Death Before Dishonor
You hear it all of the time in the hip hop community, “death before dishonor.” Some people even have it tattooed on their body parts, “death before dishonor.” Some artists have named albums and books “death before dishonor.” Many letters from prison end with the words “death before dishonor.” I even hear children saying “death before dishonor.” Then I ponder the question, what do you actually honor that you’ll be willing to die for before bringing shame to it?
Written by Cornell Dews
Alright, let me ask you and please be honest, all of you who have ever uttered the words “death before dishonor,” please finish this statement: I’d rather die before I…
Now the quote in itself is nothing new. Warriors, combatants, and military forces have been saying “death before dishonor” forever. Meaning, they’d rather die before dishonoring their country. They’d rather die before being captured by their enemy then being abused and tortured and forced to divulge information which would bring shame to the same country they were fighting for. The commonality was, they were in wars, combat fighting for something. I ask, what kind of wars are we in? Drug wars? Gang wars? Turf wars? Rap beefs? Are you serious? How is this statement applicable to us in our community nowadays other then when it’s applied to “snitching”?
I know how we could apply “death before dishonor” for the betterment of our community: what if we were willing to die before we let someone disgrace our neighborhoods by dealing drugs or committing any of the other reckless acts that have left dilapidated, trash strewn, graffiti drawn vacated dwellings? What if we were willing to die before we let someone disrespect our elders, our women or our children in our community in any form? What if we were willing to die before we let others financially rape our communities? What if we were willing to die for the same things Dr. King, Brother Malcolm, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Minister Louis Farrakhan and countless others committed themselves to? What if we were willing to die for something other then dishonoring the street code of “snitching”? Besides, even when you say that you’re willing to die before “snitching,” I question it very seriously because if everybody was willing to die before “snitching” there would have never been a reason to have a “stop snitching” campaign. Death before dishonor.
Written by Cornell Dews
Suggestion Box
January 7th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
PREACH
January 7th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Death Before Dishonor…You Mad?
January 7th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
why are you tryin to preach to us as if we are all idiots??.. CORNY Dews u just came across as really CONDESCENDING, i was overwhelmed with how tedious your diatribe was.. Dig hole..
January 7th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
*dig a hole*
January 7th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
once u enter the streetlife and it is ur choice NOT to….u have to live with its codes!Ppl dont understand that!once u in only death bring u out simple!Fucked up but real
January 7th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Right Meech?
January 7th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
it should be Death b4 self destruction…
January 8th, 2009 at 2:50 am
I’d rather die before I don’t handle my responsibilities and maintain my families safety and security! (or better yet I don’t mind dying in the name of these things)
cave people will always be at war with someone and the last few centuries they been bringin it to us THOROGHLY!!! The rap drug gang beefs wars are truly battles small portions of the war in general!
Most that sh!t in the 3rd paragraph fits under my responsibilities so I’m ahead of you again…lol i like what your workin towards though obviously!!! Be easy…1
January 8th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
i just find this funny. personally, i think cornell should keep his moral lectures to himself.
January 8th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Only one nigga had an answer to the topic… REAL SHIT always keep niggas saying dumb shit… all they can do is talk about Dews but not the issue at hand….lol niggas are comical.
What do you actually honor that you’ll be willing to die for before bringing shame to it?
My Kids
January 8th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
yall muthafuckas gotta be the most simple minded brain washed by the dollar dollar bill that you dont understand what he is tryna say..you gonna die over a color or few hundred dollars so you will be looked at as ah G for ah lil homies an friends so called? or maybe so you can get a lil rep and maybe be a rap star? get da fuck outta here yall the type that would sell ya soul to tha devil for fame……i’d rather die for whats good…..now if you gotta feed somebody by all means necessary do what da fuck you gotta do just dont let that shit change your soul yafelme? besides the life we live is looked apoun as the rats in the maze just tryna get the cheese think about it…you wanna be da rat or the nigga watchin em laughin how dumb you are
an on another note…..you gotta live by the rules of the streets…or its death….real muthafuckas aint gotta fear no man…real muthafuckas got good hearts….and real mutha fuckas know the line between gettin it how they live and down right evil…..call it whatchu want but yall NIGGAS just blinded
January 8th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
an nah its bout time somebody said suttin……this part of the reason hip hop died…..the real niggas died
January 8th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
@sincere , get over yourself. just because people don’t agree doesn’t mean they don’t understand. you’re the simple minded one.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:04 am
you right..but when people dont agree because of ingorance whatchu call that