For weeks now, the hip-hop blogosphere has been rallying people to the Jena 6 cause and calling for rappers to take a stand alongside their fan base. But for a while there, Mos Def (pictured) appeared to be the only big-name rapper tackling the case, even though it seems like a tailor-made platform for the hip-hop community. There seems to be some action on this now but still no word from the big boys. The silence from the more commercially successful artists, in the face of what protesters and pundits have said could be the catalyst for the next civil rights movement, has been mind-boggling to me. (UPDATE: Along with Mos Def, Ice Cube and Salt-N-Pepa also attended the Sept. 20 rally in Jena. Common was also involved and referenced the case during a show in Dallas.)
In a world where we are used to Hollywood actors like Susan Sarandon and musicians like Bono taking an activist stance, why is it that we don’t seem to expect it from the hip-hop community, despite its perceived legacy of putting real street issues front and center? Or is the better question, as one of my colleagues asked me: Why do people like me expect rappers to be activists when partying, acquiring material goods, and ridiculous posturing have been hip-hop mainstays for so long? I expect hip-hop’s big names to try to fight the powers that be, but when pressed to cite any examples of rappers as social agitators outside of their lyrics… I can’t really think of any. (At first I pointed to Public Enemy, of my coming-of-age days in the late ’80s and early ’90s, but even that may just be because they seemed to be the soundtrack to racial/social unrest at the time: the Crown Heights riots, the LA riots, Do the Right Thing.) The closest thing I could find recently was Jay-Z’s quest for clean water.
So why do we feel that, in times like these, we should not only expect current events to trickle into rap lyrics, but that our stars, the people we’ve made millionaires, should be publicly talking about the same issues we are? And if we’re right to expect it from them, why do you think there’s been such silence on that front? Was there an inherent warning to rappers in the backlash that Kanye West received when he spoke out on the federal government’s Hurricane Katrina response, an opinion that many people agreed with? Is there a cost for taking a stand?
Mos def a big name rapper?? Really? Since when? I couldn’t name you a single Mos Def song, if my life depended on it.
Those kids tried to kill some one, but I guess that doesn’t matter, they were black, they should get off, just like O.J. It doesn’t matter really, because even if they get off, they will commit even more crimes later on, just like O.J.
Jose,
Please get your facts straight before you talk. No one is condoning what the kids did. But the punishment does not fit the crime. Attempted murder? Please. The white boy walked out the hospital an HOUR later AND went to a school function that night. Everytime an incident went down at that school only the black kids were punished not the white kids.
And for the record Ice Cube was a VERY strong force down there in Jena. He sponsored buses for people in Cali to go and he was the only rapper there at the rally.
Unlike the Don Imus and Michael Richards situation, the much more horrific Jena 6 situation has had no negativ effect on their image (or bank accounts) so why would they do anything?
Ronda is right. Ice Cube has been a strong voice, and I applaud him for that.
(Also, I doubt this case will cause a public awareness longer than 3 months. I’ll bet this post doesn’t get as many comments as Britney’s VMA performance).
why do we need the “big boys” to stand up? people look far too often to celebrities/talking heads like al sharpton to form their views and opinions about the world. the best thing that could have happened regarding the jena 6 was everyday people – like you and me – standing up for the things in which they believe.
social injustice? crappy.
looking to an out-of-touch hip hop star who may or may not be a recognizable name six months from now? also very crappy.
Black leaders have zero credibility at this point regardless, after all the years of self serving games they have played. So wait, there is a crowd protesting some racial issue and Rev. Al is right in the front to get photographed?? NO!! Surely you jest! I’m still waiting for Rev. Al to lead a march protesting what happened to the Duke lacrosse players….or maybe just even an apology for being completely 100% off the charts wrong would be nice. Not holding my breath though.
RE: the punishment does not fit the crime
Not to mention that the lethal weapon the DA cited as an excuse for the attempted murder charge was the boys’ sneakers. Unless they were wearing Rosa Klebb’s kicks, I’m thinking the charge was overblown.
RE: Mos def a big name rapper??
Most people who don’t listen to good rap music probably wouldn’t have heard of him, but you may know him as an actor (The Italian Job, 16 Blocks, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy & Michel Gondry’s upcoming Be Kind Rewind).
I ultimately think that the people, not the celebrities or Government figure heads, have the power to provoke change. We shouldn’t relay on those in privilaged positions to take a stand when we individualy recognize an injustice. I admit it would help any cause if that were the case, but if enough numbers represent then there in lies a solution.
j got it right. I’m sick of celebs being made into icons for ‘saving the world’. If I had their $$, jets and nannies, heck I’d be all over the place trying to lend a hand. We regular folk can only do what we can with what we’ve got. And those regular people on the streets supporting the jena 6 cause are the real heros, not the celebrities.
IMHO, guys like Asheru, Mos Def and Ice Cube are the Susan Sarandons of the hip hop community. They are activists who’ve pretty much always supported social change.
There’s tons of celebs who don’t support any causes, which is why those who do stand out (Larry David with all those enviro groups, for example). And most other celebs jump on “popular cause” bandwagons. This just hasn’t proven sexy enough for celebs of any kind to get involved.
BTW Furry_Tom, props on the Rosa Klebb comment all the way from Russia, With Love
Unfortunately, the big names in hip-hop have not responded to the Jena 6 situation because they think that they have “made it” and nothing like this could happen to them because they have money. But let’s not put all the blame on hip-hop. Everyone that believes in JUSTICE should be concerned about what is going on in our justice system all over the country. Jena, LA wasn’t the first and it won’t be the last. Not until all people (black, brown, white, yellow, rich and poor) stand up and say “Enough is Enough, injustice to some is injustice to all” will anything really change.
I think it’s because these rappers and whoever else are too busy. Sometimes the simplest answer is usually why.
Oh yeah, and probably because there’s no money in it. Think about it…. if people got paid to protest and care about the poor and underpriviliged, don’t you think we would see more celebrities supporting these kinds of causes?
A lot of today’s rappers just plain don’t care about social causes. If it doesn’t involve b**tches and bling, some of these selfish pigs can’t be bothered.
When was the last time a celebrity at a news event made a difference? I don’t think a racist judge is going to see the error of his ways because a rapper he never heard of hit town.