This is to no rapper in particular and everyone in general.
Dear Mr. Rapper,
Hey you.
How’s it going? Love the music you’ve been cranking out. But, really fast, I wanted to get at you over your new dedication/tweets/hoodie pics to the late Trayvon Martin. Not “get at you” as in beef. You didn’t forget him yet, did you? I know you just put out some somber dedication to him just the other day. I know the Internet moves fast, and you move faster. But, still, I’ve got a few questions and even more comments.
First of all, do you really care? Seriously, do you really care about Trayvon and the countless, nameless, and faceless “Trayvons” that never make the headlines? I was just wondering, because there are lots of people like myself who don’t know. Honestly, I’m not sure how Trayvon managed to rise above the apathy, but he did.
There are countless other “Trayvons” who could have used your voice as a tool to raise awareness about the violence issue as a escalating national crisis. Sadly, most of them didn’t rank high enough in the news to warrant a tribute track.
As you know – or should know – Hip-Hop has traditionally served as the voice of the voiceless. And at its inception, rappers were the ones with the loudest voices. Legends like Chuck D, KRS-One, X-Clan, and even so-called gangsta rappers like Ice Cube, The Geto Boys, and Ice-T were telling everyone how it was going down. America was forced to pay attention.
A one-off dedication to Trayvon Martin, a hoodie avatar, or a tweet with a trending hashtag just isn’t going to get it in 2012, buddy boy. That is assuming you care. Wait. I’m sure you do, because you made some positive moves in light of this tragic moment. No way would you create an ode to Trayvon simply to get some hits or views, right? Nah. No way.
In closing, I think you we should all make some changes. Forget what’s going on in the radio and television. Stand out and stand up for something substantial on a more consistent basis, not for something silly just to make the headlines.
You’re still connected to the ‘hood right? No, not the so-called “thuggish” clothing that made Trayvon suspicious to George Zimmerman. I mean, the neighbor’HOOD that inspired the music you create. That made you who you are. Since you’re established in the ‘hood and with the people in it, let’s make some music that inspires them. Times are hard, and they need hope. You don’t have to be corny because of it. We’ll still support you, and you can still do the degenerate or opulent rap that gets you played by the programmers and the clubs, but let’s mix it up. BALANCE. Capicé?
You care about Trayvon, and yet, you didn’t know him. I know you know some of these other people that failed to intrigue America. Let’s use this pivotal moment to save some lives, and fight for those that need us, and inspire a whole new generation of Hip-Hop changemakers to come. Nobody will care about the other stuff you rapped about later on anyway.
What do you think?
Let us know.
Warmly,
Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur
AllHipHop.com, CEO and Co-Founder
P.S.: Mr. Rapper, hit up AllHipHop.com if you want to do something cool for the “Trayvons” in your ‘hood.
And if you are still interested, here’s something below you can help us tweet in support of Trayvon Martin to your massive followings on Twitter:
1) Emmitt Till. Sean Bell. Oscar Grant. Join me and stand up for justice for Trayvon Martin. Text TRAYVON to 30644 to help. http://bit.ly/bFM6O5 #TweetUp4Trayvon
2) It’s been 1 month and 4 days. Why is George Zimmerman still free? Text TRAYVON to 30644 to help. http://bit.ly/bFM6O5. #TweetUp4Trayvon.
3) In honor of Trayvon, stand with me for justice. Text TRAYVON to 30644 to help. http://bit.ly/bFM6O5 #TweetUp4Trayvon.
4) Stand for justice for Trayvon today! Spread the word & take action: Text TRAYVON to 30644 to help. http://bit.ly/bFM6O5 #TweetUp4Trayvon.
5) Our criminal justice system should protect and serve the innocent victims by prosecuting the guilty. Text TRAYVON to 30644 to help. http://bit.ly/bFM6O5 #Tweetup4Trayvon
6) If we don’t stand for justice in the face of adversity and unspeakable tragedy, history will repeat itself: http://bit.ly/bFM6O5 or text TRAYVON to 30644 to help. #Tweetup4Trayvon
7) We Stand our Ground that a young black man’s killer deserves to be tried in the court of law. http://bit.ly/bFM6O5 #Tweetup4Trayvon
8) We are Trayvon Martin. You are too!! http://bit.ly/bFM6O5 or text TRAYVON to 30644 to help. #Tweetup4Trayvon
9) People all over the country are using their Twitter stream to stop a killer. Join us. Visit http://bit.ly/bFM6O5 or text TRAYVON to 30644 to help. #Tweetup4Trayvon
10) Want Trayvon Martin’s killer arrested? Do something about it! http://bit.ly/bFM6O5 #Tweetup4Trayvon
11) Emmitt Till. Sean Bell. Oscar Grant. Join me and stand up for justice for Trayvon Martin. http://bit.ly/bFM6O5 #Tweetup4Trayvon
12) No justice…no peace. No action…no arrest. Stand up now to stop Trayvon’s killer. http://bit.ly/bFM6O5 #Tweetup4Trayvon