Thug Life Army

In October of 2003 Min. Louis Farrakahn said in an interview with Ja Rule " Hip Hop is being threatened today—the future of it," Min. Farrakhan told Ja. "And I don’t want to see you lose your life or 50 Cent lose his life, or any of the rappers lose their life. I think we’ve paid a price now to go to a higher level."

Min. Farrakhan continued to explain that those who govern and control see hip hop as a threat to their rule, because its culture is captivating the minds of all youth, regardless of class or color, and is causing them to reject the system of White supremacy, as it is portrayed in hip hop lyrics.

"Hip hop has taken White children away from those who would shape them into oppressors," he said, adding that hip hop is a force the government can’t control and so the government seeks to eliminate it.

If we look at some of the news since these statements were made by Min. Farrakahn we can only wonder if he foretold the future with his words.

There have been rap artist who seem to foretell the future in their rap. Tupac Shakur being one of the most talked about.

Since Min. Farrakahn spoke these words we have seen many things that seem to point to the ''government'' seeking out hip hop artist for persecution.

The recent cases of Beanie Sigel, Rakim, Lil Kim, Irv Gotti, T.I. and many other only point to an assult on the ''head'' of the beast known as rap and hip hop. In the case of ex Hot Boys member Turk, after ballistics test; it was shown one of the officers he was accused of shooting was in fact shot by another police officer. Then there are the law suits that threaten to put a ''damper'' on the lives of some rappers. Nelly for one is being sued over Vokal. Ludacris and Kayne West are being sued. And conservative radio and tv host take shots at rappers all the time. Trying to make them look like gangstas and bad role models. ( O''Reilly and Rush Limbaugh being the top haterz).

Then there is the ''Hip Hop Binder''. The '' surveillance '' material collected by police on rap and hip hop artist. This is a six-inch thick black binder. It includes the arrest records and photos of dozens of rap artists and their companions. Also, the Village Voice newspaper recently revealed the existence of a Hip-Hop Intelligence Unit within the New York Police Department.

Why is all this happening now? I am not saying any of the artist that are mentioned above were framed nor am I saying anything about guilt or innocence. But it is amazing how many of these cases start to fall apart when the finially get to trial. Of course there are some who are doing time. And there are some that we hear about; that the police are wanting to question a certian rapper and give them 5 days to turn themself in and then we hear no more of it. I quess there are two groups of rappers and hip hop artist. One to watch out for and one to look the other way.

Seperate the force and you have a better chance for overcoming them. This is a famous war strategy. Or pit us against each other is another. These tactics have been used by the government against the Black Panthers, the NOI and even farther back - The American Indian.

The Eminem racist factor has been thrown into the mix now too. Imagian race playing a factor in hip hop? A culture based on being real and one love.

So we have the ones who side with Eminem and those who side with the Source. We have those who flip flop on this subject and we have those who really don''t care. The diss tracks are still being dropped. Maybe not by Ja or 50, but it seems there are plenty of rappers who want to make a diss track just for the ''buzz'' it will create.

Maybe Min. Farrakahn did foretell the future. It seems the government is taking a stance against the ''head'' of the beast -(rap and hip hop), basically because rap and hip hop really does scare the majority. No matter how widely accepted you believe hip hop is there are still many who wish we all would just go away.

They are finding ways to lock up some of the artist. They are causing others hardship. And they are watching and keeping records on most of them. It is time for all of the culture of hip hop to realize that we are being sought after to. Not just the artist but look across the country. Shows are having problems, fans are having problems, and still the record lables and the police seem to maintain their standard of living as we struggle just to enjoy our culture of hip hop.

Min. Farrahkan was right and we should examine what else he had to say in Oct. 2003 - "We’re tired of allowing people to use our pain to get rich and then watch us die and then hold our masters and keep making money for themselves and their families at our expense," he said. (Min. Farrakhan was talking about the record companies, but this can also apply to the government)

Be aware that all this is happening and don''t let the main stream press make your mind up on alot of the issues that affect the hip hop culture. Weither it be if Eminem is a racist or if this rapper is guilty or not - make up your own mind. By looking into the alligations for yourself and forming your own opinion based on the evidence, you can assure yourself that you will not fall victim to the governments ''witch hunt'' on rap and hip hop. Nor will they be able to seperate us or pit us against each other.