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04.29.03 10:40 PM
sticky cries racism
Tonight on UPN news, Platinum star and rapper Sticky said that he'd rather be an actor than a rapper. His reason for veering more toward a celluloid life than a hip-hop one is that rappers are suspect for engaging in criminal activity. Though he feels its not ideal to be a rapper nowadays, he also feels that race is one of the biggest issues in unwarranted profiling of rappers. Certainly New York's police force is known to have begun a special task force targeting hip-hop stars, and it has also been reported that the FBI has their own special force. Sticky also said that The Sopranos contains more violence than hip-hop, er, Platinum. I do believe that violent deaths in hip-hop, along with ties to illegal monies at urban labels, has brought about strict surveillance of hip-hopreneurs and artists. Perhaps Sticky is right, race might just be an underlying issue.
Interestingly enough the UPN News cast also focused on the DVD release of the Biggie and Tupac documentary, by Nick Bloomfield, which Cynthia Fuchs takes a close look at on PopMatters. One of the reporters interviewed writer Kevin Powell, who discussed the lack of trust in hip-hop for the police. To date, as you all know, the deaths of Biggie, Tupac, and most recently Jam Master Jay are all unsolved. Is there any relationship here? Is it that there is no concern for hip-hop lives, or is it black lives? And does hip-hop carry the onus of "urban" illegal acts primarily b/c most of its makers and biz men are black? Is what is happening in hip-hop any different than what is happening in society at large?
And just in case you wanted to know, this was added to the iPod over the last week:
50 Cent - New Music from The New Breed DVD site
Dwele - Subject site
Madonna - American Life site
Radiohead - Hail to the Thief site and site
posted by lynne | link to this |
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Comments
I want to believe and stand behind Sticky's position, but as someone who has worked in hip hop for years and has seen it all up close, sorry to say, his argument doesn't ring true. The hip hop game is violent, like it or not, own up to it or not. A lot of things in this racist country have to do with racism against my black people, but the media comparing "Platinum" to "The Sopranos" is not one of them. Hell, in the promos leading up to the show, UPN itself was promoting the show with the quote "it's Snoop meets The Sopranos". So if Sticky has beef with someone, he has only to look to the producers at his own network.
Honestly, with the majority of rappers (not all, just the majority) kicking it the way they do, rappers are the last people who should to try and get self righteous right about now. Sheesh, Sticky Finger's most famous quote to date is "THROW YA GUNS IN THE AIR!" And don't front like he was talking about revolution, he was talking about around the way cap peeling on another brother. Oh, but now, he's righteous. Yeah. It all just lacks credibility. That's my long winded contribution to the thought/thread.
By the way Lynne, you "are" as hot as your virtual avatar, don't worry about the belly. ;^)
posted by anonymous hero | May 1, 2003 3:30 AM #