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THE COME UP
JULY 2013
GOD BLESS TRAYVON On July 13, I was on the basketball court in a predominately white town
WHAT’S UP 2
Is Kendrick Lamar Hip-Hop’s New Hope?
(Lyndhurst, New Jersey) when my friend received a text message from his wife that said George Zimmerman was found not guilty. While on the basketball court I began to pay attention to my surroundings and I noticed that besides my friend and I there were only three other black people in the park and on the court. What was crazy about my observation was that the other 3 people in the park were teenage boys no older than 16 years of age. These 3 young men were interacting with a group of at least 30 other white teens without a problem. However, the first thing I
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Lupe has a message.
thought about was what if any one of these young white girls were to accuse these young men of sexual misconduct? Would these boys probably end up getting a lifetime prison sentence? After that thought crossed my mind, the second thought I had was what would happen if one of these young men walked one of the girls home? Would they be murdered and labeled a villain like Trayvon Martin? If I said no, I would be truly lying to myself; just like many Americans believe we are living in a post-
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Is Kendrick Lamar Hip-Hop’s New Hope ? You have heard him with hip-hop’s
Lamar’s story, which is told
elite like Dr. Dre, The Game, Drake,
vigorously on his album “Good Kid
Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Talib Kweli,
M.A.A.D. City,” details some of his
Busta Rhymes, E-40, Bun B, Tech
adventures on the streets of
N9ne and Lil Wayne ... he is Dr.
Compton, Calif., where no matter
Dre’s newest protégé, and I say
how he tried, bloodshed and gang
hip-hop’s future, TDE/Aftermath’s
violence followed him and was
newest artist Kendrick Lamar.
ever present.
Dr. Dre’s track record has been
Lamar felt driven to give a real
tremendous when it comes to
assessment of what a young, Black
individuals he has blessed the hip
male goes through in urban
hop world with, in essence gifting
environments like Compton. He did
hip hop with the likes of Ice Cube,
so in an over 12-minute song,
Snoop Lion (Dogg), Eminem, 50
called “Sing About Me, I’m Dying
Cent, and The Game. So why
of Thirst,” something
would consumers of the culture
unprecedented in today’s hip-hop,
expect anything different with his
or rap music.
latest protégé in Lamar? “I had to make it a true story and The name Kendrick Lamar has
being able to challenge myself to
been an underground fixture in hip-
make it still interesting for the
hop for years now, bringing an
listener, without boring them, so the
innate lyricism to West Coast hip-
details had to be real intricate,”
hop; he is surely one of the best
said Lamar.
that hip-hop has to offer at this present time. Lamar has had a
This new hope for hip-hop is
loyal following that has been
gaddddining ground in a major
galvanized by his diligent presence
way, debuting with the No. 2
on the internet.
album in the country on the first week of its release, and now
“I just wanted to keep doing
months later the album has gone
everything that got me here, the
past gold-selling status. Lamar still
dedicated fans that bought the
seems surprised and humbled by it
album, I just wanted to keep that
all.
and take it up a notch and tell my story,” he said.
“I must stay with my feet firmly planted to the ground,” he said.
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July 2013
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Lamar cited a West Coast hip-hop legend as one of his greatest influences. Ice Cube’s classic and platinum selling album, 1991’s “Death Certificate,” deemed controversial by the mainstream for its Nation of Islam influences, was often played by his father throughout Lamar’s childhood. “My pops played the Death Certificate album all day; Cube in general always had that influence on part of my style. And the way I write and rap comes from Cube’s style, he spoke from that zone of speaking truth, from a street perspective, but at the same time having a message behind it,” declared Lamar. Lamar has utilized his influence in hip-hop to say what needs to be said. He recently spoke out about the drug craze in rap culture, called Molly, a new name for ecstasy pills. According to MTV he recently said, “Sometimes you have the trends that’s not that cool. … You may have certain artists portraying these trends and don’t really have that lifestyle and then it gives off the wrong thing. And it becomes kinda corny after awhile. It’s really about keeping hip-hop original and pushing away the corniness in it.” He also addresses the use of Molly in his newest music video for “Don’t Kill My Vibe.” Lamar continued his talk with The Final Call by giving his thoughts on violence troubling inner cities throughout America. “I can tell them to stop the violence all day. They going to do what they want to. What I represent to them is know the consequences, only a few make it out that game, to do something else. At the end of the day, you reap what you sow,” he said. It’s reflected in riveting lyrics in “Sing About Me,” “Tired running/tried hunting my own kind/but retiring nothing” Lamar is the truth right now. (Jihad Hassan Muhammad is the managing editor for The Dallas Weekly and co-founder of Dynasty Hip-Hop Inc. Mentoring Program.)
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July 2013
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(Continued from page. 1)
racial society. The result from the
myself.” This is the kind of
message he left behind addressing the
Zimmerman and Martin case is just
people we are living with.
criminal justice system. Cocharan said:
another example of the prejudge,
With murders, not friends,
racism, and justice that black folks in
but murders.
America receive. For example, forty-
In the criminal justice system the presumption that you are
Eljiah Muhammad wrote this
innocent until proven guilty just
excerpt in 1965 and in 2103 his
doesn’t exist, particularly if a
words are still a description to the
suspect is black or Latino. But if a
Every day our lives we are
hell black Americans receive in the
defendant – a black, brown, or
at your mercy. An army of
United States of America and
white defendant – has enough
policemen throughout the
throughout the world. Besides the
money, if he can afford a
country with clubs in their
racial aspect of the Zimmerman
competent lawyer, if he is
hands set out to beat the
and Martin case, there was also
fortunate enough to find a judge
“nigger” and to shoot the
the issue of resources.
who understands what the
“nigger” if they feel like it.
Zimmerman’s father was a retired
constitution means, if he is
judge and had all the connections
innocent – he might be
to make this case a walk in the
acquitted, although there is no
park for his son. Zimmerman had
guarantee of that. It’s all about
the resources to create a lot of
money.
eight years ago, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad wrote that:
Nothing is hindering him. He is not going to go to prison for doing it. All he has to do is to tell the judge that he shot that old “nigger” and
“testalying” on the stand.
the judge will wink his eye at
After hearing the results from this
him and say “wish I had a
case, I immediately thought of
chance to shoot him
Johnnie Cocharan and the
I concur; Zimmerman’s not guilty verdict was just that, All About MONEY!
Trayvon is not the first and will not be the last person that will have to experience injustice in America
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July 2013
Hip Hop Quote of the Month Hey shawty, ain’t no future in no gang-bang And ain’t no manhood in no bang-bang Ain’t no honor cleanin’ interstates inside a chain-gang Know some rap niggas put that shit inside your mainframe Pills make you stupid and liquor do the same thing 'Raris too expensive and they way too hard to maintain Get yourself a Camry, "nigga said a Camry?" Watch that ho depreciate and then you’ll understand me It’s called being fiscally responsible Don’t let these lying images up in hip-hop here conquer you The TV’s not your father fool, that video’s not your momma Try your best to be a man and your worst to be a monster Lupe Fiasco from Roses
The Men of the Tenth Inc. 750 Faile Street, Suite 2E Bronx, New York 10474