A Call For the Mainstream Hip-Hop Community to become Political in the Wake of the Sean Bell Verdict
By Michael Partis
“If Malcolm or Huey had the outlets our musicians have today, it’d be global. I have to figure out a way to do it myself.”
Alicia Keys- “Alicia Keys Unlocked”
Blender Magazine-May 2008 edition
When I saw Jay-Z, the biggest artist in Hip-Hop, could put out a record dissing NBA basketball player Deshawn Stevenson two days after the Sean Bell verdict, but yet could not put out even a statement on the case, I said enough.
Hip-Hop music and culture is an often criticized, highly stereotyped art form and cultural movement. Gangsters; ignorant; selfish; destroying the Black community; perpetuators of the word “Nigga;” and vulgar, incendiary rebels without a cause—these are among the many charges routinely hurled. And typically in the dead center of the attack are Black and Latino youth; and more specifically, the Black and Latino young man.
For all the racially-tinged hatred disseminated from the narrow-minded faction of the political right, or the equally narrow, grossly misinformed analysis of the Black conservative cohort (the John McWhorter’s and Stanley Crouch’s among others), there has been an identical amount of advocacy and support for Hip-Hop. Whether it be from religious, political, academic, or grassroots sectors, people like Kevin Powell, Rosa Clemente, James Braxton Peterson, David Kirkland, Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, Trica Rose, Joan Morgan and numerous others have articulately, comprehensively, and thoughtfully commented on the full spectrum of the music and culture. They have ardently and courageously defended it’s legitimacy to legions of Americans who see it as a one-dimensional, hedonistic, pesticide in
But now is the time for mainstream Hip-Hop to stand-up and defend the same community of folks who help create it, support it, and maintain it.
The claim of “We’re just rappers” and the like is no longer valid.
In a music and a culture that is heavily populated and controlled by young Black and Latino men who many times laud themselves as being the authentic voice of an urban Black experience that while is extremely harsh, vulgar, self-indulgent, and misogynistic but yet claims to be “real”—it is time to talk about this realness.
It is time to speak on a how the
During the 2000 and 2004 Presidential Elections we have seen Black votes be treated as if they were meaningless in
We have seen how the lives of Blacks in
We have seen how the NYPD could stop the Bushwick 32 from going to a friend’s funeral. And now we see how no amount of bullets to an unarmed man warrants excessive force by the New York City Police Department…again.
Now we need mainstream Hip-Hop to talk about it. They need to tell
While R&B superstar Alicia Keys has come under great scrutiny for her comments about “Gangster Rap” in the May 2008 issue of Blender Magazine, the most profound statement she said has been lost. Keys talks about the women empowerment anthems of Aretha Franklin and the soulful, yet explicitly political songs of Marvin Gaye as being examples of the power music holds: the ability to impact society. She goes on to express how she wants her music to bridge the politically & musical gap in an effort to raise awareness on important societal issues.
It is in this spirit that I call out the most talented and successful Hip-Hop artist of our society to rise. Brothers and sisters are being killed, disrespected, and belittled to the point where many now are saying our lives are meaningless.
This is directed at your “favorite rapper” and your “favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.” It is a call to go against the inclination towards profit-driven commercialism and mass media appeal. It is a call to step away from the “music is just fun,” “music as a way to escape reality,” “we’re artist, not politicians,” explanations. It is a call in the mold of Dr. King and many Black leaders of the past to look beyond your image or your bank account and into the heart and soul of our society; to look at injustice and stand against it. It is a call to use our largest communication and cultural medium to talk about the pressing issues of our community right now. It’s time to break from our regularly scheduled programming, because our community is in a state of emergency.
It is not a call for the adults of Bakari Kitwana’s Hip-Hop Generation, or the activist of our past movements, or the Hip-Hop artist of today that are “underground” but making music in the “backpacker,” “conscious MC” tradition. This is a call for the biggest of Hip-Hop’s stars to stand up and say something. It is time to answer the call. Our people can not wait any longer.
We need our Hip-Hop stars to stand up beyond being artist, but as responsible men and women that are needed. Because right now, it’s bigger than Hip-Hop.
http://my.rawkus.com/profile/ForeThought
michaelpartis@gmail.com
http://michaelpartis.blogspot.com/
41 Comments so far
Man I tried to read this.. But there is tooo much verbage in here.. Stop tryna sound eloquent and get to the point.. By the way ima a college grad and I aint feel like trying to read through what you wrote..
I will say the point you made about Jay-Z was dead on..
nigga who are U!!!!???? just a nigga with an opinion,so keep it 2 yourself.thanks.
I agree with EmM HoLLa.
Not denying your ability to write, but a point could have been proven with a better “voice.”
[[ This is directed at your “favorite rapper” and your “favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.” ]]
That cliche doesn’t even belong in this.
[[The claim of “We’re just rappers” and the like is no longer valid.]]
Since when WAS it valid?
[[But now is the time for mainstream Hip-Hop to stand-up and defend the same community of folks who help create it, support it, and maintain it.]]
* stand-up doesn’t need to be hyphenated in this sentence.
[[It is time to speak on a how the United States makes up less then 5% of the world’s population, yet has almost 25% of the world prison’s inmates. AND 1/9TH OF THOSE ARE YOUNG BLACK MEN.]]
With a statistic that intriguing, it would be nice if you CITED YOUR SOURCE. Like “According to……”
**agrees wit 1 on length**
Yeah it’s messed up that it took 50 shots to convince the cops that he can’t move anymore, but I don’t know about the whole mainstream rap world to stand up and petition. Whether you like to believe it or not, I believe most of these rappers are under more scrutiny, more action, to be made examples of…
Fear not - (U)knw, but I believe we need more black people to help solve this problem from the inside rather than throwin stones. Like becoming a congressman, a lawyer, an attorney…btw WHERE ARE THE BLACK LAWYERS??? It seems like all these black leaders are civil activists like ACTIVISM can be civil…
smh* WAKE UP
Did you really expect Jay-Z to comment on this? Thats like expecting Clarence Thomas to speak up for affermitave action - it just ain’t gone happen.
You should’ve called out Barak. This is twice he could’ve stopped campaigning and addressed this issue with an international voice.
Sorry, but Marvin’s dead and no one is willing to risk sales/votes for ..what’s the word, NaS…oh..Niggers.
The point about Jay Z is so incorrect look at his actions he was supporting the Bell family before the verdict. It is upsetting when ppl write information trying to get a point across but does not have factual information to prover their point. ” Hip hop superstar Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter has shown his support for the widow of an unarmed man who was gunned down by New York police, by using her as a model for his Rocawear clothing line.
Days ahead of the trial of the three detectives who killed Sean Bell in late 2006, Nicole Bell has starred in a magazine advert with the couple’s two children.
Just days before the trial of three detectives accused of unlawfully killing Sean Bell in November 2006, Nicole Bell has appeared in a magazine ad with the couple’s two children.
The three pose in Rocawear clothing, alongside Nicole’s quote: “We are going to be here to the end, ’till justice is served.”
Nicole hopes a judge will hit the three plain-clothed officers with the toughest possible sentence.”
well spoken
RIGHT ON Michael Partis!!!!
@ #1…You are the epitome of what’s wrong with Black America….TOO FUCKING LAZY TO DO ANYTHING!!!!…..You wont read something as meaningful and important as what’s wrong with your own community but I will bet the bank you’ll sit down and read a 6 page excerpt on how much coke Lil’ Wayne snorts in a weekend or how 50 Cent and whoever are beefing.
You think those niggas give a SHIT about you?
How could you have graduated from college and not been able to read a couple paragraphs on a fucking blog…It aint Finnegan’s Wake or something!!!
As for Mr. Partis…I think he is dead on with his assessment of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. While I don’t expect Jay-Z to turn into the next Bobby Seale…he could at least use his voice to do something other than spit a couple verses. He’s an international superstar but aint done shit to better the average black…But it aint only him, I blame every other motherfucker making 100 million and dont do shit with it.
People need to wake the fuck up…We the only ethnic group that as a whole is still fucking stuck at the bottom of the heap…The Irish done came up, The Italians came up, The Chinese came up, and the Jews been up… PEOPLE NEED TO GET OVER SLAVERY and how the WHITE MAN IS OUT TO GET PEOPLE….It happened, it can’t be changed, and we aint gettin no fucking reparations. So stop sellin crack, smokin weed, having babies before you can even drive, killing your neighbor just cause he got on a different color t-shirt as you and stop dropping outta school and MAYBE the rest of the world won’t treat us like we animals.
FOR ONCE RTNY I ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH YOU…ME AND MY FRIEND HAD THE SAME CONVO YESTERDAY…ALL JAY CAN DO IS TELL YOU HOW TO BUY A CAR AND POP BOTTLES..INSTEAD OF SOMETHING POSITIVE…IF HE HAS THE POWER TO MAKE EVERYONE STOP WEARING JERSEYS AND “CHANGE CLOTHES” IMAGINE WHAT HE COULD DO…
BUT YET HED RATHER MAKE DISS TRACK TO NBA PLAYERS…
And Co-sign M527!!
and again u have to look at a person actions. Speaking on situation is good but not good enough its all in their actions. Jay Z before the verdict was supporting the Bell family and got backlash for it. Just because he hasn’t released a statement doesn’t mean he hasn’t been supporting the family, he has put her story in his “I will not lose” campaign before the verdict.
“When I was out on the road, that’s how you judge Hov, no?
Ain’t I supposed to be absorbed myself?
Every time there’s a tragedy, I’m the first one to help
They call me this misogynist, but they don’t call me the dude
To take his dollars to give gifts at the projects
These dudes is all politics, depositing checks
they put in they pocket, all you get in return is a lot of lip
And y’all buy the shit, caught up in the hype
Cause the nigga wear a coofie, it don’t mean that he bright”
pac did it every other rapper is scared too
obviously number 9 you haven’t read my comments
Another great article Michael Partis.
Co-sign “Reckless”
My thing is just because a rapper speaks out about the sitiuation doesn’t really mean they care. Speaking out for your own personal gain is just as worst as not speaking out at all. And I don’t wany to sound like I’m taking up for Jay-z but why is he constantly brought up in these types of convertsations like he’s never done anything political our to help his people.Why don’t someone say where is so and when Jay-z was helping third world countries on the water crisis, why didn’t so and so donate the money that they made from a show to foundations that benefit inner city kids, why won’t so and so send hundreds off african americans to college through his scholarship foundation, why don’t so and so team up with his mother to help out the community that shee raised him in. All I’m saying is that these rappers can’t do it all so stop looking towards them and do you and if you do want to say something about them there are a lot more out there than just Jay-z who didn’t say anything about the Sean Bell verdict. Where is Snoop,Em,50,Diddy,the list goes on and I’m not knocking nobody, its just that people are so bias about Jay, he can’t win in no situation. Rev. Al wasn’t there to defend all the political sitiuation that happened throughout his many years as a political figure. (Sorry for the long post, I know I made a lot of people mad for this one)
thank you M527 for lookin at the facts. actions speak louder than words and jay acted before everybody else by putting her in that ad. he dont need to say shit he showed his support by DOING SOMETHING.
a person as powerful as jayz has to be alot more carefull on the words he speaks.
why is jayz the only name we mention? he must be doing something right since we didnt mention 50cent, puffy, or other heavy hitters
jayz’s words spoken quickly and wrongly could encite a riot and hiphop will take the blame on the front page of every paper in america. so hiphop has to fall back a lil bit and let tempers die down then speak up. if people like jay spoke now, niggas would start busting gunz plain and simple. thats all niggas know
@16 150M puts you under the microscope. Plus Jiggas voice is really the only heavy hitters voice that moves people.
Well if that the case @17 since Jay Z has been shouting out Barack Obama at every concert lets see if it helps Barack get the vote.
jay-z probably record the song way before the verdict and sean bell ex futur wife and sean kids are on I WILL NOT LOSE campaign of ROCA WEAR
I feel you but these rap niggas are bitches. They should’ve been said something and to be real with you that’s one of the reasons up north fell off is because they stop talking about our issues and keep talking about death over and over again. I mean they been talking about killing niggas, drugs, bitches and guns from 1980 something to 2008 and like you said it’s time to talk about something else not only in rap but in life they should’ve stood up for the Jena 6, or Katrina but naw like I said they whores they scared of the man they don’t want the man to chastise them by talking there gadgets away.
It is a very interesting to see what Barack Obama would say or even Hilliary Clinton or even John McCain, as a person who is trying to live in a “United” States or atleast let my children live in a “United” States, I would want to hear what the public officials that have been elected and want to run the country have to say, but then again who says that they havent maybe i need to research it myself and not wait till CNN, or MSNBC, Or RTNY to bring it to me with a bias put on it, but thanks anyway for the info, and in this day in age anybody can be an influential figure so i wouldnt wait on a jay-z or diddy to say anything besides the stuff they want to talk about which is there perrogative and they shouldnt be judged for doing what they want to do with 100 or so million
Thats my point Micah, fuck what Jigga got to say, what does BARACK have to say.
I rememeber when people didn’t think Jay-z was a political rapper so they didn’t look for him to be political now they asking where he at. Jay can’t win for nothing. I don’t hear people say where is so and so when Jay-z was helping third world countries with the water crisis, why don’t so and so send african americans to college with the money they made, why didn’t so and so donate the money he made from a concert to a foundation that benefit inner city kids. We should just stop looking at other people and worry about how we give back to our people, bcuz at the end of the day rappers are humans just like us and they can’t be at every single political rally, just like Rev Al wasn’t at all political situations thourghout his many years as a political leader. And please don’t say that having a high profile rapper involved will bring more attention to a unfair situation because all the things that happened before hiphop was born still made big headlines and no musician had to bring it to the worlds attention (things like Emmit Till, Rosa Parks, etc.) Yall mad bcuz a rapper that yall considered shallow and materialistic didn’t make a statement about something, just do you and stop worrying about who ain’t doing what. Like I said before Jay can’t win. All the things he’s done and doesn’t get recognized for and he gets slammed for not making a simple statement. All the uplifting thing that not only Jay-z but other mainstream artists like Snoop, David Banner, Em, etc., has said done and don’t get recognized for. And what make it so bad, most rappers that are speaking out are speaking for their own personal gain. Its not coming from a true and honest place. So speaking for your own personal gain is just as worst as not speaking out at all
R.I.P Sean Bell I wish his family the best of luck. It is not a “race” case, it is a “dumb ass cops who “know” that they are above the law and can easily get away with murder like they have with so many other cases” case. The system is so messed up and will never change as long as they keep breeding the type of people they are breeding. That goes for dumb cops and any government offical.They know what type of people they want to work for them and if you against them (the government) they don’t want you around. I guess it really is Us vs. Them.
Good read, but i disagree a little. We don’t need to sit up and blame rappers for not speaking out. They didn’t shoot the nigga nor did they go through due process and allow the people who shot him off. Could they do more because of the platform that the music industry provides? Of course, are their repercussions for voicing your opinion or doing something that may not be received very well by the general public. Yes! And for that reason, I dont personally blame anyone for not speaking up on something that is optional.
Fact is most of the people who are affected by these cowardly acts from police and authority figures are niggas from the hood. Those are the same niggas who aint buying rappers albums right now, so as a rapper and you can call it selfish if you want, but as a rapper whats your incentive? Is it some type of moral obligation because we (well most of us/them) are black. I guess, but depends on the person as far as the morals they were brought up with.
I say all this because instead of depending on the majority of role models we have (rappers & athletes) we need to each learn the law and start to take classes, and buy books on these topics instead of fuckin studio equipment and Jordan tee’s & shorts. I agree with the person who said Obama should have spoke out on this. Because this is a political issue. But we need to stop trying to blame everyone else because of their annual income or occupation and look in a fuckin mirror first and blame yourself.
I’ve personally signed petitions that are available online and can provide links if RTNY wants to post them. So for all you who agree that rappers need to do more…What have YOU done besides taken a few minutes to write in a blog that you agree Jay-z should do more because he’s rich or whoever you fuckin favorite rapper is.
Yea i felt that this piece was good, i think that jay-z can use his powers for more positive things at the same time we as the the young people of the nation cant wait on cats like jay-z who have money and really knows that these types of situations dont affect. We as the young people of the nation must take control ourselves and make moves in order to better our situations
@ Everyone who disagreed with what my opinion..
I was basically trying to say that if im too lazy to read this and I have a “Education”.. How would you expect a 16 year old to try to decipher what the man is sayin.. I am by no means trying discredit anything he is sayin.. Because for 1 I havent even read it..
Keep it simple.. We live in a world of convenience.. If you want to be heard.. You have to make it convenient and easy for people… If you cant respect that.. Then hey.. I dont know what to tell yall..
WHY ARE PEOPLE ACTING LIKE WHITE COPS KILLED SEAN BELL?????????
THEY WERE BLACK……..stop tryin to make it out something that its not
why are ppl pressing rappers so hard
WHY ARE THEY YOUR GODS
who cares what jay-z has to say??
(im not one to defend rappers but that is the problem ppl revere to them too highly >>>>>>>> THEY ARE JUST ARTIST)
DIS IS A SOCIAL ISSUE!!!!!!!! DERE ARE PLENTY OF “IMPORTANT BLK PPL” BLK POLITICIANS BLK CEOS BLK LAWYERS BLK SCHOLARS BLK PPL OF THE CLERGY ND FELLOW BLK POLICEMEN EVN WHO HAVE NOT PUBLICLY CMNT’D ON THE SEAN BELL VERDICT
unless jay-z puff or any rapper lives under a rock dey prolly do have an opinion but that is up to them whether they want to make that opinion public.
to 28 this is not a black and white thing this is a black and blue thing! the white cop did shoot the most.
But Barak did speak on it, what are half of y’all talking about? http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/04/25/obama_takes_questions_on_sean.html It ain’t much but it’s something.
cosign number 8 reckless you couldnt have said it betta my dude but at the same time jay aint the only one that needs to step up atleast he did support a little bit by putting her on the rocawear ad
When I saw Jay-Z, the biggest artist in Hip-Hop, could put out a record dissing NBA basketball player Deshawn Stevenson two days after the Sean Bell verdict, but yet could not put out even a statement on the case, I said enough. ? When you think about it you shouldn’t be surprised for real I’m gonna go back to Jena 6 where was these multi millionairers when the young brothers were getting sent down ? Ice Cube, Mos Def,Common ?,UGK, Talib Kweli where their where the fuck was everybody else ? Now ask yourself this Papoose,Red Cafe,Nas spoke/made a song on it what about the other rappers ? They are scared of losing their white fans thats the truth 2 years ago that happened and less than a handful spoke on the incident ? Now its fresh after the pigs go off surprise surprise we have The Game speaking on it ? Oh Please…… And people really expect Jay-Z to speak on it ? To be fair though Sean Bell wife was modelling Rocawear but I feel you can’t just look at Jay-Z you have to look at any major rapper wether mainstream or not the time hass come where is enough is enough and we are no longer gonna stand for it.
Good read I feel you mike pat but I’m going to have to co-sign 29
wow you have a whole bunch of ignorant readers on this site, matter of fact, i will just say commenters…its a shame, really!
no all the cops werent white, but we’re not debating that, we’re debating the justice system, its corrupt
lol most mainstream doesn’t care because it doesn’t make money for them
Thats the problem with people in trouble these days always looking for someone to speak for them. If more motherfuckers would just stand up for whats right in bigger numbers then you wouldidnt have to depend on people with celeberty to be your voice. TO EVERYONE IN THE HOOD OR NOT STOP LOOKING TO BLAME MUSICIANS, ACTORS AND ATHLETES FOR YOUR KIDS GETTING INTO SHIT AND BE A BIGGER VOICE IN YOUR KIDS LIFE. ITS PRETTY BAD IF YOUR KIDS LOOK UP TO JAY-Z MORE THAN YOU!!!!!
YES!! This is OUTSTANDING. The point about rappers rapping about NBA players instead of real issues….PRICELESS.
They need to stand up for the people who support them not make songs with the same concepts all of your life. Try evolving or showing some artistic growth u owe that to us.
One can only be famous for so long anyway so why try to hold onto it so much that you ignore the issues.
50 cent or jim jones can come to chicago and want get off the train talking that madness about Alicia Keys. I lost the little respect for u 2 for dragging Alicia Keyes under the bus.
Krist, he was asked about this, he spoke on rev. wright. I read his response and this nigga talking about how respecting a broken system and coming together to ensure this doesn’t happen again. How are we going to ensure against a corrupted police force and legal system that backs them? Kinda disappointed in that. Why not, when I’m pres this shit won’t happen?
GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE
WHY U MENTION JAYZ NAME ONLY
WHEN EVERYTIME SOME SHIT HAPPENS 50CENT TAKES 14 HOURS TO POST HIS RESPONSE ON HIS WEB SITE, HE QUIET NOW,
HE CAN RUSH A VIDEO OUT FOR ALICIA KEYS BUT NOT SEAN BELL
jayz got too much power to rush a statement, i’m sure he feels our pain the same. but if he spoke and them niggas in the east went thru wit they plan to pop off at uniform cops and actually hit a few, it would be hiphop and jayz on the front page.
to use the nba playoffs to bash jayz, thats a money making venture, strictly bizness. nothing more nothing less.
watch how many cops gonna be copping that new nas nigger album
who ever wrote this joint why dont you do something! dont put it on the next man to blaze the trail………..u have a voice because u were able to write this article…………..instead of jumpin on jays nuts u should have came up with an article about bell that could have inspired young people to do something……. but what do u end up doing to help the case? nothing!! you came up with an article (which was well well written) that did not inspire anyone to do shit! all u did was blame the rappers for everyones problems, just like all these right wingers u eluded to in the start of the article…….. just answer me this … besides hate on another man for not doing something, what did u accomplish by writing this article? ……… i have had enough as well!! i have had enough of people blaming other people and not doing anything themselves