"Stop Listening to Trash" Billboard Campaign Continues to Spread - "Rapper" Responds

I am telling you folks are ready for a change. I don't know how long this public angst is going to last, but everyday we hear a new story about ordinary folks drawing a line in the stand. Not the NAACP, not Rainbow Push, not National Action Network and their brethren, but regular folks.

Last week we told y'all about the " Stop Listening to Trash" campaign started by a church in Chicago. Well this week the news keeps spreading. I am telling y'all people are hungry for change. Anyway, CNN now has the story covered, and SOHH is reporting that Twista ( whoever that is) has responded. Pull out the tissue and pull out a shot glass. Let's count how many times he blames "society" for the words that come out of HIS mouth. He is clearly a student of the Russell Simmons School of Obfuscation and Redirection.

"People need to stop blaming music for the things that go wrong because it's the people doing things that are doing them and not the music. The money from those billboards could easily be going to help make the schools in Chicago better, which will help make the city better. People don't seem to want to help and solve the problem but just want to find things to blame for what is going on. I love the city and give back whenever I can. I've been a supporter of schools like the Choir Academy for years and think it's important to give back so that we can improve the city to get rid of some things that are going on."

Just be a man and say you like to talk about misogyny, crime, violence and drugs already. Notice how these artists love to deflect criticism by trying to dictate what people should exercise their FIRST AMENDMENT right to dissent. I refer you to my series, " The First Amendment Hypocrites"

You can be part of a similar campaign launched by the folks over at African American Opinion by chipping in. You can click on the widget in the upper righthand corner.
F.Y.I. that TMZ Roboho story I wrote about THREE DAYS AGO has finally hit the majors, Eurweb, SOHH, Bossip and YBF are covering it. But y'all saw it here first ( well technically second)

Comments

[Brother OMi]

http://selfra.blogspot.com/2007/06/why-i-continue-to-love-hip-hop.html

[g-e-m2001]

I got to give you props for not giving up. You coming into hostile territory just spouting your love for the genre.

Its all good. I still think Hip Hop has to die in order to be resurrected.

[daniecal04]

Well Im responding to this post even though I can see that its very old, after reading the 1st few posts I was interested in seeing what you had to say about this "STOP LISTENING TO TRASH MOVEMENT" but unfortunately I still see that while it meets the approval of older people (and rightly so) this "movement" has actually yet to reach the very youth that its intended to protect..It saddens me that there is such a disconnect with alot of these protesters and today's youth.I remember when I first heard about that billboard on the radio, and alot of the callers on the station who were younger didnt like the billboard..I find alot of times while condeming hip-hop artists..alot of critics fail to offer kids with alternative music options ..mainly because alot arent familiar with the "underground" to do so, I always was told to bring attention to the light as opposed to condeming the darkness..even at 13 I found out that my taset of hip-hop was different than alot of my peers , I appreciated artists like Common, Talib Kwale, Pharoe Monch, The HIeroglyphics,Nas and so on , but couldnt really listen to the likes of Nelly, The Hot Boys, or anybody on No Limit, without getting a headache! But what I did notice that for whatever reason alot of kids did feel these artists i mean really FEEL them theyre music and lyrics! while to me I thought it was just simple ryhmes, lack of substance, and poor production it never amazes me to this day when I find a man in his 20's who is still a No Limit fan..and whike you might reject such a notion i assure yu its true these are the artists to which they relate and undertsand..look on any kids myspace page 11 and up and youll find pics of Lil Wayne who to them is a lyrical God!! because while to you it may just be "slagin hash" and "hoes" to them its actually a more "glamourous" reflection of theyre lives or what they want it to be..case in point I was at a local bar in my area and the song "Little Douffle Bag Boy" was on ..and I swear on my life grown men were closing theyre eyes and shouting the lyrics to this song as if it were a spiritual revelation..sweat pouring,necks straining, they sang this song so hard I felt as if they wanted to manifest these lyrics into reality "I Get MONEY" they shouted literally shouted, I thought one of them was gonna end up in a fetile position at the end of the song!! not to make light because afterwards that sight really saddened me ..in the area where I just moves to "slagin hash" is a common profession for most of the young black males..in alot of areas this is the chosen profession , so this music even if "legitmately" bought by its white fans majorly this still reflects the lives of alot of young black men that ive met in my lifetime..another instance that comes to mind is when I recently watched a special on BET about the war raged on hip-hop...and of course there were rappers of this generation like Nelly (who seemed like he was there to defened "tip drill") and TIP and then artists like Chuck D , MR Dyson whom you obviously consider a "softie" on rap music , Stanley Crouch , and another woman who I beleive to be a editor of some sorts from Essence..and what I noticed that with every valid point opposers made about the lyrical content of rap music ..the audience of teens and 20 somethings did not seem to take heed of these arguments saying things like "well he is talikn about hoes but that aint me"
just like the whole death of the N-word movement im sorry that was hysterical as if the last and first time I heard that word was on a rap record..nope ..so you can take it off a tape but whats gonna stop my Aunt Euphus from threating to cut a n***a when shes playing cards , or from hearing it come out the mouth of every young black mans mouth that I hear on the street..Its like your Hi-fiving but have yet to realize your Hi-fiving with people who agree with you in the first place..I urge you to take this to the streets I mean the real urban communities and then get theyre honest reaction to what your doing you might be shocked at theyre indifferance..because as many times I see my little cousin listening to something inappropriate or dancing like a video I cant stop her Mom from mirroring the same image..you can take all the drug slagin and mysoginy out of rap lyrics but whats gonna affect the guys out there down my block from being the first one on the corner and the last one to leave..this is a reality a sad and grim reality for so many people that I know.. a past reality for the man I love and married..but as fortunate as he was to see the damaging affects dealing had his community and himself we know about 10 other guys young and old who as of now this is all they know and this is all they want to know right now mainsream rap to me seems like an unwanted step-child , its as to alot of Middle-class African Americans what Mormon fundamentalists are to the Church of Latter Day Saints..you just want to cover it up and say "hey thats not us..thats not me..and while that may be the case for you and alot of us..it is the case for several members of our community so to me the issue at hand is not Bet or wack ass rappers even though I do not support them ..i want to figure out how we can bridge the gap so that we may address the actual mentality and problems of our communities that this music exploits..we desperatley need to bridge the gap