Thursday, February 09, 2006

When will we learn or should I say who will be next???

I'm sitting here reading the AllHipHop.com alert on Wake Held For Busta's Bodyguard, Pressure For Rappers To Come Forward Grows http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=5348

Busta Rhymes' manager and Violator CEO Chris Lighty posted a statement on his blog.
"I have to hope that my children or their children will one day know Hip-Hop without the violence," Lighty wrote. "I am sorry and send out my regards to the family of Israel Ramirez. I don't know what happened as I wasn't on the scene, so I won't comment. But it is a sad day when violence erupts and takes anyone's life.
"We have to come together as a people and try to rise above the conflicts we have on the streets of our neighborhoods," Lighty continued. "I am sure that everyone has a comment and the press will blame Hip-Hop and rappers but none of that is the case. Hip-Hop gave the opportunity for all these great stars to come together for this."



I am sure this rant will not be well accepted by all and some will have harsh responses to it but so be it. Why does someone have to be killed for us to realize how out of control things have gotten and to be quite frank, how out of control things have been for awhile.


How many people must get shot???
How many people must get killed???

and while this will not be received well at all
I almost one to write when will be learn for the 100 millionth time
but in the current state of glorified ignorance being displayed for dollars and street cred now in hip hop my question has to be

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT UNSOLVED MURDER VICTIM HIP HOP WILL MARTYRIZE

This is in no way to disrespect any artist who have been slain and the importance of their legacy's in hip-hop and for their fans.
But let's be real no one deserves to die, but a lot of these artists are far from choir boys all the same.
How many rappers have been incarcerated while having albums at the top of the charts and hit records getting every rotation on radio and video outlets???
Oh yeah and every artist with a hot jam that gets arrested isn't innocent cause their tracks is banging. (I don't know if he's guilty but damn he makes some great music, sorry I drifted, but I had to get that out,)
now where was I, oh yeah, There is a saying that if you live by the sword you die by the sword
and some of the artists we lost (no matter how tragic their passing created) some of the atmosphere surrounding their deaths was created by their lyrics and how they live.

We need to start realizing the importance of the words and the images,
we put out there.

We need to start policing our own situations and stop looking for help from outside our community and we need to hold this rapper, record companies, radio station, video shows etc to higher standards instead of excepting what they give us and play all day.

I'm tired of everyone complaining about the state of hip hop and not doin anything about it. Not to mention mainstream media blaming hip hop for every evil in the world we live in. Many of these attitudes, the commerialism, the glorify and fascination with violence and gangsters, the disrespect of woman have been around a lot longer than what we call hip hop have.

We need to address the situations that create these attitudes instead of shooting the real messengers for bringing the message no matter how its delivered. Not talking about those suburban thugs living out their gangsta fantasies on record and video but the real hood messengers that bring light to the plights of the hood.

The problem isn't just that there is a problem
The problem is the choices that we make

everyone has contributed to get us to where we are now,

The record company executives that over looks the negative images being portrayed by their multi-platinum artist, and have to nerve to say that's why we made a clean version. (oh and turning down the sound on the vocals where the curses are, is not really a clean version, I mean lets be for real, the kids just fill in the blanks when the songs plays)
The A&R cats who now is getting paid so their kids don't go to the inner city schools where the kids are being miseducated and brainwashed by the music and videos, so they sign this gangsta crap oh I mean rap. Oh and these kids have the uncensored version. The Radio Show host that's holds in down in your area that doesn't feel the record but the station says it must be played every 22 minutes practically programming our youth (every wonder why they were called program directors, they program the thought patterns of our youth)
The female publicist who is outraged by the artists on the label pushing all the units but she spins their bios and histories to make for good reading. the writers at the magazines who are often too lazy to do their homework so they run with the bio and press release the publicist is pushing. The parents that let BET raise they kids. The older brothers and sisters who play the dirty version around their younger siblings they are suppose to be watching while mom works her 3 jobs.
parents that don't take the time to find out what their kids are listening to, don't listen to the commercial station every now and then to find out what is being played and doesn't call the stations and complain.
and lastly the fans who say they are tired of what's being played but support it and even request it on TRL and 106 & Park (which are viewer driven shows)and when something new does come along you don't support it so labels and radio stations go with what's working, why change it, if it aint broke..... Bullshit it's broke and it's been broke for awhile

The industry actually, this whole generation needs a spiritual enema for real, where are our values, how long will we continue to sell our souls, When do we stand up and say this ain't right, and the
This will seem like its all over the place with no direction for my rant. But that is because I don't see any one person or group as the problem I thing we are all the problem and prayfully I have shown that here.

So instead of calling for peace which usually last weeks and even months sometimes, we need to address the problems and the reason for the problems or I will be writing another obit saying instead of when will we learn, WHO WILL BE NEXT???

Oh yeah and a lot of our youth are the ones dying everyday but they don't have record deals and music videos, they are not part of the music industry or do they have any affilations, so we never hear about them. WHO WILL BE NEXT???

I would like to hear what you think on the matter.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The violence that exists today within the whole industry is designed for nothing else but sales. It may seem ignorant to say something like this but do you hear the labels complaining? They'll bitch and moan about who's downloading what but the violence is part of the deal once they sign on that dotted line.

The messenger says what he gotta say but it's the knuckleheads around him that be living it out for him.

There's always some beef with somebody and that also makes for more sales.

Why can't these brothas just stick to the plan, there's always gonna be one who wants to stand out an be an individual

AJ WOODSON said...

true

I wanna hear what everyone else out there things
holla back!!!!!