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BensonDuboisDara Sharif
4/12/19 11:38am
I’m gonna be the asshole here, but I think it’s truly sad that we are so starstruck and so devoid of decent people to rally behind that a reformed gang banger is the sauce that pulls us together. Don’t get me wrong—I applaud Nipsey for whatever work he was doing, but the fact that most people went “who?’ when he was killed is a testament to the fact that he was not that well known for being either a performer or a community activist. He was not Chuck D, Quenn Latifah, Sistah Souljah, or KRS-One. He wasn’t Tupac.
Why is that I think this? I think it’s because his music certainly didn’t appear to reflect this desire for a better community. Most of what I heard was the same old tired trap raps about money and drugs. Where was his “The Message”, “It’s Like That”, “Don’t Believe the Hype”, “By Any Means Necessary”, etc.? Where was his “Dear Mama”??? Where was his “Alright?” I’m sorry, but this man was no Kendrick Lamar and frankly, not even close.
Yes, we need to have this convo because I’m so tired of people acting like the criminals in our midst deserve one tenth of the respect our people give them just because they decided to stop being criminals. Most of us never chose to be criminals—never considered it and didn’t want any criminality near our homes or families. Yet those among us who have always walked righteously, been down like a bubble goose for our communities AND these retarded gangbangers (especially in making excuses for them to White people) and gotten killed did not have one one hundreth the support or respect. IN essence, we’re telling those 80-85% of kids who actually do listen to their parents and adults and stay out of trouble and finish school and go on to be productive fucking citizens that their lives aren’t as important to us as some guy who finally decided to stop robbing people with his friends and be just like they already are.
Now—this was in LA and there were TV cameras, so all media heaux stepped right up to be recognized for recognizing a guy they never knew and whose songs they never heard and I understand that. But we as a community need to spend the majority of our time and resources supporting those kids who do the right thing without some period of criminal or behavioral latency.
Damn skippy (got my “Get off my lawn!” T-shirt on today) its a harsh message. Just as harsh as my single mother telling me she didn’t pay for lawyers or bail. Just as harsh as me making poor and broke decisions that didn’t make my mother’s life easier. Just as harsh as the message a kid sends to his poor struggling mother that he doesn’t give a shit about her when he puts her in a position to have to choose between paying the light bill or bailing his ass out of jail again. Our level of focus on the “bad” kids has to give way at some point. It’s a disservice to the self determined kids who do right without being forced and it sends them the message that the only way to get this kind of positive attention from our community is to be a criminal who magnanimously decides to spare the rest of us from their misbehavior. You know—those 80-85% of us who never get caught up in criminal bullshit.
I would love for someone to direct me to those songs or performances by Nipsey that show all the love he gave for his community. That exhibited his support for the hardworking Black folks in LA. Maybe they’re hidden somehwere on an unreleased mixtape or a “Black” album. Please someone prove me wrong so I don’t think we’re spending all this emotional capital on a hypocrite .
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  BookerGeeBensonDubois
  4/12/19 12:56pm
  Username checks out. And like the classic debates between Dubois and Washington, it really depends on whether you measure a man by where he is or the depths from which he came. If you choose the latter, then you would acknowledge that he has achieved an accomplishment worthy of our admiration. You would also recognize the unique position and credibility that he has in influencing young people that are currently where he was. I’m not going to list out his accomplishments - there is google for that and it’s a Friday – but let’s maybe assume that all of these people are mourning for the impact that he has made on their lives, and also, importantly, for the impact that he could have had on so many more. By your logic, we should dismiss Malcolm because he too was a criminal in his youth.
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  I'mSofaKingSickofWonderBreadBensonDubois
  4/12/19 1:19pm
  “I’m gonna be the asshole here...”
  Well, you’re right about one thing, at least.
  Also, you point out that most people never choose to be criminals, but neglect to point out that most people also don’t really do much for others. I guess we should only focus on the negative things people do, instead of the incredible positivity that sometimes comes from negative circumstances, so that anyone who has ever messed up or made a bad decision will know they’ll never be seen as any more than their worst, and might as well give nothing back to their communities, thanks to points of view like yours.
  I assume you’ve been even more outspoken against gangsta rappers and other unsavory potential role models who didn’t do nearly as much for people as Nipsey did, since they don’t even have a net positive to worship, despite their millions of loving followers...
  
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LolaFalanasLongAssLegsDara Sharif
4/11/19 9:05pm
I was proud of LA for running the memorial on our local Fox station on my cable provider’s LA news channel. I wasn’t familiar with a lot of his music, but I was impressed with his direction and follow-thru. We needed him in LA. I hope that others like Issa, Russell, and Snoop step up and invest in LA especially Inglewood. I know when I get my hands on some dollars that’s what I’m going to do.
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S.ClerDara Sharif
4/12/19 10:33am
Okay, how am I just hearing about his charity work?
Answer: Because the humble don’t advertise their virtue. RIP.
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DadvillainDara Sharif
4/12/19 12:41am
The Marathon Continues.
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