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

February 21, 2003 By
Cedric Muhammad

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

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

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: , , , , , , , ,

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

January 10, 2003 By
Cedric Muhammad

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

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

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

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

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: , , , , , , , , , ,

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

November 1, 2002 By
Cedric Muhammad

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

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.

killarmyHaving 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

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

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: , , , , , , , , , ,

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

September 13, 2002 By

www.blackelectorate.com/a…asp?ID=697

Cedric Muhammad

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-cointelproFrom 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: , , , ,

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

August 17, 2001 By
Cedric Muhammad

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

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-GreenIt 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: , , , , , ,

Rap COINTELPRO VIII: Jada Vs Beanie and Suge’s Release

August 10, 2001 By
Cedric Muhammad

Cedric Muhammad

Yesterday, August 9, 2001, on Power 99 FM’s Dream Team morning show, Jadakiss repeatedly stated that he did not say what Shaheem Reid and The Source magazine quoted him as saying about Philadelphia in their July issue. Jadakiss also repeatedly said, over the air, that when he sees him in the future he fully intended to “smack the writer” of the article in The Source, that many now claim is responsible for sparking the tensions between Jadakiss and Beanie Siegel and Jadakiss and Philadelphia and for portraying trivial private problems rooted in competition between Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders, as a growing feud.

Some people were defensive and offended when we wrote over the past month that The Source was being reckless and irresponsible in what it did in attempting to hype up the comments allegedly made by Jadakiss in the article. We outright stated that the manner in which they positioned Jadakiss’ quote was a deliberate attempt to grab the attention of the casual reader and intrigue them with the possibility that Jadakiss and Jay-Z were feuding. We also talked about the possibility that we believed that the writer of the story, Shaheem Reid, deliberately worked to pit Jadakiss and Beanie Siegel against each other. In our June 29th Hip-Hop Fridays article we wrote:

“But you can tell that this reporter, Shaheem Reid, was desperate to have his article break the news of this supposed “Jay-Z- Jadakiss beef”. If you read his quotes you can almost literally see him tripping over himself running to the phone to call Beanie Sigel to tell him what Jadakiss allegedly said to him about Philly.”

If we were wrong then who was the intermediary between Jadakiss and Beanie in reference to what Jadakiss allegedly said? Who told Beanie what Jadakiss allegedly said, if not Shaheem Reid or an editor of The Source?

Jadakiss

Jadakiss

Jadakiss repeatedly told Wendy Williams and the members of The Dream Team that he did not say what The Source quotes him as saying. He was asked several times by different members of the morning show, from different angles, and the answer, from Jadakiss, was always the same: he did not say what was quoted. He also added that he does not mince his words, if he said what said he did he would be the first to admit it. He made clear that it is his view that the writer of the article lied about the truth of his (Jadakiss’s) words.

Now, if Jadakiss is right, then all of this goes back to our opinion that rap magazines are as vulnerable to the spirit, tactics and practices of the FBI’s COINTELPRO today as they were 35 years ago. It is a demonstrated fact that the FBI planted stories; fed reporters lies and misinformation about people; positioned photographs and headlines in order to make certain pieces of information stand out and easier to digest; and misquoted individuals. All with the goal of discrediting and disrupting individuals and organizations and sparking envy, jealousy and civil wars between organizations with similar missions. This is a fact which we wrote about and provide the clear evidence of in our RAPCOINTELPRO series

We are not saying that Shaheem Reid is an FBI agent. We don’t know Shaheem Reid or what goes into Shaheem Reid’s writing. But we know that whatever the cause of his writing, the effect was that it contributed to sparking and escalating a potential conflict, that could have turned violent between Jadakiss and Beanie Siegel and even between Yonkers, New York (where Kiss is from) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (where Beans is from).

Victims quite often could care less about the cause or effect of harm done to them – they are often in so much pain or so unaware of what has happened to them.

Akiba Solomon

Akiba Solomon

Akiba Solomon, editor-at-large of The Source, took exception with this part of what we wrote on June 29th:

“The Source in many ways is like the CIA or FBI doing intelligence work among groups they want to destroy. They like to throw the rock into the crowd and then hide their hand. When ill feelings, envy, resentment and feuds are fed by articles that they print in their magazine and people point the finger at them, The Source takes the attitude of “Who, Me?”. They express concern about ending violence in Hip-Hop and then they run stories that pit one rapper against the other. Even if they aren’t outright agents of the government sent to destroy Hip-Hop, the effect is the same. So, what is the real difference between a paid agent and one who does the same work for the sake of magazine sales and advertising revenue?”

But how is what we wrote inappropriate, especially in light of the fact that Jadakiss denies saying what The Source said he did? And in light of the fact that The Source deliberately lifted Jadakiss’ quote in a manner that would make the reader think that Jadakiss had a problem with Jay-Z? On June 29th we wrote:

The interesting part about the Jadakiss article is that they place in the center of one of the pages, the quote that they attribute to Jadakiss supposedly about Jay-Z. That quote, lifted and put front and center in bold-print is designed to catch the attention of people who rapidly flip through the pages. It is deliberate..

Anyone who doubts this should grab a copy of the July 10th issue of The Source and look at the lifted quote for themselves. Several of our viewers told us that the quote was positioned so well and so prominently that it caught their attention as they were skimming through the magazine with no intention at all of reading the Jadakiss feature article.

Now, we do not hold Jadakiss and Beanie Siegel blameless. It is obvious that both artists, especially Jadakiss tried to turn the rumors, controversy and tension to their benefit by making freestyles on mix tapes dissing each other. They attempted to use the dangerous innuendo thrown into the water by The Source as a marketing ploy. They both figured that the controversy would help both of them sell albums. This is misguided and dangerous. And eventually both sides realized this. But they should have never used the appearance of two Brothers fighting each other as a marketing strategy. Both the executives of Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders should not have risked injury and lives, including that of their respective artists, for the sake of extra record sales

And we do not think that it is appropriate or wise for Jadakiss to state that he intends to “smack the writer” of the article. If Shaheem Reid is responsible for falsely attributing comments to Jadakiss then we certainly can understand where Jadakiss is coming from and how he feels. Put yourself in his shoes. If what he says happened to him, was your experience, you too would probably want to “smack the writer”. But although your feelings may be justified, your actions would not be, in our opinion.

writer Shaheem Reid

writer Shaheem Reid

But even if it is true that Shaheem Reid did what he did, Jadakiss would only be giving Shaheem Reid and the ill-motivations of The Source, power over his bright future if he were to do what he says he will. By “smacking the writer” Jadakiss would be guaranteeing that he becomes the victim of the lies that were written about him.

On the other hand, we have not heard Shaheem Reid’s side of the story and until we do, we will reserve judgment on whether or not he outright lied on Jadakiss.

What we would advise Jadakiss to do, if what he says about what happened is true, is 1) never give The Source another interview again 2) ask Ruff Ryders to pull all of its advertising dollars out of The Source 3) Demand a public written apology from The Source and Shaheem Reid within a month 4) And if Shaheem Reid or The Source does not write an apology, Jadakiss should use every opportunity he gets in promoting his new album “Kiss The Game Goodbye” on television, cable and radio to call for a boycott of The Source.

That is much more effective than smacking the hell out of a writer, who may or may not have been manipulated or urged on to do what he or she did by editors and publishers.

Beanie Sigel

Beanie Sigel

Surely, Jadakiss right now, has just about more influence and attention than any other rapper in the game. If he wanted to, in effect, shut The Source down, he could do so almost single-handedly. He surely could do it if he and Ruff Ryders enlisted the help of Beanie Siegel and Roc-A-Fella in the effort. Instead of “uniting” to sell records by using a dangerous controversy popularized by a major magazine, perhaps both camps could “unite” and start a boycott of the major magazine responsible for much of the problem. That is much more constructive than violence on a journalist.

But surely any reasonable person can understand where Jadakiss is coming from, to an extent. If Jadakiss is correct and “the writer” lied on him, then his life (Jadakiss) was placed in danger by that lie. For a writer to falsely pit a rapper against an entire city, full of true die-hard Hip-Hop fans like those in Philly, is the height of wickedness.

At the very least The Source has some very serious questions to answer and Jadakiss can help all of us to get those answers if he reacts in a wise fashion or in the manner of a “boss” and “businessman” – the roles he publicly emphasizes that he is fulfilling every day. Anyone who has met him or heard him speak knows that Jadakiss has the necessary mind, eloquence, charisma and access to financial resources to deal with Shaheem Reid and the entire matter with the more wisdom than that which is embodied in an impulsive act of violence.

But again, if Jadakiss is right, then every Hip-Hop fan should feel the seriousness of the moment as well as the full extent of the “journalism crisis” in Hip-Hop that we have written about.

In addition, or rather, in light of the media’s role in hyping and circulating the Jadakiss-Beanie Siegel controversy, everyone should begin to seriously question the motive(s) surrounding the mainstream media’s recent interest in Suge Knight and the murders of Biggie and Tupac. Why haven’t the Hip-Hop media challenged what the mainstream media has been doing in its obviously wickedly motivated, and fallacious and flawed attempt to link Suge to the murder of Biggie through the recent Rolling Stone article and VH-1 documentary? What is it that makes the major Hip-Hop magazines silent, indolent and lethargic on this issue and many others that can spark violence in Hip-Hop?

Suge Knight

Suge Knight

As we have written now for several months, the combination of the silence, duplicity and innuendo of the Hip-Hop media establishment, in combination with other factors, has created the atmosphere for harm to be done to Suge Knight and for the blame for such to be placed on the shoulders of other rap artists. Why is this so hard to recognize? Hasn’t anybody noticed the angle being pushed in the litany of Suge Knight interviews in the mainstream media like MTV and Access Hollywood? It is obvious that specific questions are being asked and the cameras are rolling for reasons well beyond the legitimate news story that Suge Knight has been released from jail.

In these interviews you can literally see Suge Knight wrestling with his desire to promote records, improve his image and express his obvious joy to be free from jail as well as some bitterness that he feels, as he simultaneously works to avoid the traps, pitfalls and mischief making of those who are asking the questions. Suge knows that those people who are interviewing him are largely wickedly motivated and are mainly (not entirely) interested in getting him to say something about another rapper or individual(s) so that they can say that a rap war has been started or reignited. They also want him to implicate himself in crime(s) that he has repeatedly said he has not committed.

But is Suge making the same mistake that Jadakiss made in attempting to enlist a wickedly motivated media and volatile controversy in an attempt to sell records? Is such a strategy really successful, in the long-term, or does it actually shorten careers and lives? Or, better yet, have those in the media and the government who are working to destroy Hip-Hop, already factored in the powerful desire of Suge and rappers like Jadakiss to sell records into their (the media and government) plans to destroy Hip-Hop and spark controversy and violence?

Are the profit motive, marketing efforts and publicity campaigns serving a larger effort aimed at destroying Hip-Hop and the influence it is having on the world’s youth?

Is the desire for attention, publicity and profits on the part of Hip-Hop artists and executives a weakness being used by publications like The Source, Rolling Stone, MTV and VH-1, for example?

And specifically what about the massive attention that Newsweek magazine and The Imus In The Morning program have given to Suge Knight’s release? What is their motive? How do appearances on such shows and interviews with such publications, which disrespect Hip-Hop, serve Hip-Hop?

No matter how you look at it, Suge’s release and the Jadakiss-Beanie Siegel controversy have placed Hip-Hop at a fork in the road and in the beginning stages of its greatest test, ever.

Will we be able to pass the test without the unnecessary shedding of blood and loss of life?

http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=401

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, August 10, 2001

Filed Under: archive articles, Rap Cointelpro Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Rap COINTELPRO Pt VI: Is The Murder of Biggie Setting Up a Civil War In Hip-Hop ?

July 13, 2001 By
Cedric Muhammad

Cedric Muhammad

Note: The Rolling Stone.com online version of the “The Murder Of Notorious B.I.G.” is only an excerpt from the full article which appears in the hard copy

After reading the feature article in the June 7th issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, “The Murder Of The Notorious B.I.G.” we suggest that the Hip-Hop community and industry brace itself for some serious mischief making. The publication of this article and the time of its appearance, which coincides with the news that the NYPD has Hip-Hop artists under surveillance has us just about convinced that something sinister is going on with the FBI, LAPD, NYPD and media outlets that looks just like the COINTELPRO of the 1960s and 70s and which may manifest violently this summer. In light of recent events, the stage has now been set, enough seeds have been dropped and a cover story written for a civil war in Hip-Hop and inside of the Black and Latino community that would involve East Coast Rappers, West Coast rappers, Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings and the Nation of Islam and which would serve the ultimate objective of the U.S. government’s phony war on drugs and gangs.

By far, this article is the most extensive, in terms of innuendo, rumor-mongering and potentially slander and libel that we have seen since we began writing this series about our belief that the Hip-Hop community and industry are the object of a destabilizing effort that bears a startling resemblance to the FBI-coordinated efforts to discredit, neutralize and destabilize Black organizations. In that effort everything from surveillance, informants, planted evidence and newspaper articles were used to destroy organizations and their reputations from within and in the court of public opinion.

Det Russell Poole

Det Russell Poole

This article in Rolling Stone, which relies heavily upon the account of a single LAPD officer, Russell Poole, works to pin the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. on Suge Knight and a group of LAPD officers. This is the second time that a media outlet has attempted to do this. The first effort began in early 1999 but was unsuccessful in large part due to articles printed in Brill’s Content and the work of another reporter who writes for the LA Times who poked numerous holes in the theory.

SugeKnight-cigar-225The Rolling Stone article, even though it acknowledges that the first effort to link Suge Knight with the murder of Biggie had some very serious problems with it spends not so much as a whole paragraph detailing how Brill’s Content and the second LA Times reporter poked wholes in the initial theory. Instead, Rolling Stone writer Randall Sullivan spends tens of thousands of words dropping seeds and speculating that Suge Knight, some LAPD officers and an individual named Amir Muhammad were involved in the murder of Biggie.

Sullivan very deviously and slyly works to even connect the murder with the Nation Of Islam, an effort that actually publicly began within hours of the shooting, by emphasizing the reports and police sketch indicating that the shooter wore a bow tie. Sullivan then states that Amir Muhammad and David Mack, one of the off-duty officers allegedly involved in the murder of Biggie, claimed to be Muslims.

Regardless to what their faith may be we find it especially peculiar that Sullivan and Rolling Stone, in thousands of words of writing, only make one reference to the second LA Times reporter who debunks the association of Amir Muhammad with the murder of Biggie. They only mention it briefly but do nothing to explain how the reporter saw through the loose reporting of his fellow reporter who first put in print the theory that Suge Knight, LAPD officers and Amir Muhammad were behind the shooting.

One of the more interesting things that comes out of the Rolling Stone article is that the reporter reveals how the government and the LAPD infiltrated Death Row Records as well as businesses connected with Suge Knight. They even make reference to a probe of Death Row Records and Suge Knight, which was/is being run out of the U.S. Justice Department.

But by far, the most interesting aspect to the story is that while it makes numerous efforts to pin the murder of Biggie on Suge Knight it drops some very peculiar information that seems to indicate that people way above Suge Knight and off-duty LA police officers have knowledge of who is actually behind Biggie’s murder.

Sullivan writes:

diddy flowers-225“One week after Russell Poole took over the Biggie Smalls murder investigation, the media learned that as many as a dozen law-enforcement officers had been on the scene when Smalls was shot to death. Six cops had been working for Smalls that night. The rapper was being shadowed as well by an assortment of undercover officers from the New York Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The New York cops believed that the same man who shot Tupac Shakur at Quad Studios had killed by one of their off-duty officers and might still be working for either Puffy Combs or Biggie Smalls. The ATF officers were part of a federal task force investigating allegations that employees of Death Row Records were involved in money laundering and the sale of stolen weapons.”

It is interesting that Sullivan leaves out the fact that the officers that followed Biggie’s car as he was killed were able to show members of Biggie’s entourage actual pictures of cars and individuals taken while they were following Biggie. That information shocked the members of Biggie’s entourage who were totally unaware that the government and NYPD cops were following them. This was reported in the LA Times, why didn’t Rolling Stone and Randall Sullivan indicate that in their article?

And why does Sullivan rely almost exclusively on information and sources within the LAPD when he knows that NYPD officers and ATF agents were following Biggie at the exact moment that he was shot? We think in light of that fact it would be incumbent on any reporter worth two cents to follow up that angle. If the NYPD and government agents had a birds’ eye view of Biggie’s murder why all of the emphasis on the LAPD?

LAPDWhy would a supposedly enterprising reporter like Sullivan not work his investigation from the actual scene of the shooting? Why do we have so much information in his article about people at the party that Biggie attended before the shooting where “Muslim-looking” individuals and off-duty police officers connected to Death Row were seen, and so little information about the government agents and undercover NYPD officers following Biggie’s car when he was shot?

To ignore the scene of the crime as Sullivan does, when information is available, is a sign of horrific reporting, at best.

Unless… the Rolling Stone article is part of the cover story being written not by Rolling Stone but through Rolling Stone, by the government, with the help of editors and a willful or ignorant reporter, Randall Sullivan, to pin the murder of Biggie on Suge Knight, off-duty LAPD officers and others in order to serve a larger purpose with implications on the Hip-Hop and Black communities.

The FBI and CIA, for years, used reporters and editors to influence stories and even plant stories in mainstream media sources that were uncomplimentary to various groups.

Notorious BIG DiddyA basic reading of the story indicates that Sullivan directly or indirectly was fed information from people in the U.S. government who have been watching Death Row and Bad Boy Records and who work with the LAPD and NYPD. No one can reasonably refute that from the manner in which Sullivan quotes unnamed sources and weaves in information into his story that had to have been given to him by the government itself, or through others in touch with the FBI or Justice Department.

The most striking aspect of the article which makes us believe that the story at least has been crafted, is that after spending the entire emphasis on the article and tens of thousands of words on making the LAPD the entire focus of the article, Sullivan turns his attention to the reality that the FBI is now working on an effort with the help of a Los Angeles jail inmate to connect Suge Knight with the murder of Biggie. The effort is not lightweight, according to Sullivan.

Our question for Sullivan’s reporting is: if the FBI has been investigating Biggie’s murder all along, why does he place the entire emphasis of his story on the LAPD and its investigation of the murder?

Even Sullivan’s primary source, Russell Poole, who evidently has knowledge of the FBI’s investigation, is quoted by Sullivan as saying, “The FBI has something big cooking…”

David Mack LAPD

David Mack LAPD

For Sullivan to leave out the NYPD, ATF, the Brill’s Content and LA Times articles which contradict the alleged Suge Knight, David Mack, Amir Muhammad connection with the murder of Biggie; and for Sullivan to leave out the FBI’s investigation into the murder, until the end of his lengthy piece, results in his writing and willful omissions fitting rather nicely with whatever the FBI is “cooking”.

Why is all of this information coming out now, on the eve of Suge Knight’s release from jail?

Has the government, law enforcement agencies and informants in the Hip-Hop industry/community planned something even bigger that puts not even Suge Knight’s life in danger, upon his exit from jail, but the entire Hip-Hop community and sectors of the Black community?

What kind of atmosphere is being created by the Rolling Stone article, media outlets like Newsweek, MSNBC (particularly the Imus in the Morning Show) hyping up Suge Knight’s release from prison, and what of the hidden efforts of the Justice Department, FBI, ATF, NYPD and LAPD – including these law enforcement agencies’ ongoing investigations focusing on Hip-Hop artists and record labels?

How does all of this relate to the recent revelation that the NYPD now has the entire Hip-Hop community under surveillance? And what about the recent arrest of Jay-Z while under surveillance by the NYPD’s Street Crime Fighting Unit and his reported feud with Jayo Felony, a rapper from LA who is said to be a Crip?

Who would benefit from a war in the Black community involving East Coast rappers, West Coast Rappers, Suge Knight, Puffy, Bloods, Crips, and even the Nation Of Islam – all of whom, through innuendo, are made to look like criminals in the Rolling Stone piece?

Fasten your seat belts.

http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=92

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, June 01, 2001

Filed Under: archive articles, Rap Cointelpro Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rap COINTELPRO PtV…The NYPD Zeros In On Hip-Hop

April 27, 2001 By
Cedric Muhammad

Cedric Muhammad

The news out this week that the New York Police Department (NYPD) has been specifically watching the Hip-Hop community should come as no surprise to those of you who are regular readers of our “Hip-Hop Fridays” columns. For nearly a year now, we have been writing about the documented relationship between the FBI, local law enforcement and the media in the 1960s and 1970s and comparing that relationship with its real and potential counterpart today, in reference to the Hip-Hop industry. Any skepticism for what we have been arguing should have been swept away by Jay-Z’s arrest two weeks ago, by the NYPD street crime unit, and by this week’s admission from the NYPD, that its gang intelligence unit has been monitoring Hip-Hop artists and the nightspots that they and their fans frequent.

Having said that we hope that no one is really so naïve as to believe the NYPD’s explanation of their activities, that they are doing what they are, to protect Hip-Hop artists. We argue to the contrary and believe that their explained efforts to “serve and protect” the Hip Hop industry is a cover story, or a front to really arrest Hip-Hop artists on gang, drug and racketeering charges. This has been their aim for some time now.

To be sure, there are certainly a few who may be guilty of crimes. But a full-scale monitoring of an entire industry, in its biggest city, is evidence of more than good police work. After all, if drugs and gangs are what they are after, the police would be better staking out raves, heavy metal concerts and the homes of Rock artists in search of heroin, cocaine and ecstasy drug use, as well as ties to organized crime.

Black-Panthers-Huey-Bobby-brownFar from an effort to save rap artists, the effort is an indication of a return to the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program – a program that was aimed at organizations like the Nation Of Islam, the 5% Nation Of Islam, the Black Panthers, SCLC and SNCC. Interestingly, two of the biggest files that the FBI kept during COINTELPRO, were its files on the NOI and the 5 Percenters – the two communities that arguably have had more impact on Hip-Hop than any other.

So now, an entire music industry joins that rarified air, previously the domain of activist and progressive organizations and those concerned with political consciousness, social change and community development. Now, that we have established this fact, we hope that the Hip-Hop community in general, and Hip-Hop artists in particular, are prepared for what awaits them and what has already been happening to them. We hope that they are prepared for their telephone lines to be tapped; their vehicles and homes to be bugged; agents to be placed within their organizations; their friends turned into government informants; letters and communications attributed to them, and even their forged signatures attached to such, without their knowledge; conflicts started between rivals and competitors; lies and half-truths about them planted in various media outlets, and yes, even violent action taken against them.

Every one of these acts, and much, much more were performed in COINTELPRO, with the help of the FBI and local police departments. In order to get an idea of how extensive the FBI’s efforts were, and for evidence of what we have described above, one should visit the FBI’s reading room, in person or online. foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex.htm .

photo credit: Panther 1619

photo credit: Panther 1619

You maybe surprised at some of the names the FBI has in its file index as part of COINTELPRO or other surveillance programs. The list includes several celebrities www.fbi-files.com/celebrities/index.html who the Bureau feared could move the public in ways counter to the desired direction of the status quo. Many of the most famous were White actors. The same fear exists today for Hip-hop artists who may have the most loyal fans in all of the entertainment industry.

The NYPD’s program is already being described as illegal and unconstitutional. Many believe that the program represents “profiling” – a practice that is increasingly coming under fire. It will be interesting to see if civil libertarians or the liberals and progressives which dominate the industry will come to the aid of the Hip-Hop community and defend them from what at the very least, is a massive invasion of privacy and at the most, an act of war.

We advise that Hip-hop artists should not be surprised to find little support from the labels that employ their services. For years, several record executives have been handing over marketing plans and providing information on a variety of artists to federal law enforcement officials. And on the local level, we know of at least two record label executives who have silent alarm buttons in their offices that connect them to the NYPD, in the case of an emergency or violent altercation. Of course these record label execs have their own artists in mind as the likely perpetrators of aggression.

Which leads us to a final point. If the Hip-Hop community is going to avoid the mistakes that the targets of COINTELPRO previously made, they will have to 1) begin to question their “friendships” with record label executives, lawyers and business managers who seem to have no problem providing privileged information to law enforcement officers 2) compare notes with one another 3) discontinue their recently increased leaning toward public disputes, 4) End any activities that can be construed as illegal and 5) they must seek ways to peacefully resolve conflicts and unite.

That is a tall order for rappers with enormous egos, and a disrespect for history, but if lives are to be saved today, a major change in the thinking of Hip-Hop artists and some of their fans must take place, in a hurry.

In light of the NYPD’s new program, if anybody can’t see what is happening by now, we don’t know what else will get their attention, before it is too late.

The more things change the more they stay the same. Hip-Hop…meet COINTELPRO.

http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=34

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, April 27, 2001

Filed Under: archive articles, Rap Cointelpro Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Rap COINTELPRO Pt 4: DEA vs Rap-A-Lot, Scarface & James Prince

December 8, 2000 By

Cedric Muhammad

For the past two days I have attended Congressional hearings on the Drug Enforcement Agency‘s (DEA) Investigation of Rap-A-Lot Records. While the hearings were called by Republican members of the House Committee on Government in an effort to provide evidence or to imply through innuendo that Rep. Maxine Waters and even Vice-President Al Gore intervened to slow or end a DEA investigation of James Prince, the head of Rap-A-Lot records, some of the most striking information revealed in the hearings was the extent to which the federal government had placed federal informants in not just Rap-A-Lot Records but throughout Houston’s 5th Ward section.

The federal government, with the help of the Houston Police Department, infiltrated Houston’s Fifth ward in a manner that can only be classified as military in nature. For at least 8 years, the DEA and Houston Police Department worked aggressively to form an intelligence network that would result in the conviction of James Prince and the shutting down of Rap-A-Lot records. It was also revealed in the hearings that the DEA has over 300 DEA agents in Houston alone and when combined with the Houston Police Department task force currently has over 400 people working the city in the “War on Drugs” effort.

Depending upon whose testimony you rely upon the DEA investigation of Rap-A Lot records began in early 1992 and possibly 1988 when two large cocaine busts were made. The DEA claims that since that time 20 arrests were made in connection with the investigation, with convictions ranging from drug use and sales to murder.

But in over 8 years the investigation never produced proof that the intended target, James Prince, formerly known as James Smith, was guilty of any suspected crimes.

James Prince Rap-A-Lot Records

During the hearings, DEA Special Agent In Charge Of The Houston Field Office, Ernest L. Howard spoke of the great effort and energy expended to attract and groom informants from Houston’s inner cities to be of help in the investigation. Agent Howard explained how difficult it was to “infiltrate the 5th Ward” and that the investigation made “no progress from 1992-1997” until the government began to have success in its efforts to recruit informants in the 5th Ward and inside of the Rap-A-Lot organization.

And Agent Howard left little doubt that the government was looking to use its informants and its intelligence network to build a case that would not only lead to the arrest of James Prince but would which would also shut Rap-A-Lot down, as a business enterprise.

And the manner in which the DEA hoped to do this was made clear during the investigation: the government hoped to get James Prince in jail and to shut the legitimate business activities of Rap-A-Lot records down under the Racketeering In Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) which allows the government to associate entire organizations/businesses with the criminal activities of its members.

RICO is the ultimate guilt-by-association statute in the federal government’s arsenal, which allows it to link the activities of executives with those of employees and individuals with that of corporations.

“The only way that we were going to get the target (James Prince) of this investigation was through a conspiracy”, Agent Howard stated during the hearings.

Agent Howard then offered that there were two individuals affiliated with Rap-A-Lot records which they hoped to arrest and/or turn into informants who would be “key to proving a conspiracy”.

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 Prince.

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.”

Many close to the investigation say that an indictment against Scarface never occurred because the evidence against him was so weak and that the DEA was willing to do almost anything to pressure Scarface in an effort to get him to become an informant.

The reason that Rep. Maxine Waters was the focus of committee hearings was because of the fact that Rep. Waters wrote a letter to Attorney General Janet Reno in August of 1999, after Prince sought her help, fearing that his life was in danger due to the DEA /Houston Police Department investigation.

Rep. Waters wrote the letter which reflected her commitment to issues of civil rights violations, unlawful search and seizures, racial profiling and police brutality.

Prince especially believed that one of the officers on the case, Jack Schumacher, was harassing him and Rap-A-Lot in a manner that could have led to Prince’s death.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters

Rep. Waters asked Reno to give the matter her full consideration and attention. Republicans believed that Rep. Maxine Waters’ letter to Reno resulted in the investigation against Rap-A-Lot ending.

The reason that Al Gore’s name entered the hearings was because in March of 2000 Gore visited a popular Houston church, Brookhollow Baptist Church, where James Prince is a member. Prince is said to have given the church over $1 million in donations.

Three days after the Gore visit, agent Schumacher was given a desk job. Republicans sought to determine whether there was any connection between the Gore visit and the decision to move Schumacher.

In one of the hearings more bizarre moments Schumacher stated that he heard that Prince had made an illegal donation of $200,000 to the Gore campaign.

When pressed by Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) Schumacher admitted that the information regarding Gore and Prince was unsubstantiated. Schumacher told the committee, “It is third-hand information that has not been corroborated”. Schumacher said that he received the information from a source that he had never had contact with before.

Yesterday, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) who represents Houston, questioned Schumacher and Agent Howard regarding the allegations and innuendo that Vice-President Gore and Rep. Maxine Waters interfered with the DEA investigation.

The questioning revealed that there was no evidence that supported the claims.

In total, the investigation brought the power of the DEA, IRS and Houston Police Department against a Hip-Hop label.

Some say that the information that came out of the investigation that revealed how the government recruited informants in Houston’s inner cities reminds them of the tactics used by former FBI head J.Edgar Hoover who in 1968 established the “Ghetto Listening Post” in inner cities across the country – an effort that resulted in the recruitment of 3,248 informants.

The DEA Rap-A-Lot investigation is full of lessons for the Hip-Hop community.

Please read:

Dallas Morning News Full Coverage Of DEA Rap-A-Lot

Rap Case Suspension Wrong, DEA says

DEA Says Rap Drug Probe Ongoing

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, December 08, 2000

Filed Under: archive articles, Rap Cointelpro Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Rap COINTELPRO Pt2 (Wu-Tang Clan & The Village Voice)

June 16, 2000 By

Cedric Muhammad

Last week we raised the possibility that an organized attempt had been and still is being made to destabilize the Hip-Hop industry and thus the community. We briefly looked at the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. and raised some unanswered questions surrounding his death; introduced some important background information regarding the FBI’s COINTELPRO which was dedicated to destabilizing Black and progressive organizations, especially in the 1960s and 70s; and posed a challenge to Black intellectuals to apply their knowledge of the tactics used by the U.S. government to oppose Black leaders, to Biggie’s murder in particular, and to the Hip-Hop Industry/Community in general.

We also pointed you to a Brill’s Content article that shows how the L.A. Times has been involved in disseminating false information regarding Biggie’s murder. We also took pains to mention that it was this story and one prior to it that brought Suge Knight’s name into the mix as allegedly involved in Biggie’s death. We openly questioned that if the L.A. Times article is misinformation wouldn’t that point to Mr. Knight’s innocence and we asked who was the original source in the FBI/LAPD that fingered Suge Knight? What was their motive for doing this, through the media? I hope that some of you, in your study of COINTELPRO and other programs, are familiar with the manner in which the FBI and CIA used reporters and media outlets, print and TV, to plant stories, have articles written and spread malicious lies – much of which was directed at getting groups that otherwise could have worked together to fight one another.

Last week, I also openly stated that it was my opinion that the image and rumors of an East Coast – West Coast Hip-Hop “war” were a fabrication of the media and perpetuated by local and federal police departments prior to and during the investigations into Tupac and Biggie’s murders, in large part via information fed to reporters in various media outlets. We will conclude this series next week on this crucial point of the role of the media, in particular its role in COINTELPRO of yesterday and its possible continuation today. This week we take a very brief look at a more recent situation in Hip-Hop that again raises the possibility that the Federal Government has ill- intentions for the Hip-Hop Community.

A few weeks ago, the Village Voice published an article alleging that over the last year a white government informant was in some capacity representing members of the multi-platinum group, Wu-Tang Clan, while the group was under criminal investigation. After reading the article, it is readily apparent that it was a sensationalized story designed to reflect negatively upon Wu-Tang.

The story also appeared to be crafted in great part because while the headlines emphasized the supposed connection between this white individual and Wu-Tang, the article deals more substantively with the individual’s alleged real connection to white organized crime figures in New York and Miami. The individual is reportedly a government informant in a case involving Mob figures in New York and Miami. So while real evidence allegedly links the individual to Mob figures, the Village Voice cover and headlines and subtitles focused on a very unclear connection between the “informant’ and the Hip-Hop group. Most of the information on that front is anecdotal in nature that informs the reader of little.

The real story is this individual’s relationship with white underworld figures and the feds yet the Village Voice markets the piece, which was picked up by news services all over the world, as quality reporting that somehow connects this individual’s relationship with the U.S. Government with his relationship with Wu-Tang. The piece doesn’t live up to that billing. It never connects the dots but to an unsuspecting and innocent reader, it does open the Clan up to suspicion not only in terms of a link to the feds but also in terms of criminal activity. I found that to be peculiar and yes, the deliberate intention of the Village Voice. In the weeks that have followed the piece, many people have spread more rumors, gossip and innuendo regarding the Clan over the Internet and many people seem to have only read the sensational headlines but have not analyzed the story or the motive behind it with a critical mind.

To me, the aim of the Village Voice and/or whoever may have helped them craft the story, was to discredit the Clan inside of the unforgiving world of the New York Hip-Hop community and to discredit them among their core group of fans. It also attempted to portray the group as unintelligent but it definitely did not seek to prove that the individual was really working on behalf of the government specifically against the Clan, though the article and headlines imply otherwise.

This is one of the factors that makes me believe that someone bigger than just the Village Voice may have been behind the story – how else could the government come off clean and the Clan looking rather uncomplimentary. Remember, the story is supposed to be about feds, Wu and this informant but it ends up really only being about the informant and Wu. What happened to the feds?

Village Voice Article drew suspicion Capadonna & Ghostface

The reason why I stress that point is because I believe the writer(s) could have proved or disproved whether the informant was working against the Clan if they so desired and from reading the piece, I believe that the writer(s) has discussed the government’s surveillance of Wu-Tang with enough people in the know, to be able to determine whether or not this government informant is directly working against Wu-Tang or if he is only with the group strictly for business purposes as he gives evidence on the alleged Miami/New York crime figures. The writer(s) simply asks why the informant was working with Wu-Tang in any capacity and spends the majority of the article lampooning and mocking the group. And again, he leaves the feds unscathed.

The Village Voice sought to harm the group’s reputation by negative implication and innuendo. The story, to me, seemed designed to destroy the Clan’s street credibility not prove any thing about this informant working for the feds against the Clan. If they had done that (proved the informant was working against the Clan) the Village Voice would have proved the existence of COINTELPRO. No, the informant angle is the hook that draws you in to read garbage about the Clan. And I found it very interesting that no one in the community that prides itself on its “consciousness” came to the defense of the Clan, even to intelligently alert the public to the possibility that the Village Voice article may point to something bigger than Wu-Tang.

Lord Michael Caruso & Rza werte also targeted in Village Voice article

This could have helped others even those who I know do not like Wu-Tang personally or what they represent in music or ideology. If you are in the Hip-Hop community, personal dislike of the Clan won’t cut it on this one. The Hip-Hop community owes it to itself to defend itself from what many people, more than just myself, know to be a deliberate attempt to destabilize and destroy the real and potential cultural, economic and political impact of Hip-Hop. From my limited vantage point, everyone seemed caught up in the sensational aspects of the story and not the potential threat it posed to the entire community. This is another aspect of the indolence of the Hip-Hop community that I referred to last week.

I personally served as management to Wu-Tang a couple of years ago. I no longer do so. To the best of my knowledge, which I think is pretty good, the Clan was never involved in any of the criminal activities that they were or are currently under investigation for. I do not and never have, for one moment believed that they are guilty. Of course, I did not see everything that everyone was doing but I am confident that I was certainly in a position to know whether or not a gun-running operation was being organized and ran by the group. I am not afraid to go on public record in defense of the group or the truth of what I know.

But the Federal Government wants to pin these charges on the Clan.

What I can tell you that the Village Voice did not tell you, is that several individuals who have been arrested and/or charged with crimes in New York City and who have never had any affiliation with the group, have been offered reduced sentences or no time at all in exchange for either saying that they were connected with Wu-Tang when they committed their alleged crimes or in exchange for directly infiltrating the music group.

This is a fact. A fact that the Village Voice should know about with all of its connections in the entertainment community and law-enforcement. And these individuals being approached are young Black males not an alleged white informant who is linked to some white mobsters in New York or Miami. That is the real story if the Village Voice is so interested.

The goal of the Federal Government, the FBI included, is to lie and link Wu-Tang and others to a supposed Hip-Hop industry- wide crime network. I know that as early as 1995, several young Black music executives, other than Wu-Tang, and their actual places of business were under surveillance and “investigation” by the Federal Government allegedly for committing various crimes. Not only have individuals under the supervision of the criminal justice system been approached in an effort to make cases against high-profile individuals in the industry but so have white lawyers and white music executives who deal with these individuals. This is common knowledge inside of a few circles in the music industry; even marketing plans of certain artists have been taken by federal investigators. We also know that the IRS has been and is unfairly targeting several Hip-Hop artists and their business enterprises for audits. One day, this will all come out.

For those who persist in wanting to see all crime-fighting efforts as above reproach and legitimate, I can tell you that for whatever illegal activities that may or may not have been perpetrated by various individuals in the music business, the Federal Government has gone above and beyond what is fair in their investigation of the Clan. Asking individuals to straight up lie and say that they are connected to crimes that never occurred and to make up affiliations and even to ask suspects to infiltrate Wu-Tang is not legitimate crime fighting. I also do not see it as simply a case of a “few bad cops”. I see it as a deliberate attempt to destabilize and discredit not only an influential group but also an entire industry and cultural force.

To me, it is certainly reminiscent of COINTELPRO where the goal was not to arrest guilty individuals but to arrest a cultural and political movement. For those who have studied COINTELPRO, it is interesting to learn of all of the Black celebrities and entertainers who have/had government files. I hope everyone in the Hip-Hop community will become much more alert and those who have first-hand knowledge of what I am talking about will begin to compare notes with one another. This isn’t a game or fantasy although some will persist in doubting to the very end. Next week at http://blackelectorate.com/ we will look at some historical evidence that shows that the FBI and CIA used reporters to spread pieces of misinformation to the public and actually helped journalists write false stories. Could this be happening today?

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, June 16, 2000

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