Jena 6: Where are our hip-hop artists?
Posted: September 23rd, 2007 | Author: dex digital | Filed under: blog | Tags: blog, jena 6, politics | 16 Comments »Think about this:
We’ve got six high-school age Black kids either in jail, or on the verge of going in. And I know that not all Black kids listen to a whole lot of rap music – but for the sake of argument, check this:
A lot of the same artists that these kids spend their lunch money on, that these kids (for better or worse) idolize, that these kids think speak for them; are now, in their hour of need, nowhere to be found. I’m not necessarily talking about Kanye footing the bill for the defense fund, but about somebody saying something.
However: some of us are doing something. If you want an example, check out the last episode. There are a lot of prominent people on there showing support for these kids.
So I’m going to go ahead and take a bar from clyde (who, by the way, has really been taking bloggers to task on this thing) and compile a list of people who I know have done something about this issue. If you know of somebody who is doing something, please add them up in the comments. If you yourself are an artist and are doing something, then let us know.
I do worry sometimes that we get too negative about hip-hop, when plenty of people are carrying their own weight (and in the cases of a few, that of others). So this post is really just to show people that there is a growing number of MCs, artists, and industry people who are taking responsibility – and thereby encourage the rest of us to do the same, feel me?
Hit up the comments section…I know some of you out there have some info on this!
I’ll start us off.
Mos Def is a given. He’s written an open letter to “African-Americans of influence, and all concerned parties” – yes, that means everyone – to show some form of support for the Jena 6.
NYOil put out a track, which you can hear in Episode 88 of this very hip-hop podcast.
And David Bowie has contributed $10K. Come on dudes. David Bowie. You might be ballin, but are you ballin like Bowie?
Cant forget about David Banner and Papoose they have both contributed.
Finally, the Jena 6 get recognised internationally; or the U.K. at least; two days ago, their was a two to three minute article on it at prime time, 10 o’clock BBC news:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtEqQHS31Ts (don’t know if you got that dex)
Oh and in response to Sara’s comment: yeah I heard that censorship is really tight over there. Apparently, you’re not even allowed to say Chinese; you have to say Asian…
Talat1 – yeah, knew about Banner, but not Papoose. Good looking on the update.
Mr U – man. Yeah, compare that to the CNN coverage. Thanks for posting that. This PC thing can be a beast, but I think Sara was more on the fact that they are making this more divisive than it really is. I mean if you listen to the show – there are people of all sorts of ethnicities and nationalities on there. But that’s not what the media is about.
And here’s some more: The Jena 6 Empowerment Concert. We can add Nick Cannon, Lloyd, Baby Boy, Sean P, Twista, Tank, Jagged Edge, Killer Mike, Bobby Brown, DTP’s Small World and Hurricane Chris to the list of people who are at least publicly showing that they are aware of the situation. And according to another contact, Alfamega should be there as well.
yeah..all i’ve been seeing are seas of black people. It’s sad because it almost seems like if they don’t show the white people there by our side, it discourages others who may want to do the same. It puts a wall up between the two races publicly. I’ve noticed more confederate flags and t- shirts since this has been on local news stations in FL..then again that’s a common thing here.
Some of the blacks that live in Jena are thinking about moving because they fear once this blows overe it will probably make things worst.
OH and what are we going to do about this
SEPTEMBER 11–A black West Virginia woman was sexually assaulted, stabbed, and tortured while being held captive by her white abductors, one of whom told her, “That’s what we do to niggers around here.” The 23-year-old victim was freed Saturday after cops responded to the home of Frankie Brewster for a “welfare check on a female that was reportedly being held against her will.” When cops arrived, Brewster claimed she was the only one home, but then the victim limped to the door and said, “Help me.” According to six harrowing criminal complaints , the woman, who apparently had been held for more than a week, had four stab wounds in her left leg, bruised eyes, and had been repeatedly sexually assaulted and humiliated. The woman told police that she was forced to lick Brewster’s “toes, vagina, and anal cavity.” Brewster’s son Bobby forced the woman to eat dog and rat feces, according to one complaint filed in Logan County Magistrate Court. The victim, who is now hospitalized, was raped at knifepoint, choked with a cable cord, and had her hair pulled and cut during the ordeal. Police, who have arrested six defendants for their roles in the abduction and attack, are looking for other suspects who may have lured the victim to Brewster’s home. The arrestees are seen in the below mug shots. Pictured clockwise from the upper left are Frankie Brewster, 49; Bobby Brewster, 24; Danny Combs, 20; George Messer, 27; Alisha Burton, 22; and Karen Burton, 46. (11 pages) TSG TV: Our new video venture has nearly 500 clips, from Mussolini to Puffy
E-mail story to a friend.
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Wow..i can see why they would want to leave. Some1 felt compelled to post their home adresses and phone numbers on a public site kkk members frequent. I’d move too. That 9/11 story is pretty scary. This shit’s starting to remind me of that Sam Jackson movie where the confederate red necks rape his little girl.
Talat1 – I think I’m barely even up on that story. It is scary, and it’s overwhelming. So much of this is just purposefully swept under the radar. I was actually listening to the radio last night (NPR – you act like I listen to commercial radio?) and there was a dude who tacitly admitted such.
and Sara is right too. If you listen to the show, there are people of several different ethnicities. I know because some of them I’ve met or spoken to before. Then you turn on the media and it’s all these uppity negroes whining about some thugs going to prison. There’s mad amount of white people that hit me up via aim, email, or cell to express their support on this thing – either to tell me what they thought about the show or just to vent. Unfortunately the US media likes to create drama and create divisions where there are none. Forget Black people – A friend of mine said he saw some white Jena residents saying they were leaving too.
ITS a shame but what can you do with most media outlets are almost monopolies …(i think i spelled that wrong lol)
Dex, you’re making it big in Canada. Your site is up on the cbc.ca website talking about the Jena 6. Keep up the good work. The cbc is Canada’s national tv/radio network for all you none Canucks.
Talat1 – what can you do? Find other, independent media outlets, or become your own.
db – good looking out! Yeah, I did an interview a little bit ago, but I have no idea how it turned out. I hope I didn’t sound like a complete ass.
This is a useless battle. If the rappers really cared they wouldn’t say half the shit they say on record. They do enough to make the average person think they care. None of them wants to do anything that isn’t a tax write off. Look at the Katrina sittuation, half of these rappers wear the reconstruction of New Orleans on their necks. Look at the amount they pay for chains, watches, cars, and houses, you me to tell me all they can complain about is what the government isn’t doing. It’s sickinig man. The Jena 6 sittuation is crazy because the South is the South man. I’m not sure what any of us can do to change that. What happens when the busses leave and comeback to where they came from? What happens when the News cameras go off? What happens when Blacks still recieve the same treatement but no ones there to report it to the world? It’s bigger than the rappers, where the hell is Bill Cosby at right now? Where’s Opra? They have way more money and influence than some of than the majority of these rappers. The black community needs a wake up call in general.
Damn reading my comment, I should of read over it and put it through spell check. Pardon the mistakes.
No worries on spellcheck, this is the internets.
I feel you. A lot of people don’t care and act like this doesn’t affect them. I almost feel like I should stop expecting rappers to do much of anything about this, because a very large percentage of these dudes (and females) are fake.
But I don’t know if I would call it a useless battle.
And yeah – we still haven’t heard anything from Cos or anyone else. Did you check the jena 6 podcast? We actually addressed some of those people, Cosby included. Word is that Dr Phil talked about the situation, but Oprah (I don’t watch the show, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong about this) still hasn’t done anything.
That was wrong the way that they did to those boys I was there to support those boyz.