allow people of all ages, races, and etc, to write letters, anonymously if desired, to the President of the United States, George W. Bush.

Websites users will be able to voice their real concerns about their world, and, post their comments and opinions.

Not to worry Bush supporters, we, welcome you to, please, send us your comments and facts supporting your president. The result is to inspire creative and fair dialogue amongst us all.

To make it as simple as possible for the President to access and read the letters posted on the DearMrBush.com website, rapper and website developer, Wil b, promises to post all new letters, in order received, on the main page of the DearMrBush.com site, as well as, a confidential reply option for the President to reply to the letters.

“He should get himself a nice cup of Pepto Bismal, his laptop, and read the real opinions of the people in America that these so-called accurate polls seem to always miss. We make up more than half of our population, if you combine the various ethnics in the urban communities. DearMrBush.com is the voice of these people. All you need to do is have a concern, a solution, a question, a comment, or whatever for Mr. Bush.

It is not a let’s bash George party at all.

It’s a way for kids, who can’t vote, prison inmates who may have lost their rights to vote in the prison system, but not their voices, especially because most of these inmates have loved ones that are still in the these streets surviving. It is for everybody. If you LOVE George, then, love ’em. If you hate ’em, then, here at DearMrBush.com, you can say that too, anonymously if you so desire. We need more dialogue and less rhetoric. The Hiphop community and the urban communities of America are in need of a leadership council that will deal with these issues instead of putting together these weak efforts to self-serve. This forum will deal with those issues and whole lot more affecting our kids in our communities, as well as, the globe. We need better schools, more and better jobs, less drugs and more programs, less prisons and more schools, fair and equal housing, positive reinforcements for our struggling programs that, out-of-pocket, provide services to their communities in hopes to better them.

We need opportunities in our community. Whether you believe it needs to be affirmative or not, in the ghettos of America, We NEED ECONOMIC ACTION, NOW!!!

WIL b Comments on his recent activity with the HOWARD DEAN Campaign

I am honored that my message got to em that way (Howard Dean). Their giving us an opportunity to lie out, an agenda that we feel will positively affect the people who come from and live in the ghettos of America. America will get to really see the issues and conditions affecting our people and our community.

Howard Deans people came to me and said he wants to learn about what really is important to OUR community. George W. Bush hasnt as of yet made that request to me or anyone else that I know of, and I dont suspect hell be coming down to the hood to talk shop, but Howard Deans decision to honestly seek the knowledge by breaking bread with the us in L.A., on our terms, may not assure my vote, but it does my respect. The road to the presidency SHOULD go through the ghetto.

If you, as a candidate, are not dedicated to changing the lack of schools, high crime, and zero opportunity situations that are plaguing our communities, then, you are not representing all of the people. Because there are a whole lot of us, who have yet to have been heard, until now.

Besides, this is my chance to give Hiphop’s REAL legends their Nuff Respect, see it!”
– Wil b

In closing, Wil b has been recording a few new songs, for his debut “KIDS KILL KIDS” album, including a song titled “Hush” that he’ll be debuting during a performance tomorrow night (Jan. 6th) at small intimate “unplugged style” event, in North Hollywood, California honoring the organizers and participants in the Anti-War movement, hosted by and starring Michelle Shocked, others (undetermined at press time), and, of course, Wil b.

Check our website www.LuChiFuMusic.com for, Wil b, updates and appearances.

Also, check out this link: la.indymedia.org/news/2003/12/99007.php, to see a live performance by Wil b during a rally takeover on the corner of Hollywood and Highland in Hollywood. We shut it down, baby! Wil b

More to share but not enough time to write it all. Give us a call, or just visit our website daily. We really want you to be a part of this movement and all of this success that will be associated with it. It is ALL about to happen. We are not only taking Hiphop back, we are realizing the beginning of the manifestation of Tupac and Dr. King’s dreams combined. Hiphop has and will continue to save lives and the negative associations will not outshine the brilliant accomplishments of this remarkable culture.

How Can WE ALL be down? Drop us a line by checking out our website and emailing the appropriate contact for your needs.

Blessings,

Megan Garcia, Staff Publicist, Lu Chi Fu Music
c/o Wil Bannister aka Wil b
917-804-2770
www.LuChiFuMusic.com
WilBannister@juno.com
LuChiFuMusic@juno.com
LuChiFuMusic@hotmail.com

Filed Under: archive articles, Political articles Tagged With: Bush, Dennis Kucinich, Hip Hop, hiphop, Howard Dean, Howard Dean Gearing Up to Hold Hip Hop Townhall Meeting, Wil B

Rap COINTELPRO XIII: MTV’s “Hip-Hop Cops: Is The NYPD At War With Hip-Hop?”

February 21, 2003 By mrDaveyd

Cedric Muhammad

MTV should be commended for its recent look at something that we have been writing about for a couple of years – the surveillance of Hip-Hop artists by law enforcement. But the series doesn’t go far enough.

It has been a peculiarity, at least in our view, that the subject of law enforcement and Hip-Hop artists has been primarily reviewed from the prism of two major police departments – the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the New York Police Department (NYPD). Certainly there are logical and natural reasons for this. And for sure, any investigation of this subject should include those law enforcement officers and departments who have the most contact with artists at the local level. But the fact that the Notorious B.I.G.’s car was being followed by the FBI and ATF agents at the moment he was shot; the fact that the DEA was on the point of a major investigation of Rap-A-Lot Records and Hip-Hop legend Scarface (Read Our “Hip-Hop Fridays: Rap COINTELPRO Part IV: Congress Holds Hearings On DEA Rap-A-Lot Investigation”); the fact that the FBI and IRS were investigating Death Row Records at the height of the record label’s popularity and when Tupac Shakur was murdered; the fact that the FBI and IRS have been watching Puffy (P.Diddy) and Bad Boy Records’ business activities for at least 8 years; the fact that a government informant infiltrated the Wu-Tang Clan over two years ago and the ATF was offering convicts less time if they would implicate the group in gun-running (Read Our “Hip-Hop Fridays: Rap COINTELPRO Part II”); and the fact that federal law enforcement agencies are investigating the Murder Inc. record label right now and raided its offices recently should make it clear as to why we are not satisfied with any investigative report that makes the NYPD and/or the LAPD the end-all or be-all.

The problem isn’t MTV. They actually did a service and credible job exploring the context for how all of this mischief-making is possible and how the need for Hip-Hop-centered investigations is “plausible”, due to the cultural and socio-economic conditions and deleterious aspects of the Hip-Hop industry.

Russell Simmons

The problem is that for a variety of reasons activists, journalists, artists and executives can’t seem to accept the premise that what is happening is a continuation of COINTELPRO and not profiling or harassment. Many know that what is happening goes way above the power and influence of any local police department. But they are afraid to follow the trail all the way up. This was an important part of my recent conversation with Russell Simmons. Russell’s reticence in tackling the issue is understandable but until the Hip-Hop community learns the lessons of history and shakes its fear and state of denial, it is doomed to repeat the mistakes that others made before them in ignorance. Once the reality of RapCOINTELPRO is accepted for what it is then the appropriate political leaders can be pressured to hold hearings, write letters and obtain the files that would show beyond a shadow of a doubt that the United States Government, partly through the NYPD and LAPD is absolutely at war with Hip-Hop. And the rest of the members of civil society can confer on what actions should be taken. We have a lot of work to do in only a little bit of time.

The War on Street Gangs has been merged with a War On Drugs which has been merged with a War On Terrorism which will intensify with the war in Iraq. In all of this Hip-Hop will be framed as a primary force of sedition in America.

This is definitely one issue that separates the men and women from the boys and girls.

Cedric Muhammad
February 21, 2003

photo credit: Panther 1619

Here is the first portion of MTV’s report followed by a link to the subsequent portion(s) of the series:

One of the most hotly debated topics in the hip-hop world is the New York Police Department’s reported clampdown on the rap industry.

In the wake of high-profile investigations into the slaying of Jam Master Jay, the joint FBI-NYPD raids on the offices of Murder Inc., and the recent arrests of 50 Cent and Fabolous on weapons charges, the hip-hop community is abuzz with talk of an elite “hip-hop squad” or “rap task force” whose duties include tailing rappers’ vehicles and even monitoring their lyrics.

During a recent stint as a guest DJ on New York’s Hot 97, 50 Cent tauntingly shouted out the “hip-hop cops” that he claims follow him everywhere. But does such a task force targeting rappers really exist?

No, insists the NYPD.

“There is no such thing,” said Detective Walter Burns, a senior NYPD spokesperson. “We have no hip-hop task force, no hip-hop unit, no hip-hop patrol.”

Police point out that when they do create task forces, like the Terrorism Task Force or the Hate Crimes Task Force, one of their purposes is to let the public know they’re making an extra effort to stop crime. “If we did have a hip-hop task force,” another NYPD spokesperson said, “we wouldn’t deny it. We’d want to tell you that it exists.”

But many artists aren’t buying it.

“It’s definitely a task force,” Fat Joe said. “You go to hip-hop spots now and they ain’t just your normal walking-the-beat cops. There’s cops out there in undercover cars like they know something we don’t know. Like bin Laden’s in the club, B.”

“It’s just a thing where it’s targeting hip-hop,” Fabolous said. “I don’t think you should target something. If it’s a problem, you go handle the problem, that’s what cops are for. They are there to protect and serve. They’re not there to make a problem.”

Hip-hop Web sites liken the current situation to the once-secret FBI surveillance of African-American leaders and civil rights activists in the 1960s. Many rappers claim to have first-hand knowledge of the elite task force’s existence, and some say they’ve even seen confidential NYPD Intelligence Division documents containing information on rappers’ places of residence and vehicles.

“It’s called the Entertainment Task Force,” Keith Murray said. “They watch you as far as on the streets, and they watch you as far as monetary operations, taxes, who’s paying who what, where you getting money from. They got they scope on rappers right now.”

Pressed on his source for the existence of this task force, Murray said, “I’ve read numerous things on it and I’m seeing it come to fruition.”

The story of a hip-hop unit within the NYPD has been widely disseminated by major news organizations, and such reports have led to accusations of “rapper profiling” and civil rights infringement. But police spokespeople as well as other sources within the force say it’s simply not true. “We don’t target rappers,” Burns said. “The NYPD investigates crimes.”

Perhaps it’s a sense of self-mythologizing – all the Italian-gangster wannabes populating the ranks of the hip-hop game – that leads some rappers to feel they’re constantly under surveillance. Just how did they think law enforcement was going to react to artists who take on the surnames of crime kingpins like Gotti and Capone and Gambino?

Lieutenant Tony Mazziotti, a retired 28-year veteran who oversaw investigations of actual gangsters – major racketeers in the Gambino and Genovese crime families – said: “With the rappers, I think it’s this sense that, ‘Hey, we’re worthy of being investigated. That means we’re for real.’ ”

But what’s actually for real, one retired NYPD detective insists, is that there is a rap-related unit within the police force. What’s more, he said, he’s the cop who created it.

“I was the one who started the whole thing,” Derrick Parker revealed to MTV News. “The unit was created in ’98. … When Biggie was buried here in New York, there was a lot of concern, there were a lot of threats made. The chief [of the department] wanted me to run this entire investigation for him and to report to him.”

Parker said that for more than four years he gathered intelligence on the rap community, compiled files, went to nightclubs and interviewed rappers who were jammed up in criminal cases. Pressed on the exact name for the entity he created, Parker said, “It’s not called the hip-hop unit, it’s really just under Gang Intel.”

www.mtv.com/bands/t/task_…dex2.jhtml

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, February 21, 2003
www.blackelectorate.com/a…asp?ID=810

Filed Under: archive articles, Rap Cointelpro Tagged With: cedrick Muhammad, cointelpro, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hip Hop, MTV, New York City Police Department, Notorious B.I.G, NYPD, rap cointelpro

Rap COINTELPRO XII – The “War On Drugs” Meets The Hip-Hop Economy

January 10, 2003 By mrDaveyd

Cedric Muhammad

In this month’s Black Electorate Insider Newsletter we are featuring a unique snapshot of the Hip-Hop economy from the standpoint of supply and demand; the five sources of capital (markets, inheritance, savings, government and crime); and RapCOINTELPRO. It is a unique analysis that explains why the seemingly unrelated events of the recent raids on both the Murder Inc. and ‘Tha Row record labels; the meteoric mixtape rise of 50Cent; the resignation from Sony Music of Tommy Mottola; and the unprecedented purchase of Armadale Vodka by Roc-A-Fella Records executives, from the macro standpoint, are all part of one larger picture. To learn how you can become an annual subscriber to the newsletter please visit:

www.blackelectorate.com/n…r_out.asp.

The always interesting Chicago Tribune contributer and In These Times Editor, Salim Muwakkil has written a very enlightening article on the overall impact of Hip-Hop culture in and on the larger American society and its power centers. It is a good read for anyone interested in learning who may be threatened by the various forms of power and influence that Hip-Hop has generated.

I thought of Mr. Muwakkil’s article over the past few days in light of the recent raid by the FBI and New York Street Task Force units of Murder Inc.’s offices, which lie within the same building that houses Universal Music and a host of other Hip-Hop record labels and multi-national corporations at 825 Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. Irv Gotti is the head of Murder Inc.

A New York Times article from Jan. 5, 2003 had the following passage:

Kenneth McGriff

“The drug dealer, Kenneth McGriff, was known on the streets of Queens as Supreme, and headed a murderous gang called the Supreme Team, which held sway over the crack trade in southeast Queens in the 1980’s. Mr. McGriff was arrested in 1988 and convicted on federal narcotics conspiracy charges, and served 10 years in prison.

In the raid early Friday morning, which was first reported in yesterday’s editions of The Los Angeles Times, federal agents and police detectives, acting on a search warrant, confiscated computers and documents from Murder Inc.’s offices at 825 Eighth Avenue, the officials said.

Prosecutors in the office of the United States attorney in Brooklyn, Roslynn R. Mauskopf, which is overseeing the investigation, would not comment on the search or the investigation.

But several officials said the police and federal agents were investigating whether Mr. Gotti’s music career was fueled with money from Mr. McGriff’s drug trafficking. “We’re still trying to put them together,” one official said. “That’s the main question we’re asking: did McGriff fund Gotti?”

Of course, under the law, Irv Gotti and Mr. McGriff are innocent until proven guilty. But in the court of public opinion, and in the eyes of the FBI, ATF, New York Police Department they are largely anything but that.

Suge Knight

Here is another interesting excerpt from an article about the raid that took place, two months ago, at the offices of ‘Tha Row records, run by Suge Knight. Of Mr. Knight, a CNN.com article on November 15, 2002 states: “He has been the target of numerous state and federal investigations into allegations of drug trafficking and money laundering, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office. No charges were filed in those cases, sources said.”

Again, Mr. Knight is innocent until proven otherwise. But is he really innocent in the eyes of the Los Angeles Police Department and “state and federal investigators?”

What is this all about? What is behind these recent raids of multi-million dollar establishments, both of which have business relationships with multinational corporations that many researchers say were funded by illegal funds? The music industry is said to be rife with nefarious connections. For years, rumors have swirled around certain relationships to figures maintained by Tommy Mottola. Yet, to the best of our knowledge Sony Music hasn’t been raided by the FBI, NYPD or LAPD in an effort to identify sources of funding, or perhaps money laundering that involves music companies through international banks. Why?

Jam Master Jay

When Jam Master Jay was murdered some interesting innuendo was dropped that the murder was somehow “industry-related.” NYPD officers who were investigating the murder, when interviewing industry figures, openly pursued this supposedly “industry-related” angle. They particularly focused on a few individuals in particular, even informing several artists that they were targets of violence and murder plots. The New York Police Department was visiting record labels and interviewing artists and executives about the JMJ case, while “revealing” information to these same individuals that their lives were in danger. Numerous industry figures took a variety of dramatic security precautions as a result. What type of atmosphere did this mixture of slander, innuendo, rumors and half-truths create in the Hip-Hop industry, when circulated by law-enforcement? Was the intent more than to just solve a murder?

As we have written before in this now over 10-part series and as the Honorable Minister Farrakhan has been stating openly, in a powerful way, since 1989, the United States Government has planned (and is now executing) a war on youth and street organizations under the guise of a war on drugs. The target of the war is really an entire people, with special emphasis on a few individuals. The larger focus of this war is starting to become apparent in light of President Bush’s War on Terrorism. The war on drugs and the war on terrorism have already been merged, yet the vast majority of people don’t see it yet. This, even with commercials paid for by the government that have been running since last year’s Super Bowl that openly state that people who buy drugs are supporting terrorists.

On a radio interview conducted by Davey D. last fall, I openly, and in more detail, explained how all of this would find its nexus, among Black, Latino and Arab young men, in several cities in the United States Of America. Street organizations, Hip-Hop and the religion of Islam would all be tied together. The Racketeering In Corrupt Organization Act (RICO); the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Patriot Act will be involved. The fulfillment and desire of President Bush for a domestic spying agency will be involved.

You can get a microcosm of most of this in looking at how KillArmy and the 5% Nation Of Islam was linked to the sniper shootings. We wrote about this in Part XI of this series, Hip-Hop Fridays: Rap COPINTELPRO XI: Meet The Press And Tim Russert Connect The Sniper Shootings With Hip-Hop and The 5 Percent Nation Of Islam

Still, as the circumstantial evidence mounts in public, many ignore, don’t pay attention, don’t understand. Some are in denial. Some Hip-Hop journalists still mock or want to ignore this RapCOINTELPRO series, which has been running now for almost three years. Hopefully, many will now begin to take what we have presented more seriously. The entire RapCointelpro series is available, for free, in The Deeper Look Archives at www.blackelectorate.com/search.asp.

Irv Gotti

Isn’t it interesting that in the aftermath of the recent raids on both record labels, on both coasts (is the East – West Coast angle with Murder Inc. and ‘Tha Row a coincidence) all that leading figures in the music industry could muster, including the corporate business partners of Suge Knight and Irv Gotti was, “no comment.” Will any 100,000 strong street protests involving Hip-Hop fans be planned to highlight the unprecedented nature of the federal government’s and law enforcement agencies’ targeting of the Hip-Hop music industry? Perhaps, many politically-minded Hip-Hop community members only like to handle certain “safe” subjects, and this is not one of them. Can we expect Hot 97, 107.5 WBLS, and Power 105 in New York to go to the airwaves airing program content that investigates the manner in which prominent artists have not just been arrested and harassed by law enforcement agents, but placed under surveillance and wiretaps by them? Will BET and MTV highlight it? Will The Source and Vibe magazine magazine give cover stories to the issue? Perhaps the entire industry executive establishment at Hip-Hop labels, radio stations, video programs and print media outlets are compromised or even, “complicit” in this. Some or, maybe only a handful.

I think it is time to call the roll within the industry. Where do all of us stand on the real possibility and circumstantial evidence-plus, that Hip-Hop culture, artists, executives and opinion leaders are under attack as part of a larger war being conducted by the United States government? Isn’t the question legitimate, by now? How many more arrests, scandals, propaganda pieces, and even deaths will it take before all of the dots are connected?

I will keep writing until we do.

In addition to this we will all have to look in the mirror. The economic condition of our community will be used against us. It has been a double-edged sword. This is especially true in Hip-Hop culture. We have been sued for sampling music – a practice that grew out of the fact that we could not afford musical instruments or the training necessary to play them. We have been arrested for defacing public and private property because our grafitti expression was not confined to murals and art school and painting classes. We have had people die at concerts with deaths uncompensated because we could not afford security or insurance to put on concerts properly. We have followed the principles of mob figures and corrupt corporate organizations rather than the pure science of business to build Hip-Hop related economic activities. We have accepted the pay-rates and standard contracts of an elite cabal of entertainment lawyers in other genres rather than craft a more equitable, innovative, and wealth-creating legal structure, because we didn’t know of any reputable Black or Latino lawyers or understand the recording business.

Among these shortcomings we are faced with the ultimate weapon. The reality that some of the Hip-Hop music industry has, at times, received seed capital from money and operations from criminal activities. This reality has been the case in broader music genres and in ethnic groups. The Jewish, Irish, and Italian communities all have a documented history of criminal activity funding “legitimate” or legal business activity in this country. Their illegal seed capital is a mountain compared to a molehill of Black, Latino and Arab crime “syndicates.” No street organization today can rival the mob of yesterday (and today).

But Black and Latino Hip-Hop artists have fallen victim to the White supremacy and Black/Latino inferiority complex in their cultural expressions, only helping the conspiracy against them. It was an error and always has been for these artists to glorify mob figures, even taking their names on – in business and artistic ways. It has been an error in judgment for Hip-Hop artists to glorify violence and celebrate guns, and for the Hip-Hop media – the fourth estate and conscience of the culture – to project these images for profit and endorse only a segment of the community for magazine covers and prominent features. I can easily make a sound economic case that the sex-and-violence-formula-as-business plan has meant short-term profits but now, reached a point of diminishing returns and very soon, real bankruptcy.

In the recent BlackElectorate.com chat session, on December 30, 2002, Rev. Al Sharpton said that it is not right for Black artists to engage in commerce by projecting and illustrating our negative reality, becoming wealthy; and at the same time not lift a finger to improve that social reality.

Rev. Sharpton is correct.

Now, the worst of our economic reality is being used as part of a political effort to shut down the most powerful cultural force to emerge among the youth in the last few decades.

Will we watch or fight?

Let’s all discuss this:

www.blackelectorate.com/m…msgbrd.asp

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, January 10, 2003

www.blackelectorate.com/a…asp?ID=780

Filed Under: archive articles, Rap Cointelpro Tagged With: FBI, Hip Hop, Irv Gotti, Kenneth McGriff, McGriff, Murder, rap cointelpro, suge Knight, Tommy Mottola, War on Drugs, War on terrorism

Rappers Come Together to Record Self-Destruction 2

November 4, 2002 By mrDaveyd

Daddy O

If you happened to be listening to Hot 97/New York the morning after Jam Master Jay‘s murder, long time rapper Daddy O (Stetsasonic /MCA/ NocOnWood.com) challenged the status quo among MC’s, producers and labels by positively changing the entire image of hip hop and working toward more responsibility and personal accountability within the industry. He announced that he would like to see fellow rappers change their names and drop the monikers that suggest gangsta affiliations and images. Ie Fat Joe would stop calling himself Joey Crack. Daddy O then announced plans for the Self Destruction2 compilation.

This morning on Vashon Island, Washington State, Daddy O elaborated on this groundbreaking effort. “I have a meeting with Lyor Cohen this week and am not
sure yet if I should bring up the subject at Jay’s funeral (Nov. 5th), I’m working on it”.

Busta Rhymes and Chuck D. have already committed to Self Destruction 2 on the strength of Daddy O‘s outline. “After my meeting with Lyor, I need help from promoters, video directors, everybody” to achieve his goal of bringing this project to the world’s doorstep.

All proceeds from this project will benefit various charities and programs against family violence throughout the United States. “We will be developing
this very soon” says Daddy O.

For further information please contact Nasty Nes at NastyNes1@aol.com or Gene
Dexter at Hiphop206@aol.com or feel free to reach Daddy O personally if you
got it like that!

Filed Under: archive articles Tagged With: 2002, Busta Rhymes, Daddy O, Irv Gotti, Jam Master Jay, kanye West, Lyor Cohen, Self destruction 2

Feds Set to Probe Rappers in the Wake of Jam Master Jay Slaying

November 4, 2002 By mrDaveyd

The Hip Hop world will come together in mass over the next few days to pay tribute for the late Jam Master Jay. First today [Monday November 3 2002] there will be a public and private wake.. Tomorrow will be the funeral.

As the Hip Hop world grieves there have been a number of developments. First, we now know that the police have a video tape of the suspect. Shortly after the slaying newspapers and other media outlets reported that there was no video tape which aroused suspicion because the studio where the killing took place regularly recorded people coming and going. Media outlets were quick to jump on this facet and as a result implied that JMJ may have been involved with some sort of ‘rap war‘ which led to him being killed.

We now know that a tape was given to the police who say they have gotten a small break in the case. They have issued a description of the suspect. He’s described as a dark skin black male who is 6’2″ and 180-210 lbs…There’s no word as to whether or not they will have some sort of sketch. Thus far they are saying they got the description from eye witnesses. We’ll keep you posted on what the they find on the video tape.The police will be interviewing a couple of possible suspects including an unidentified man who supposedly has a long-standing feud with JMJ.

Another disturbing development is a cat named Kenneth Walker was shot and killed in the Bronx over the weekend. Walker was a promoter for rap star 50 Cent. The NYPD has been trying to see if there’s any sort of connection between JMJ and beefs involving 50 Cent.For those who don’t know, over the past couple of years 50 Cent has gotten under people’s skin for doing songs where he calls out so-called ‘gangsta rappers’. His new album has all sorts of dis songs.. As of Thursday last week, 50 Cent has reported to have left town because there have been a number of threats on his life. JMJ was friends with 50 Cent and produced some of music.

While all this is going on, the press has had a field day lambasting JMJ and trashing his image. The NY Daily News ran a disturbing article over the weekend pointing out that JMJ owed close to 500 million dollars in back taxes. They also reported that he owed one cat 10 thousand dollars. They noted that him being killed may have been because he owed so much money.

The NY Daily News article included callous quotes from a NY Franchise Tax Board representative stating that they intend to collect their money from JMJ’s estate. It’s like he hasn’t even been buried yet and already their lining up to get paid. The story also has everyone wondering, if these allegations are true, how in the world does a cat who belongs to a group as famous as Run-DMC which has more multi-platinum albums then we can count and is responsible for running his own label and for discovering and putting out multi-platinum acts like Onyx, be broke and in that type of serious debt?

All sorts of other media outlets from USA Today to the NY Times have jumped on the rap war/rap feud bandwagon. In spite of vehement denials from those closest to JMJ including Russell Simmons, the coverage from that angle has been relentless. This is now resulting in The Federal government intervening and using this as an excuse to probe the relationships that exists within the rap world. In fact the NY Post has a huge headline screaming this fact…

All this is coming at the heels of disturbing accusations suggesting that the recent killings by the accused Beltway snipers John Muhammed and Lee Malvo were inspired by rap songs and rap groups who belong to the 5 Percent Nation. Acts like Wu-Tang‘s Killarmy have been cited as the influence… Folks may wanna peep this latest article..
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/61299.htm

Filed Under: archive articles Tagged With: 50 Cent, DMC, Hip Hop, Jam Master Jay, Kenneth Walker, ONYX, rap war, Russell Simmons

Rap COPINTELPRO XI: The Sniper Shootings, Hip-Hop & The 5 Percent Nation Of Islam

November 1, 2002 By mrDaveyd

Cedric Muhammad

I sat in rapt attention last Sunday morning as I saw Meet The Press host Tim Russert work to position Hip-Hop music as a major influence behind the behavior of the alleged sniper in the Washington D.C.- area. Here is the official transcript of that portion of the program (any spelling mistakes/errors are MSNBC’s):

MR. RUSSERT: Now, one of the more interesting things that went on in this case was how the police used the media to try to communicate and develop a dialogue with the alleged snipers. And we’ve gone back and looked at a variety of things as to what influences there may have been on the snipers. This is a CD from a group called Kill Army. It’s named “Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars.” There’s a song called “Wake Up.” “Word is bond this is as real as it’s going to get.” Then here is the letter which they left behind at the shooting in Ashland, Virginia. “Word is bond.” And on Wednesday night, we heard Chief Charles Moose of Montgomery County saying this:

(Videotape, October 23, 2002):

CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE: If you are reluctant to contact us, be assured that we made ready to talk directly with you. Our word is our bond.

(End videotape)

Tim Russert

MR. RUSSERT: Extraordinary, Dr. Meloy.

DR. MELOY: Yeah. It’s also very interesting from the perspective of the degree to which we see in these cases mimicking of other kinds of cases that have occurred previously or other kind of pop cultural data that will be incorporated by the individual into his killing spree or killing series. This does not mean, of course, that popular culture causes these events, but we do know that influences from violence in the media will account for a small proportion of what we refer to as the variants, a piece of the pie, in individuals that carry out these kinds of acts.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me show you some more based on exactly what you’re saying and bring everybody else into the conversation. Here are more lyrics from that same album. This is a song called “Five Stars.” “Snipers on the rooftop watch out for the Pitbulls. Waited ’til sunsets and moving like ninjas. …Yo, 5 Star General giving orders.” Here’s the letter, cover sheet, they left behind. The five stars were a symbol or an indication that this was the true sniper sending this letter.

Then we had this left behind. I’ll show you here the lyrics from the same album. “My name is Born God Allah, King of North America,” and the tarot card left behind, “Dear Policemen, I am God.”

Playing out a real fantasy, influenced somewhat by music, and yet in his own mind, woven together and we saw this play out.

www.msnbc.com/news/826747.asp

The exchange got my full attention as I was already fully aware of the effort by many in the media and those above them to position the Honorabale Minister Louis Farrakhan as the inspiration behind the activities of the alleged sniper. Now, I saw more fully the details of the height and depth to which the sniper controversy – from the horrific killings; to the association with the Nation Of Islam of the lead suspect, John Allen Muhammad; to the alleged influence of Hip-Hop; and the repeated visual of the image and account of a Black male committing violence with a firearm – could and was being used by the worst enemies of Black America to justify certain attitudes and policies.

Having been General Manager of the multi-platinum group Wu-Tang Clan with whom Killarmy, the group Mr. Russert mentioned, was affiliated, I can, with authority, dismiss the idea that the activities of the alleged sniper are what Killarmy had in mind when they were motivated to record the album Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars. I was there when they recorded the album, knew the young members of the group personally, and at times, conducted business on their behalf as it related to Wu-Tang Clan.

On balance I saw the positive influence of the 5% Nation Of Islam teachings on the members of Killarmy and Wu-Tang, on a daily basis, for nearly 3 years, day-in-day out. Certainly, they, like everyone else I know, have imperfections and fall short of the best of what they preach. I am also of the view that the influence of the 5% Nation on Hip-Hop has been overwhelmingly more positive than negative.

What was really at the root of Mr. Russert’s association between the murders and the lyrics of an underground rap group? Who was it – a producer at NBC, a rap fan, a music industry representative or someone in intelligence or an interest group – that gave Mr. Russert the lyrics to Killarmy’s recordings? What was the motive? Especially since we have not heard as much as a peep directly from John Allen Muhammad or an attorney representing him.

Immediately, while watching the Meet The Press program I realized that the real target was Hip-Hop music but more specifically the influence that the Nation Of Islam and Five Percent Nation Of Islam have had on the music genre, particularly since the mid-1980s. The arrest of John Allen Muhammad in association with the sniper shootings and a public “connection” with rap music is a dream come true for many powerful people, institutions and organizations that have been threatened by the rise of Hip-Hop and how it has been influenced by Minister Farrakhan, the Nation Of Islam and the Five Percent Nation Of Islam.

Who benefits from tying it altogether?

John Allen Muhammad

I have written about this before. But can’t remember a more direct incident where this was so clearly the case. The trial and investigation of John Allen Muhammad is going to be used to accomplish alot more than a conviction regarding the sniper murders.

In 1997 I visited the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) Reading Room at the FBI’s headquarters in Washington D.C. Anyone can do the same today, if they schedule an appointment. I was impressed by the large file that the federal government had on the 5% Nation Of Islam. The files went back over 30 years. I would later take the photocopies I had of some of the files and show them to rap artists and certain influential members of the 5% Nation that I knew personally in Brooklyn and Harlem. I was surprised to see how few of the were aware of the depth of the surveillance that the group was under. At this very moment you can read 132 pages of the FBI’s files on the 5 Percent Nation Of Islam at foia.fbi.gov/5percent.htm.

Interestingly, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has a webpage exclusively dedicated to the 5% Nation Of Islam, under a heading – “Hate On Display: A Visual Database of Extremist Symbols, Logos and Tattoos” You can view it at: www.adl.org/hate_symbols/…enters.asp

Now keep in mind it is hard to argue against the reality that along with Minister Farrakhan, there was no greater “outside” influence, during Hip-Hop’s most “conscious” era, on the lyrics of leading Hip-Hop arists, than the teachings of the 5% Nation. This is the case most obviously in 1987-1988 with popular artists like Rakim and Big Daddy Kane. To varying degrees Lauryn Hill, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy, KRS-One, Ice Cube, MC Ren, X-Clan, Queen Latifah, and countless others have been positively influenced by the teachings of both the 5% Nation Of Islam and the Lost-Found Nation Of Islam in the West.

Members of 5% Nation

But specifically speaking the surveillance that characterized the government’s opinion of the 5 % Nation as a threat thirty years ago (this does not negate the very good relationship that is said to have existed between former New York Mayor John V. Lindsey and members of the 5 Percenters, from 1966 to 1973) has continued and broadened outside of the home base of the 5 Percenters in New York City.

Today, the antagonistic relationship between federal, state and local law enforcement and the 5 Percenters continues with the group officially categorized as a gang in several states. In Massachusetts, Florida and several other states the group is being opposed by special street crimes task units, local police departments and anti-juvenile violence efforts which consider the group to be a negative influence on young people. The official designation of the 5 Percenters as a gang has real affects on the ability of members of the organization to move freely in society and pursue very noble causes.

Look again at Tim Russert’s sudden interest in Hip-Hop music. What is the real motive in linking the alleged sniper, Hip-Hop and the 5% Nation Of Islam, before a predominately White audience of political observers? And who among those who prepared Mr. Russert for last week’s show, determined that Killarmy’s lyrics should be included in the public discussion?

The answer to these questions relates to Minister Farrakhan’s more-than-a vision experience in Mexico in 1985 and his announcement in 1989 that detailed the U.S. government’s planned opposition to the Nation Of Islam, street organizations and Black youth under the guise of what I have referred to as a “cover story.”

Irrespective of the actual guilt and potential conviction of John Allen Muhammad, is the sniper controversy being used to undermine Black culture and organizations and further demonize Black men, in order to accomplish a much larger objective?

Are we thinking about this as clearly as we ought to or have we been distracted from doing so, by design?

www.blackelectorate.com/a…asp?ID=732

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, November 01, 2002

Filed Under: archive articles, Rap Cointelpro Tagged With: 5 Percenters, Charles Moose, DC snipers, Freedom of Information Act, John Allen Muhammad, Killarmy, Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam, rap cointelpro, Tim Russert, Washington D.C.

RapCOINTELPRO X : Getting to The Bottom of 2Pac & Biggie

September 20, 2002 By mrDaveyd

cedricmuhammed2 When the Los Angeles Times article came out implying that Biggie was the mastermind behind the murder of Tupac I immediately recognized that some force(s) was attempting to use the murder of both rappers to divide the Black community, in particular, in a manner similar to how the murder of Malcolm X had been used, for over 30 years.

When reading the special two-part series that supposedly places Biggie behind Tupac’s murder, I could not help but go back in my mind to early 1995 when it was announced that the FBI had foiled a murder-for-hire plot. Malcolm X’s daughter, Qabilah Shabazz, had allegedly hired a Jewish hitman to kill Minister Farrakhan. Ridiculous. But designed to get the family, followers and supporters of Malcolm X and those of Minister Farrakhan to fight one another in a way that would leave the Minister dead at the hands of someone Black, not Jewish.

Interestingly, like was the case in the murder of Tupac for 6 years, it took over twenty years before Minister Farrakhan’s name ever came up in the list of those supposedly responsible for the murder of Malcolm.

Who has the power to do that, in both cases?

2pac-Biggie Remember what I included last week of the contents of a letter Lt. Col. Fletcher Prouty, author of the book JFK, wrote to me. He wrote of his covert responsibilities in the U.S. government as well as what was really involved in the assassination of President Kennedy, beyond the murder itself:

“…you will recall that I view the whole assassination process in a much different way than others.

From my experience and point of view the whole thing was an elaborately planned conspiracy to accomplish a Coup d’etat. To do so it was necessary to kill JFK, among other things. This is why there has never been any prosecution or trial for anyone since that crime. A coup d’etat of such dimensions is carefully planned, is the consensus decision of many powerful people, and then the work of pure professionals who are highly skilled.

For such a plan, the most important part is the ‘Cover Story.’ The murder took a bit of deft work and then a terrific load of cover story all the way from Oswald to books and media collaboration and the masterful scenario of the Warren Commission Report. We live with a 30-year old story today.”

Notorious BIG orange That after nearly two years of no arrest in his murder, a prominent effort would begin in the Los Angeles Times to pin Biggie’s murder on Suge Knight; and then 3 years later the same would be done to place responsibility for the murder of Tupac into the hands of Biggie, is not an accident but by design, to serve a purpose greater than financial profit or the fulfillment of journalistic responsibility regarding the killing of two celebrities. This is true, in my view, whether the individual reporters whose pen names are on the Los Angeles Times articles, published over the past few years concerning the Biggie and ‘Pac murders, are aware of a greater design or not.

While comedian Chris Rock once made a joke lampooning the idea of speaking of Biggie and Tupac’s murders in terms of political assassinations, I honestly think that the only way for the Black community and Hip-Hop to side-step an obvious effort to use these two murders to foster division and violence is to view the murders of Biggie and Tupac in terms of the assassinations of Malcolm X and even Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The only way to get to the top and bottom of both murders is to find out once and for all what the United States government knows about them. Since it is a fact that Death Row and Bad Boy Records and Tupac and Biggie were under FBI, ATF and IRS, NYPD, LAPD and IRS surveillance and/or investigation at the time of both murders; their exist, at this very moment files that have not been made public. Especially in the case of the government agencies involved, these files should be opened. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows anyone – a family member or journalist – to obtain such files. There do exist files and dossiers on both Biggie and Tupac within the federal government. Efforts should be made to obtain the de-classified and still classified files pertaining to Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace.

Dr Betty Shabazz

When the FBI’s ridiculous charge in 1995 that Malcolm’s daughter was the mastermind of a plot to kill Minister Farrakhan became public, it was Malcolm’s wife, Dr. Betty Shabazz who decided that enough was enough and took the initial steps to meet privately with Minister Farrakhan, first in an airport, to discuss what could be done to help her daughter and heal the rift in the Black community that was the result of an unsolved murder that had been used for over 30 years to divide the Black community through innuendo. The Minister offered his assistance in helping to raise money for Malcolm’s daughter’s legal defense telling Dr. Shabazz, “we have to help Bro. Malcolm’s family” and both Minister Farrakhan and Dr. Betty Shabazz agreed that a public demonstration of unity was necessary in order to combat the government and media efforts to divide the Black community over the murder and the real and perceived tensions between the Nation Of Islam and Malcolm’s family, helpers, followers and students. That public demonstration took the form of a public meeting between Betty Shabazz and the Minister in May of 1995 at the historic Apollo theater in Harlem.

I was among those honored to have been present. The energy and electricity surrounding the event was powerful as anyone who was present can attest, and in a significant way, a 30-plus year old wound had begun to heal as a result of the efforts of two parties who placed their personal hurt aside for the benefit of an entire community who in one form or another had been affected due to a personal agreement and the U.S. government’s manipulation of such.

Puff-Daddy In some way, something similar has to happen where Tupac and Biggie’s murders are concerned, if healing is to take place and manipulation is to be ended. It would be helpful, if Tupac and Biggie’s families and Suge Knight and Sean Combs with the help of their supporters, spiritual leaders, advisers, and East and West Coast artists and music executives, were one day able to put their personal hurt aside and recognize and understand that their pain and emotions are being used to divide whole communities. P. Diddy was present that night in the Apollo when the Minister and Sister Betty began to publicly reconcile. Before, during, and after that Apollo meeting, Minister Farrakhan called for the government to open the files on the assassination of both Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King. Puffy’s relative public silence on the matter of the Los Angeles Times story on Biggie should be studied. It has had both a positive and negative affect on the situation.

Afeni shakur

Among other things, the community should also encourage, and hope and pray that Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur and Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, eventually meet with Dr. King’s late wife, Coretta Scott King, who can be a source of wisdom and strength to them as they navigate not only the pain and grief of loss, but also the possibilities that very powerful individuals in government and without, know more about the murders of Biggie and Tupac than has ever been reported. This may be especially helpful to Biggie’s mother who is persuaded by the work of a White investigator that the LAPD is covering up Biggie’s murder (Afeni Shakur has been clear in her statements that she does not trust the government, local police, or media where her son is concerned). This is bigger than the LAPD. The fact that Biggie and Puffy’s cars, that fateful night in March of 1997, were under surveillance by the ATF, FBI and undercover NYPD; and that members of Biggie’s entourage were shown pictures of cars and individuals who were near them at the time Biggie was shot provides evidence that more than an LAPD cover-up is involved. Coretta Scott King can be an invaluable resource of insight into dealing with the federal government’s knowledge of what happened in September of 1996 in Las Vegas and in Los Angeles in March of 1997.

It is good that both mothers have made at least one dramatic public appearance together, at the MTV music awards. Now, if they are able and willing, more should be asked of them, in order to prevent the wicked designs of those who continue to drop innuendo regarding both murders.

It would also be helpful if the leaders of the sets of Bloods and Crips who find themselves mentioned in connection to these murders could make a similar recognition that their personal disagreements and the entire street organization culture is being used by external forces to not only divide the Black and Hip-Hop communities but to prevent youth from organizing and developing leadership and unity among themselves and broader organizations in the Black and Latino communities. It would be very helpful if someone, through the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) could get to the bottom of how many of the gangs in Los Angeles and Chicago, in particular have been manipulated by the government and local police departments into committing acts of violence upon one another. Street organizations should know by now that the federal government and local police department task force and street crime units have placed informants and agents within their ranks to cause problems.

Finally, members of the Hip-Hop journalist community – publishers, editors and reporters – have to move beyond their superficial fascination with the creativity of Hip-Hop artists, their social lives and commercial success and do some hard reporting on serious stories affecting the community and industry.

Police spy To our knowledge, not a single major Hip-Hop magazine has done a cover story on 1)The fact that the NYPD in 2001 openly admitted that it has the New York Hip-Hop community and industry under surveillance 2) The DEA and Houston Police Department’s investigation, use of informants, and COINTELPRO-like tactics in the investigation against Scarface and Rap-A-Lot Records in 2000 3) The federal investigations – FBI, ATF and IRS pertaining to Tupac, Biggie, Death Row and Bad Boy or the fact that both artists were under surveillance in the general time period or night of their murders.

Finally, as we have written before, people really don’t know what COINTELPRO was all about or to what extent it has been documented that the mainstream media has been used by the government to foment discord, foster the shedding of blood and cover-up its own hand in creating mischief in the Black community. Until people truly understand COINTELPRO and read the files pertaining to it, and make parallels to what happened with Biggie and Tupac, we will never move past what began over six years ago.

www.blackelectorate.com/a…asp?ID=702

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, September 20, 2002

Filed Under: archive articles, Rap Cointelpro Tagged With: Betty Shabazz, Biggie, biggie. rap cointelpro, cedrick Muhammad, Farrakhan, Freedom of Information Act, Los Angeles Times, Louis Farrakhan, Malcolm, Martin Luther King, suge Knight, Tupac

RapCOINTELPRO IX – The “Biggie’s-Behind-The-Murder-Of-Tupac” Theory

September 13, 2002 By mrDaveyd

www.blackelectorate.com/a…asp?ID=697

Cedric Muhammad

Yesterday, while a panelist on Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney’s Hip-Hop Braintrust issue forum, at the Congressional Black Caucus convention, I commented on how many were inappropriately describing last week’s Los Angeles Times’ series on Tupac’s murder – which attempts to position the Notroious B.I.G. as the conspiratorial mastermind – as bad journalism and sensationalism. Considering that we have spent tens of thousands of words, over a two-year time, in an 8-part series, describing the real probablility and evidence that the government is involved in destablizing Hip-Hop culture and the industry that it has spawned, and as a result an entire generation and people(s); it is only natural that we would reject the sensational/bad journalism explanation as too superficial, and even, an unintentional trivialization of the murder of Tupac.

While many leading figures in the Hip-Hop community rapidly responded to the story – denouncing, dismissing and refuting it, there is still missing a serious critique as to what the driving force is behind not only the most recent reporting on Tupac’s murder, but the entire “cottage industry” that has developed around both murders. Is it purely the profit motive and/or bad reporting that is at the root of the documentaries, articles, and books that claim that Suge Knight is behind the murder of Biggie and now, that Biggie was behind the murder of Tupac?

We think not.

In 1994, I received a letter from the late Colonel Fletcher Prouty who served, at one point, as the liasion between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the CIA. Part of what Colonel Prouty wrote in his letter to me, and which he elaborated upon in greater length, in several of our conversations, in his Alexandria, Va. home, last decade, was that the “cover story” of a criminal event is just as important as the crime itself. Colonel Prouty spoke specifically of this concept in terms of the murder of President John F. Kennedy (it was he who wrote the portion of the script for Oliver Stone’s movie that explains who may have been behind the assasination of the President of the United States). In an August 1994 letter, he wrote to me:

“…you will recall that I view the whole assassination process in a much different way than others.

Man-lookingThroughBlinds-Rap-cointelpro From my experience and point of view the whole thing was an elaborately planned conspiracy to accomplish a Coup d’etat. To do so it was necessary to kill JFK, among other things. This is why there has never been any prosecution or trial for anyone since that crime. A coup d’etat of such dimensions is carefully planned, is the consensus decision of many powerful people, and then the work of pure professionals who are highly skilled.

For such a plan, the most important part is the “Cover Story.” The murder took a bit of deft work and then a terrific load of cover story all the way from Oswald to books and media collaboration and the masterful scenario of the Warren Commission Report. We live with a 30-year old story today.

When I was the Chief of Special Operations in the Pentagon during the years 1955-1964, I worked at three levels, Air Force, Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In all cases wherever my office was there would be a “Cover and Deception” office nearby. I had the operations to run. They had the big job of covering the operation. That’s work, and effective.”

It is a historical fact that the media has been used, willingly and unwillingly, to write cover stories aiding government efforts to disrupt Black organizations. One example, which we have presented and which none of our detractors have been able to overcome is the manner in which the media was used against the Nation Of Islam in 1959. Here is what we wrote in part III of this series on :

In a book entitled This Is The One, written by Nation of Islam Minister Jabril Muhammad (he was known as Minister Bernard Cushmeer when he wrote This Is The One) the question of the coordination of media outlets in a propaganda war against the Nation of Islam was raised. Keep in mind that Minister Muhammad began writing this book in the late 60s when COINTELPRO was not known to be in existence by the general public. This kind of reminds me of the situation that we find ourselves in today, where, for the most part members of the Black and Hip-Hop Community don’t have public knowledge of any intelligence campaign being waged against them by the FBI, CIA or NSA. Here is the actual quote of what Minister Muhammad wrote in his book which he began in 1968:

“Back In 1959, the white press, as if on signal, launched a furious attack on Messenger Muhammad and The Nation Of Islam, following the dishonest portrayal of us entitled: “The Hate That Hate Produced.” Through such publications as Time, U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, The Reporter, Esquire, Confidential, True, Saga, and a host of other magazines and newspapers; white America spewed forth a flood of articles, both superficial, spurious and poisonous in nature. A few among them did a creditable job, as far as they went. But the bulk of what was written was insidious and rotten to the core. But it did not hurt us.

“There is plenty of evidence to show that much of the material was deliberately misleading. There are instances when reporters found interpolations in the text of their stories that were altered, here and there, by their ‘bosses’ so as to misrepresent their findings of the Messenger and his followers.

“The white people – newscasters, commentators, etc., – have lied in concert. The television newsmen were not, and are not, above editing their films in such manner as to actually tell lies to their viewers. They conspired to deceive the public regarding Messenger Muhammad. This can be proven with ease. Members of a large orchestra do not accidentally play the same tune.”

Was Minister Muhammad right? According to a White Swedish Scholar, Mattias Gardell, he was absolutely correct. In Mr. Gardell’s book, In The Name of Elijah Muhammad: Louis Farrakhan And The Nation Of Islam, published in 1996 (28 years after Minister Muhammad began his book) Gardell verifies the truth of what Minister Muhammad wrote. Gardell writes:

In 1959, the FBI launched a large-scale media campaign. In this first phase, the FBI briefed selected journalists who wittingly channeled the view of the bureau to the American public. The special agent in charge (SAC) in Chicago, wrote: “Originally the program was centered around espousing to the public, both white and black, on a nationwide basis the abhorrent aspects of the organization and its racist, hatetype teachings. This was done in such leading magazines as Time, U.S. News and World Report, Saturday Evening Post etc., as well as through newspapers.” The sudden outburst of media interest is commented on by NOI apologist Jabril Muhammad (then Bernard Cushmeer). His view might have seemed overly paranoid to some readers, but Cushmeer was correct: “Back in 1959, the white press, as if on signal, launched a furious attack on Messenger Muhammad and the Nation of Islam…white America spewed forth a flood of articles, both superficial, spurious and poisonous [sic] in nature…They conspired to deceive the public…Members of a large orchestra do not accidentally play the same tune.”

In the notes in his book, Gardell makes reference to the actual FBI files that he saw, on which he bases his statements.

*************

Some have been offended by our constant admonition, begun in the year 2000 to consider that the very same tactics used against organizations and communities under the Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO)run by J. Edgar Hoover, are being used against Hip-Hop. Others, especially Hip-Hop magazine journalists, have argued in public and private that our effort has trivialized COINTELPRO.

By now, since we first presented our thesis, we think that plenty of evidence has surfaced and been reported by the mainstream media, that supports the validity and legitimacy of our arguments. Not the least of these forms of evidence is the fact that the New York City Police Department (NYPD), has publically admitted that it has the city’s Hip-Hop community and industry under surveillance. The arrest of Jay-Z, in 2001, on gun charges, at a New York nightclub was partly the result of this effort, which involves the New York Street Crime Task Force Unit. Anyone who knows the history of COINTELPRO can immediately make the connection betwen local innercity police departments and the FBI.

More evidence was provided in 2000, when we were the only alternative media outlet, that in detail covered the Congressional hearings on the DEA investigation of Rap-A-Lot Records, James Prince and Scarface which involved several informants in Houston’s 5th ward and an admitted attempt to turn Scarface against Rap-A-Lot Records founder, James Prince or James Smith.

A letter was also released during the hearings written by James B. Nims, Group Supervisor in the DEA, to Rep. Dan Burton (R-In), chairman of the Committee on Government Reform which revealed that multi-platinum artist, Scarface, was a significant target of the DEA investigation and that the DEA was working to get Scarface to “turn” against James Smith, whose innocence has been maintained.

In the letter Nims writes to Burton:

“In regards to the US Attorney’s Office, we could not convince them to indict Brad Jordan, AKA “Scarface”, even though I strongly believe we had him tied in solidly on a federal drug conspiracy charge. This was devastating to the case as we felt that Brad Jordan could have provided us with important leads and information regarding Mr. Smith.”

And of course, there is the still unresolved matter of the fact that Biggie and Puffy’s entourage were being trailed by undercover NYPD, and ATF agents at the very time that Biggie was murdered. Members of the entourage were shocked, during questioning by police, when they were shown photograghs of individuals and vehicles said to be taken by law enforcement officers only moments before the murder took place.

Like the assasination of JFK, no one has been arrested or prosecuted in the murders of both Biggie and Tupac. Yet, despite the fact that it is in the public record that both Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records were under FBI, ATF, IRS, NYPD, LAPD, Las Vegas PD investigations at the time of both murders, the books, articles, and documentaries that are in the most plentiful and prominent supply revolve only around the theories that Biggie and Tupac and/or their associates and allies were behind each other’s murders. The furthest anyone seems willing to go (unfortunately, even Biggie’s family) is to say that the LAPD is involved in a cover-up. Why, we consistently wonder, isn’t the suspicion involving both murders taken up to the NYPD, ATF and FBI who had Biggie and Tupac under their watchful eye?

Looks more like a cover story than bad journalism to us.

Congresswoman McKinney, yesterday, in speaking about the matter, made a powerful point about one of the 5 major goals of COINTELPRO, outlined in a March 4, 1968 memo by J. Edgar Hoover. Rep. McKinney said that one of the goals of COINTELPRO was to make sure that Black youth never had a spokesperson. The Congresswoman stated that Hip-Hop was supplying such persons.

The fifth goal of COINTELPRO was :

5. A final goal should be to prevent the long-range GROWTH of militant black organizations, especially among youth. Specific tactics to prevent these groups from converting young people must be developed

We should consider all of this when we are tempted to believe that all of these articles which pit East Coast Rappers against West Coast Rappers; Bloods Vs. Crips; Biggie Vs. Tupac; Suge Knight Vs. Puffy; New York vs. Los Angeles are explained away as mistakes or poor forms of journalism.

In light of the documented history of COINTELPRO which involved the U.S. government’s use of media against organizations that it disliked, we must be wiser, more alert and studious in our view of media reports that aggravate underlying tensions that exist within the Black community – and which pit Brother vs. Brother.

Next Week: What we can do to get to the top and bottom of both Biggie and Tupac’s murders.

http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=697

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, September 13, 2002

Filed Under: archive articles, Rap Cointelpro Tagged With: cedrick Muhammad, Congressional Black Caucus, Muhammad, rap cointelpro, U.S. News & World Report

The Hip-Hop Hypocrisy

May 14, 2002 By mrDaveyd

Marlon Leterrance The smell of cigarette smoke and sweat spilled over into our cell block. From a distance, the sounds of young men shouting at each other and tussling and laughing filled the atmosphere with a certain sense of restlessness. Donald Williams wiped his forehead with the back of his hand then stared down at the tattered pages of an old Bible.

“I remember asking my Mom what she did to make pops hate us so much. I couldn’t have been much older than eleven at the time, but I can still remember the anger I felt. Mom broke down into tears and tried to explain it to me, but I couldn’t understand why other kids had their fathers taking them to ball games and stuff, but mine didn’t even take the time to wish me well on my birthday.”

Donald paused a moment to reflect. His expression was a mask of bewilderment and pain. “I used to think that if I could become a good enough kid, it would make my pops want to spend time with me. But the only time my pops really talked to me was when I got into trouble at school. Mom would threaten to send me away to a training school and pops would come over and beat me and lecture me on why I should stop cutting up in class. Many times I would get in trouble just so I could see him and ask him, after he beat me up, if he would come to my basketball game and watch me play. I just wanted him to be proud of me, to love me, but I ended up hating him and everyone around me because he couldn’t.”

When I first heard Donald Williams‘ story, I made a vow to one day tell it to the world. It was a painful tale of a young man attempting to somehow deal with the absence of a responsible father. Donald’s words were filled with rage and interlaced with a venomous sense of hatred. Yet, underneath the anger, there seemed to be a hint of tears. He was in pain, he was hurting, and the man responsible for this devastation didn’t seem to care.

“When I got sentenced to prison, he came here to visit me a few times. He tried to preach to me and counsel me and tell me how wrong I was for selling drugs and living the criminal lifestyle. Man, he even sent me a bible and tried to tell me to give my life to Jesus. But it was too late. After all these years without him, what made this fool feel like he had the right to step into my life now and give out fatherly advice. I would’ve worshiped Satan before I listened to a thing he had to offer. Whenever I looked at him I wanted to just grab his neck and squeeze it and squeeze it and squeeze it until every ounce of his miserable life oozed out of him. I hated that man more than I have ever hated anyone in my life.”

Donald took his father off the visitation list and swore that he never wanted to see the man again. In my presence, Donald never allowed a tear to trail down his chocolate face. But I can imagine those tears came, often, in the middle of the night while contemplating the hate that a father’s neglect created.

Horrific stories of men who refuse to play an important role in the lives of their children are well known. It is an issue that must be dealt with firmly; with serious consequences handed down to offenders. But I am writing this article because I know of another story of blatant child abuse that may hit closer to home than you realize.

It is the story of a child named Hip-Hop.

Afrika Bambaataa

It was born out of raw sense of expression that led many black kids to turn basements and dormitories and bedrooms into impromptu studios. Inner-city geniuses began experimenting with an art form that had the promise of becoming a powerful force in the community. It was fun and competitive. Street corners became the breeding ground for aspiring emcee’s to get their first taste at moving a crowd. With pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa and Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, along with many others leading the way, rap music exploded into the hearts of young black kids across America.

Along with the birth of Hip-Hop came the emergence of annoyed critics within the older black generation. They wrote Hip-Hop off as a fad that would die out in two or three years. They were far more concerned with stepping across the railroad tracks into the American Dream than paying much attention to the silly Hip-Hop kids with high-top hair cuts who used their mouths to beat-box. (The current Hip-Hop critics who claim to only be against “gangsta rap” are no more than intellectual hypocrites. Vocal members of the older generation disowned rap music even in its infancy – well before it became a vehicle for some artists to disrespect females and illustrate the horrors of street life.)

As a result of the older generation’s neglect, many of Hip-Hop’s leading pioneers ended up signing horrible contracts that gave opportunistic new labels total control over their lives and careers. Instead of influential black leaders using their experience and wisdom to reach back and help Hip-Hop grow into a positive, more focused force in the black community, far too many of these leaders (and rap critics) made the decision to disassociate themselves from the music. Hip-Hop didn’t seem to fit into the cultured, intelligent, and civilized image that they were trying to project to White America.

Still, Hip-Hop grew. Talented poets from all over the country were eager to contribute their vision to the music. Run DMC, LL Cool J, Kool Moe Dee, KRS One, Ice-T, Rakim, and a host of others continued to build upon the foundation of Hip-Hop. Mistakes were made, egos clashed, but rap music followed the beat of it’s own drummer and continued to make huge strides forward. Soon, rap music began reaching the ears of white suburban kids. As a result, Hip-Hop entered the radar screens of white corporate entities as a marketable (and exploitable) commodity. Money was offered, deals were made, and contracts were signed.

Nowhere in this equation did black intellectuals step in to offer guidance and “fatherly” advice. White lawyers in fancy suits shuffled tons of paperwork in front of new artists, enticing them to sign over all their publishing rights for a few pennies. Had more brothers with insight and experience stepped up to the plate to defend the rights of these early artists instead of criticizing them, maybe less rappers would have been raped financially. Tales of bankruptcy and poverty amongst the early innovators of rap music will forever be a footnote in the history of Hip-Hop.

nwa original-225 Still, Hip-Hop grew; new artists contributed new things. Biz Markie and Slick Rick made kids laugh, and Ice-T explained the gangster’s plight with tracks like “Colors.” Hip-Hop expanded into new territory, and even newer, fresher voices filled the airwaves. Two heartbeats later, a group named N.W.A. stole away the imagination of fans by introducing a raw, no-holds-barred form of expression that graphically detailed the lives of gangsters. White kids in Alabama started screaming “F— Tha Police,” and politicians all over America began targeting Hip-Hop as a scapegoat for social woes. Most black leaders remained quiet during this onslaught, leaving their Hip-Hop children to be sacrificed by an angry white political lynch mob.

Still, Hip-Hop survived. Though battle-weary and bruised, the music produced prophets who attempted to fill the void left by the older generation. Groups like X-Clan, Public Enemy, and KRS One tried to teach the masses about black power and unity. “Self-Destruction” became an anthem for change as artists from across the spectrum joined together to promote positive interaction. This would have been the perfect time for the intellectual critics of Hip-Hop to reach back and steer rap music onto the Yellow Brick Road to redemption. Instead, these critics turned their backs on Hip-Hop and settled down into their little house on the prairie, beside the Waltons.

Now, in the wake of Tupac and Biggie‘s death, as Hip-Hop struggles to redefine its identity and purpose, there seems to be a resurgence of black critics banging down the door to CNN’s studios hoping to spit out a few intellectual sound bites that will impress their colleagues. Sideline opinions from people who have never even listened to rap music seem to be becoming the norm. More and more black leaders are claiming to be upset that the white corporate structure is exploiting the talents of young black males, and that most artists are too blind to recognize this.

My understanding of history is based more on facts. The truth is, it took white media outlets to embrace Hip-Hop before black-owned media outlets realized that it was “okay” to feature rap groups (the only exception being Soul Train, Ebony, and Jet). It was only after Nike and Reebok and Mountain Dew and Sprite used Hip-Hop artists in high-profile commercials did black-owned companies accept the idea. Quick research will show anyone who is interested that Forbes and Time Magazine had cover stories detailing the economical power of Hip-Hop moguls years before Black Enterprise had the courage to tackle the issue.

Donald Williams wasn’t perfect. Neither is Hip-Hop. They both traveled down a lonely road filled with foolish mistakes and very bad choices. But I understand their anger when, after years of neglect and disappointment, irresponsible father figures tap-dance their way back into the spotlight with two-cent opinions on what the young should and shouldn’t do. The words that Donald said to me, seven years ago, seem to be the same words that many Hip-Hop fans are screaming out today. “After all these years without him, what [makes] this fool feel like he [has] the right to step into my life now and give out fatherly advice.”

Marlon leTerrance is a regular contributer at BlackElectorate.com. As a product of the Hip-Hop Generation’s maverick disregard for conventional thought, Mr. leTerrance writes from the perspective of the “disenfranchised street dwellers, disillusioned by the Struggle”. He can be contacted via e-mail at MarlonLeterrance@aol.com

Filed Under: archive articles, Commentary Tagged With: Afrika Bambaataa, Donald Williams, Grandmaster Flash, Hip Hop Hypocrisy, hiphop, Kool Moe Dee, KRS-One, Marlon leTerrance, Slick Rick

Rap COINTELPRO VIII pt2 Jada vs Beanie and Suge’s Release

August 17, 2001 By mrDaveyd

Cedric Muhammad

Underneath the braggadocio, hubris and arrogance in the comments that Hip-Hop artists direct at one another in the media, is a mixture of unwarranted confidence, greed, vanity, insecurity and envy and jealousy. The vast majority of the aforementioned characteristics have little or no redeeming qualities at all. They have led to the shedding of blood, lying, robbery, slander, libel, and the general disrespect for others. Most rappers, even in their creative works, speak in great detail, in a negative way, of the destruction that these human traits often cause. It is obvious from just a cursory sampling of the most popular rap songs, that Hip-Hop artists are intimately acquainted with the dark side of human nature and frequently criticize what they witness and experience in this area. Artists have proven that they are capable of identifying and condemning these qualities. If that is the case, and it is, then why are these character flaws so pervasive in the music business and among entertainers, in general? And more importantly, why are they so visibly displayed in the public conduct of Hip-Hop artists?

At a certain point Hip-Hop artists seem to recognize that even within the music industry, these character flaws not only put their lives in danger, but also pose a serious threat to their careers and business enterprises. However, by the time artists honestly admit that their lives, careers and business enterprises are threatened by their personal imperfections and those of others, and the manner in which they manifest themselves in the music business, many artists think that it is “too late” to alter the image that has been crafted for them, or to change their public conduct, even, the very words that they use in public and the tone and spirit in which they convey those words.

A large part of the inertia, resistance and fear that keeps artists from evolving toward greater consciousness and conduct comes from, or is directly connected to, the pressure and temptation to use the media for personal and professional gain.

Jadakiss

It is this dynamic which we have focused on in recent weeks in both the end of the Beanie Sigel-Jadakiss “problem” and the release of Suge Knight from jail.

In the Beanie Sigel-Jadakiss problem we identified how, regardless to the conduct of the reporter and media publication involved, both artists attempted to use the controversy stemming from the rumors, perceptions and idea that they were feuding with one another, to sell records. We are not sure how it all evolved, but at a certain point, both artists decided to use the controversy for personal and professional gain. This is dangerous, and eventually that fact became obvious to both artists and to others like Russell Simmons, who decided that enough was enough and stepped in to encourage a reconciliation of both talented artists, who are both increasingly wealthy Black men, under 30 years of age.

In the case of Suge Knight we watched, hoping for the best, as Suge Knight gave several interviews prior to and immediately upon his release from jail. We recognized right away what was happening. Although he knew of the great risks involved and what some mischief-makers in the media would do with his words, Suge Knight made a conscious decision to use the media for personal and professional gain, partly to clear the air on a variety of issues, but also to promote his record label. But as we watched, at different moments of the various interviews that Suge Knight did for media outlets, we could literally see how Suge was walking an apparently impossible tightrope, laid out for him by the interviewer and his own motivations and strategy. He did pretty well trying to avoid the obvious and not-so obvious minefields in the loaded questions hurled his way by interviewers, who do not give a damn about Hip-Hop, but we believe he made some mistakes that can and probably will be used against him and the entire Hip-Hop community, in the future.

Placeholder-KRS-Green It can certainly be said that competition and frank verbal communication are what make Hip-Hop, in certain ways, very special. There is a tremendous value placed upon the full expression of the individual in Hip-Hop, which is admirable. And there is a constant attention placed upon the improvement of one’s skills and the mastering of their craft. Comparisons play a big part in this. It is hard to not watch or read a Hip-Hop interview where one artist is not compared to another. Comparisons are not inherently bad. Neither is competition. But the same can not be said for invidious comparisons which now seem to be increasingly common in Hip-Hop and in the positioning of Hip-Hop artists in alternative, Black and music industry-related media and particularly in the mainstream media, which serves an audience that is unfamiliar with the nuances of the Hip-Hop community and industry. That is why it was so easy for those who get their picture of Hip-Hop from the mainstream media to be deceived into believing that the murders of Biggie and Tupac were the result of an East Coast/West Coast rap feud – a picture that was largely created by provocative articles written in Hip-Hop publications fed by the actual words of Hip-Hop artists.

Yet and still, after having seen how the media handles comparisons and the words of artists, Hip-Hop artist after Hip-Hop artist, as well as executives, continue to feel a need to talk to media outlets that have demonstrated in the past, that they do not value the lives of the members of the Hip-Hop community nor the words of the leading figures in that community. Indeed, some even feel the need to bring hostile or at least, unfriendly media outlets into private Hip-Hop settings, supposedly to make sure that “the message gets out”. We noticed this at the recent Hip-Hop summit where WNBC, NY Post and CNN reporters were given preferential treatment and access to Summit participants over Black, alternative and Hip-Hop media because of the supposed need for “exposure”. What good is exposure, we thought, if it is distorted?

Our hope is that Hip-Hop will pass this current trial that it is undergoing by mastering the manner in which members of the community communicate with one another. While we all have imperfections, we sincerely hope that artists, writers, DJs, radio morning show hosts and rap video hosts will resist the temptation to use various forums for narrow personal and professional gain, at the expense of others in the Hip-Hop community. The mere fact that we have to use others, outside of the community, in order to learn about one another in the first place, should provide a sober reminder of the tremendous vulnerabilities that exist within the community and which make us all susceptible to the evil efforts of others who would very much like to see Hip-Hop destroyed, once and for all.

There is no need to help that plan along simply because we could not control our tongue(s).

Here is a portion of the Bible, which provides insight and instruction regarding the power of our mouths to build and destroy.

It is certainly food for thought for those of us who reach hundreds, thousands and millions with our pens and our tongues. It also is especially relevant to artists who are victims of invidious comparisons and their own “need” to use the media to further themselves and their careers in a shortsighted manner.

James 3- 4:1-3 from the New American Standard Version:

James 3
1
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
2
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
3
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.
4
Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
5
Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
6
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man,
8
but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
10
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
11
Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?
12
My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
13
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
14
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.
15
Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
16
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
18
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

James 4
1
What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?
2
You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
3
You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

www.blackelectorate.com/a…asp?ID=407

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, August 17, 2001

Filed Under: archive articles, Rap Cointelpro Tagged With: Biggie, Cedric Muhammad, Hip Hop, rap cointelpro, Russell Simmons, Suge, suge Knight

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