Articles Tagged: Russell Simmons

Message to the Black Youth: THEY ALL BLAME YOU! WAKE UP!

June 2nd, 2011 | By Sonnie

As the keynote speaker for the annual Rainbow/PUSH Coalition conference, Cosby delivered another masterful soliloquy aimed at the destruction of the current state of African-Americans. Invited by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Cosby blasted young African-Americans, whom he believes betrayed the legacy of the civil rights victories of the ’50s and ’60s.

Read more: http://globalgrind.com/news-politics/bill-cosby-your-dirty-laundry-gets-out-school-230-every-day#ixzz1O6RHVvVi

 

“I believe you need all kinds in the debate and struggle. For example, when I was still eating meat, I was criticized everyday by angry vegans and it helped to set me up for the shift. The truth however, is that a shift to vegetarianism came from a loving friend who didn’t judge.  

Read more: http://globalgrind.com/news-politics/bill-cosby-your-dirty-laundry-gets-out-school-230-every-day#ixzz1O6RWNUok

 
 
The title to this article is “Your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2:30 everyday”.  They are calling you dirty laundry.  See, you are the problem.  They have given you all that you need and you just cuss it all away.  They’ve provided you with Social Justice and now they can’t figure out why you repel from it.  You need to turn off the Hip-Hop and listen to more warped versions of history that they try to stuff into your mind.
 
Bill Cosby is willing to say it’s everybody fault, but he only mentions your flaws.  Why don’t they ever mention the failure that is the Rainbow Coalition and PUSH?  If these are the legacy groups, along with other failures like the NAACP, where is there share of the blame?  Why aren’t they admitting to their faults?  Why do they target you?
 
Didn’t they tell you that the system was the culprit?  Or was it the mean racist Republicans?  Didn’t they tell you America was the problem, not the inhabitants of America?  I mean, didn’t Plymouth Rock land on you?  Why is it now exciting to speak amongst each other, leaving you totally out of the conversation, with criticism and malcontent?
 
Then to follow it up, Russell Simmons compares it to becoming a Vegan.  Really, a Vegan?  Is that the comparison you would make for your community?
 
Our communities are in the condition they are in because of groups like Rainbow, Push, and the NAACP.  Yes, they lead a brilliant march in the ’60’s in a push for equality.  Yes, they faced down water hoses, dogs, and some even gave their lives.  They fought their battle and they won, and for that, they should be congratulated.  But that isn’t where they stopped. 
 
They pushed for more public housing, food stamps, and government assistance.  They made dependency acceptable.  They let God be taken out of our schools and watched them crumble.  They gave excuses for crime and criminals were formed.  THEY BETRAYED EVERYTHING KING MARCHED FOR!  They let Planned Parenthood into our communities and validated them, neglecting to inform us of their true history.  They let Big Government suck up more and more of our rights, while they collected a check for their assistance.
 
And then, we found Hip-Hop.  And we got involved in the Capitalist system.  Now, they want to blame you for it.  Are their bastards among us who don’t care about anything or anyone, YES.  But is that who you really are?  Or are you just tired of the scenario which they have painted for you.  Do you see lyrics and beats as a way out.  You are not running towards Hip-Hop, you are running away from them and they will blame you and hate you for it.  Take it from a sister that knows.
 
I hate to be blunt, but they will be dead soon and we will be here to shape our future the way we want it.  IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?  Or have you had enough already.  The only fault you hold, is that in your own life.  You are not responsible for the weight of the black community.  You are only responsible for what you do next.  You are not dirty laundry, you are the future of this country and don’t let them tell you otherwise.
 
But I have one more request.  Don’t let them leave this Earth with their holier than thou belief that it is your fault.  It is time to hold them accountable for their actions and in doing so, form the next generation of leaders that refuse to live in the aftermath of their failure.

Russell Simmons: Don’t Blame the Rappers, Fix the Problems

July 26th, 2008 | By Sonnie

I think I nailed the equation to our problems, Black Family Breakdown + Excuses Excuses Excuses + Refusal to Integrate = The Black Plight.

Now there are few other things I want to get off my chest.

Somebody is to blame for the breakdown of HIP HOP.

Now there can only be a few culprits, so lets do a little break down.

The Artist

Just like an NFL quarterback, the Artist catch most of the flack in Hip Hop. Just like a NFL quaterback gets all the credit in victory. Is it fair? Not always, but if the quarterback threw 5 interceptions, your assessment would be dead on.

Music is a money making industry, so to be successful you have to generate buzz. The problem is most artist today don’t use creative ideas to get their name out. Instead the opt for the same path that lead other artist to success. Sex, Money, Drugs, and Violence.

Now Russell Simmons says you can’t blame the Rapper because he’s just painting a picture of what he sees. A few questions.

Are there no black women in the Hood with morals?

I know there are, because I was one. Where are the rappers the can tell a black woman they are beautiful, without being loose. Tupac did it. Niggas respected him even though he had respect for woman. Yes he had a video or two with women, but rarely were the women the main focus. And when there were the main focus, he gave us strength, respect for ourselves, and hope that some black men out there still have respect for us.

Are there no black men that chose not to hustle and make it.

Yes there are. For all my brothers doing your thing despite the cards dealt to you. There are no words for what I feel for you. Keep it up. Where is there voice? Eminem carries that voice. It might come from a white person, but it’s a every color struggle. What about those that never want to sell crack? That find other legit ways to make it out? Where is the song about them. Most rappers fit into that category. It’s just when the get famous they become Crack Selling Kings.

Are there no Mother’s and Father’s who stories should be told

Is there not one rapper who’s father was there for him? Is there not one rapper that got some girl pregnant and had to change his life not to repeat the same mistakes with there own child? Yes. The tell their stories on reality shows, magazine articles, and web pages. Then they put out songs that say just the opposite.

The Higher Ups

Now this includes radio, T.V., and Record Labels. They have the power, that’s plain and simple. They can control what we hear, when we hear it, and how many times we hear it. What we need to understand, they have to have a product to sell.

If Artists can agree Hip Hop is in trouble, especially when Soulja Boy is nominated for BEST RAP song, then they can all put out music that inspires some form of change. Do you have to take the violence out, No. Make it important that songs with value get the same airplay as the bling’d out songs do.

They don’t have as much power as you would think. No Product, No Business.

I have to add one more thing here. Commercializing Rap. This is not a bad thing. That’s were the money is. The problem comes when there are no truly talented people with a real message, and they have to take the most watered down on the crap.

The Fan

We are the real culprits. We should shoulder most of the blame.

Artist will try to make the music that sells. The Higher Ups will promote music that sells. The fans decide what music sells.

Women stop going out and buying Ludacris because you like one song, even though you know you’ll be called a ho on all the other songs. And yes he means you. Because he would throw money at your ass the same way he would anyone else.

If you have a young daughter, how can you spend a dime on R. Kelly. Seriously. At 16 did I think I knew what I was doing? Yes. Would I blame someone else for the decisions I made? No. But as a grown woman, I look to blame R. Kelly. Why? Because he is a grown man. Plan and simple. He could have any grown woman he wanted, yet he goes after little girls. That is Nasty.

More than that. We have to up our standards. Stop buying C.D.’s until they start to question why sales are hurting so much. Stop watch 106 and Park, TRL, and the likes, until they start to question why no one watched videos anymore.

They will come to us asking how can they get our Business back. And we can say, “GIVE US HIP HOP BACK”. We want the lyrics you have to listen to four or fives time to get it. We want females that spit fire, without showing their ass. We want our culture in commercials, but not when it depicts only the worst aspects of our culture. We want music that not only paints where we are, but where we’re going and how we are going to get there.

They would listen because we have the money to make them listen. Without us, they are nothing. And if we continue to do nothing, we’ll be the blame for the fall of HIP HOP.