Thug Life Army

Hip Hop’s Most Important Beef-Old School vs New School

Right now on one of my favorite list serves, the luv network we have a heated exchange taking place with some of the elders and younger heads around the issue of Hip Hop being dead. Hip Hop pioneer and photographer Ernie Paniciolli started the discussion when he sent off a sarcastic missive in the form of an invite to a funeral for Hip Hop which he feels has been overrun with negativity and hijacked by multi-national corporations. Many of the people on the list including Zulu Nation members and other pioneers applauded his piece. However one young sister named Willete stepped to him pretty hard and set it off. I thought I''d share her thoughts since she is far from alone in her thinking. I followed up with one of several dozen responses which I will also share. One thing Hip Hop is surely missing is intergenerational discussions.

Enjoy and Ponder

Davey D

A Response to Hip Hop Elders Who Complain About Today's Hip Hop

I do not respond to these e-mails as often as I should... But I am becomming  aware, from reading the ones that I have read, that some of you have sticks so far up ya''ll asses that ya''ll can''t see the power these people (Puff,  Jay, etc...) hold on America. 

Now it's understandable that many of you are upset because of the way blacks are preceived in this country.  I completely agree on that level that these people aforementioned are not presenting a positive relfection of black people.  Puff, Jay, Timberland, Flav, etc... are all in it for the big bucks.  But I''m fine with that. 

If you people really want to uplift the black community, why not congratulate these brothers and some sisters (i.e. Oprah) for their efforts in showing  the youth( I''m speaking as a 19 year old black woman) that there are other ways to generate money instead of the "usual" way.  I look at these people as insprirations because they came from where I am in my life, the hood.  These people expanded themselves into multi-millionaires without taking the "easy" way out (selling drugs, robbing people, etc...).  Instead of all you older black men and women hating on these people because of how they are making their money, why not applaud them for not falling victom to this system like so many of our people?? 

Like the saying goes: "Black people are like crabs in a barrel.  The minute one tries to leave, the rest tries to pull them back down".  How can we ever expect our people to change if everytime they decide to make money in a way that may not be fit for you, but is better than selling drugs and robbing people, we decide to down them???  That's the problem with you so called "scholars"... Get your sticks out of your asses and see the passed the "now".

 Now-a-days most children do not want to be drug dealers; that was ya''ll era.  We want to be like the moguls you all always down.  Selling drugs is out, being a rapper is in. 

Wouldn''t you "scholars" look at that as a change in the community??  The

change is right in front of you but you''re too blinded by your own hatred

towards one another... It's kind of sickening...  I respect you people for

your intelligence, but you intelligence has made you more of a disease to

the black race, than a cure.  Thank you for your time.

-Williette Cox

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Davey D's Response-We''re All Victims of Mind Control

I just peeped these remarks from 19 year old Willette and all I can say is that what she wrote is a clear example of what Afrika Bambaataa so eloquently describes as mind control. Her remarks are a clear example of what Minister Farrakhan said in 1980 at the Jack the Rapper Convention in Atlanta when he told the large gathering of Black radio deejays, that White folks are into the business of mind control and that they are only hiring people who are only interested in making sure the masses of the people stay focused on partying and getting funky. He said the owners of these media outlets do not want people on their airwaves speaking dignity to the people. he said these owners clearly understand that  if you use the radio to speak dignity to the people then ''Niggas will become dignified''..

You can hear Bambaataa and Minister Farrakhan making these remarks in the song called ''Afrika Bambaataa vs Hot 97 It's All About Mind Control'' at;

http://odeo.com/audio/1708854/view

Sadly what this young sista Willete wrote is sobering proof and a clear indication that the ''learned behavior'' strategy edict put forth by Time Warner CEO Dick Parson during our  company wide conference call in 2003 is clearly working.(Remember Time Warner is the world's largest media company). The directive was to essentially make sure our listeners and viewers adapt a consumer based mind set. They should forever be loyal and enamored with our (Time Warner) products.

I don''t blame Willette for her remarks at age 19. I blame us as elders for not following the protective advice and actions of our parents.

There is aparticular incident that immediately come to mind. It took place on the number 6 train between Hunts Point and Soundview when I was around 7 years old. A nice lady came over to me and my sister and gave us lollipops while we were en route to our stop. I said ''thank you'' and was very happy as I took the lollipop. That smile was immediately erased from my face when my mom grabbed the lollipop and started spanking me right there on the number 6 train. She yelled at me that I had some nerve accepting something from a stranger when she told me repeatedly never to take anything especially sweets from a stranger. She made me repeat her warnings out loud; ''I will not talk to strangers and I will not accept sweets from strangers''

Me and my sister were made to give back the lollipops and then my mother directed her wrath at the lady. She told the woman she had some ''goddamn'' nerve giving candy to her kids. The lady protested that she meant no harm. My mom refused to hear any parts of it.

She told the lady that

1- she did not want to spoil our appetites by eating sweets before we had our dinner.

2-She also told the woman that she knew that kids were being poisoned at that time by strangers who were lacing candy with LSD and other drugs. Anyone who is a 70s baby and old enough to remember will recall that was what was happening in NY at that time.

My mother was livid as she told the woman if she wanted to give us lollipops she should''ve had enough respect to ask her permission and then she as our parent would decide if it was ok for us to have a lollipop.

''You don''t talk to my kids without talking to me first'', she told the lady.

My mom on many levels is still the same way till this day. She always looks out for me and my younger siblings. And at age 72 when she teaches at these group homes, she looks out for the young women under her care the same way she looked out for us. I have to say even though me and my sis are grown, my mom still intercepts devious folks trying to slide us poisonous lollipops.

With that in mind, I wanna thank Willete for sharing her remarks. What she wrote only underscores the need and inspires me to renew my commitment to keep putting a long hard foot up the ass of those 50 and 60 year old media barons who somehow got through and give her and so many others, LSD laced lollipops. This is why they need their asses continuously kicked. This ranges from Rupert Murdoch to Lowry Mays to Kathy Hughes to Sumner Redstone.

Overall I feel our collective efforts should be as vigorous as Clive Davis who put a long hard foot up P-Diddy's ass a few years ago when he tried slipping ''dirty lollipops'' to the Jewish community. For those who don''t know the story goes like this.

Back in 96 or 97 Puffy dropped the song ''All About the Benjamins''. In the song there's a verse that Jadakiss kicks that goes like this:

[Verse Two: Jadakiss] - (overlaps last two lines of Puff Daddy)

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I want a all chromed out, fuck bein a broke nigga

Drinkin malt liquor, drivin a Bro'' Vega

I''m wit Mo'' sippers, watched by gold diggers (uhh)

Rockin Bejor denims, wit gold zippers (c''mon)

Lost your touch we kept ours, poppin Cristals

Freakin the three-quarter reptiles (ahahah)

Enormous cream, forrest green -- Benz jeep

for my team so while you sleep I''ma scheme (that's right)

We see through, that's why nobody never gon'' believe you

You should do what we do, stack chips like *Hebrews*

Don''t let the melody intrigue you (uh-uh)

Cause I leave you, I''m only here

for that green paper which the eagle

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On the edited version of the 12 inch single the word *Hebrew* is completely omitted. It's not flipped around like the other curse words. One can understand that decision being made when one considers that Jewish people stacking chips could be taken as a nasty stereotype.

What is interesting to note is that on the unedited versions of that song. This includes the 12" singles and the promo album versions I have,  the curses words along with the N word and B words are there for all the world to hear. The word ''Hebrew'' on the uncensored versions remains omitted.

Clive Davis who basically over ruled Bad Boy when it was being distributed by Arista/ BMG was not having it. He made sure that the Hebrew reference which he saw as a stereotype was forever banished.

If you recall Puff was at the top of his game back at that time, but all his millions didn''t mean shit to a cat determined not to let what many Jews saw as a ''poisonous'' remark seep into his community.

It's interesting to note that after Clive's decision, No one was running around accusing Clive of being an old fart face trying to bring his people down. No one accused him acting like a crab in the barrel. Heck you didn''t hear Puffy or Jadakiss protesting the decision.

Clive was seen as a hero who was down to protect his people. He wasn''t about to let his kids get that lollipop. Too bad we didn''t do the same for  Ms Willette who at age 19 told folks they have their head up their asses.

I guess she was right. For those of us who have avoided stepping to these media masters we have had our head up our asses. Willette's sobering remarks lend proof to that...

Davey D

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