Chicago is the Iraq of the U.S., some people have nicknamed the windy city ChiRaq because 419 people this year have died, which is more than those U.S. soldiers who died in Afghanistan. Hip-Hop activist, Wendy Day even pointed out via Twitter that Vibe Magazine missed the point on Diane Sawyer’s piece. Vibe said, “Nightline brings up the point that Keef pulled out a gun on an officer and then bragged about his ‘pistol toting’ in his homemade “I Don’t Like” video, only adding fuel to the fire.” [blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/RapCoalition/status/260258686935629824″]
ABC is adding fuel to the fire? This is the magazine that puts catty stereotypical reality stars of “Basketball Wives” as their cover girls dubbing them as our role models. This is the same magazine who helped pit Tupac and Biggie Smalls against each other years ago. WTFlocka has happened to the consciousness and journalistic integrity of our magazines? Urban magazines and dot coms are desperate and excited about negativity and violence – sometimes you’ll see a positive story, sometimes.
Chief Keef is signed to Interscope. There is a fine line between an emcee storytelling the ills of our society and an emcee promoting the ills of our society. Chief Keef is a symptom of the violence that is going on in our neighborhoods, so it’s hard for me to be mad at him. He lacked many things growing up that would’ve made him a grown, good man — it’s truth, not hate folks.
Music has the power to uplift and inspire either violence or peace. Let’s stop kidding ourselves here. The music labels, radio directors, and press are powerful influencers. One thing, I know Diane Sawyer is a hands-down accomplished journalist whose stories beg for answers and change – she’s not “adding fuel to the fire” as Vibe claims. Hip-Hop can solve its own problems, so why don’t we?
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