Thug Life Army

Rev. Al Sharpton and his supporters recently lead a march for decency in New York. New York rap artist and hip hop MC NYOIL wrote his comments on the march in an editorial which was sent to and posted on many web sites.

Tamika Mallory is the Director of the Decency Initiative and organized the march with Rev. Al Sharpton. She recently responded to the views of hip hop MC NYOIL on the hip hop web site All Hip Hop. She did not send her thoughts out to the masses but picked one outlet for her ‘ranting’ or open letter to the hip hop MC NYOIL.

After contacting NYOIL to see what his response was to the ‘open letter’ from Tamika Mallory, NYOIL sent this response to the letter she had wrote.

Peace Queen.

I read your "open letter" and at best found it to be atypical of an impotent leadership that has stifled growth in our communities for some time now. I''ll take a brief moment to deconstruct your "open letter" and then conclude.

I wrote an editorial that would be picked up by AHH amongst other sites. This is after walking the distance with the Decency march, I walked mere footsteps behind yourself and Al Sharpton. This is how close you and I were. So the assumption that I wrote my piece based on a brief, casual and superficial observance is faulty and hypocritical considering that your open letter is based on a brief, casual and superficial understanding of whom you are speaking to.

I think you have me confused with Cameron or the brother you were at Street Soldiers debating with regarding this issue. I''m sorry Tamika but I am a different caliber of man, cut from a different cloth. While you were 3 years old being BROUGHT to civil rights functions we were riding with Al Sharpton in the Tawana Brawley days, the Yusef Hawkins days. Arguing with teachers quoting the lyrics of our heroes and letting them know "it takes a nation of millions to hold us back". Letting the ignorant few amongst us know that "You must learn". Riding with Jesse Jackson here in Hyme town and when it was all said and done did our elders ride with us? No our thanks was C Deloris Tucker and the right Reverend Calvin Butts riding steam rollers over our culture.

And again Willie Lynch Wins. Age vs Youth.

You seemed to take great offense to my calling your leaders Media whores. You go so far as to liken them to true civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Let us be clear on a couple of things. These men you and I are debating are not in the same caliber as Martin and Malcolm. At their height they are Racial ambulance chasers offering reactionary leadership and sound bites. Martin and Malcolm gained media exposure by DOING THE WORK because the work needed doing. Their work was in reaction to the needs of the people, the people you seek to defend work in reaction to the presence of Media. Fact of the matter is the Honorable Elijah Muhammad warned Min. Malcolm against the lure of those cameras a warning obviously lost on today's leadership.

Yes Tamikia your constituency is out of touch. Woefully so. That you would imagine that a Decency march held after business hours in front of record labels would effect some change is a clear indicator. That during this march the closest thing you had to a hip hop artist was Kurtis Blow is a clear indicator.

Timika in Basketball they have what is called a "Gunner" this is a person who shoots the ball every time he gets it even when he should pass. You and Al had the ball during that march and you should have passed!! Conscious hip hop had lane, and if you would have just passed the ball; but alas you didn''t pass the ball cause you didn''t even know who was on your team. And that is why you are out of touch. You seem to believe that the only way for us to score is if you get the point.

So now you infer that by speaking up for Hip Hop and for conscious artist. Artist who are out here and have been out here on the front lines of this battle long before it became something that You and Al Sharpton could make a media spectacle of. That somehow it is I who is exploiting the media for my benefit. As if I should be ashamed for wanting to make a living in my field of business for doing the right thing. The things that you seemed to be marching about, the decent thing.

But since we are talking about exploitation Tamika let us for a moment talk about the business of black activism. A business where some contingent of followers are mobilized around some media hot button. This mass brings media attention to the culprit (usually some corporation or political interest) and attempts to squeeze them (by public shaming) into "donating" to some sort of "Black Sympathetic Cause" And who ends up administering that black sympathetic cause? I wonder.

Where I''m from we call that a Poverty pimp. Let me say in no uncertain terms we are tired of being pimped by our so called leaders, and we are not going to stand for it any longer.

You think because you marched that we are supposed to bow down or be impressed by your efforts? We are not. Do you think because Master P decided to launch a new product offering and promoted it on Rev Al's show we should be impressed? Master P made millions of dollars off the terms Nigga Bitch and Hoe, some bedfellows you''ve chosen. All that march did was make for a few hundred tired folks who went home after a great physical exertion and got it in their minds that somehow the problem had been resolved. Meanwhile the battle still rages and female MC's still fight to be looked at as lyricist and not Video hoes, Conscious artist still fight to keep a foothold against corporate sponsored rap. All the while 50's on TV evading questions about calling women bitches and hoes and promoting the release of his new album. And who is going to stand up for us, stand up for decency? No one!

And this is why I say you are out of touch. This isn''t about self promotion it is about self preservation, about strategy. I was talking about getting behind artist that would continue the fight in the arenas they are most effective in. In politics it's called Lobbying. Business'' hire people to represent their business interest in the political setting. If you haven''t figured it out yet THIS is what I was harping on.

Sister, we are two people amongst millions that love our people and want the very best for them. In the future you would do well to research whom you are speaking to and pick your battles a little more wisely.

With brotherly love

NYOIL

And I approve this message!

To read NY Oils article ‘Al Sharpton Decency March: Where was Hip Hop at?’  go to http://www.thuglifearmy.com/news/?id=3652

*Something we usually do not do is link to sites that post ‘rumors’ (because many times they are just that and we think news should be verified), but in this case (and since we verified the letter thru NYOIL)  if you would like to read the ‘Open Letter To NYOIL, From The Decency Initiative By Tamika Mallory’ click HERE.