This one is completely mind boggling. Hip Hop smut peddler and one time champion for free speech Luther "Luke" Campbell has come out in opposition of the New York City "Ground Zero" Mosque because in his opinion Muslims are exploiting our kindness and no different then the KKK.
I'm confused over this for alot of reasons. First and foremost isn't this the same guy who released the song "Banned In The USA"? That is one of my all time favorite records and if memory serves the theme was that here in the United States regardless of ones race, religion or political beliefs we are all protected under the first amendment to enjoy whatever sort of language we choose regardless of how inflamatory it is.
It also seems to me that Luke is big on opinion and short on facts. Not only is the mosque nearly six blocks away from ground zero, there is another mosque already five blocks away and the World Trade Center itself had a mosque inside of it. Is he saying that the Muslim population that works and lives in this region have no right to freely worship in a location that is convenient to them? Give me a break, maybe Luke is also opposed to the street vendors selling hot dogs next to Ground Zero because they may be undercover terrorist.
I wonder how Luke feels about islams influence over hip hop music itself. One could certainly make the arguement that it was muslims who laid the foundation for the culture Luke would eventually get rich from. Not to mention Luke came up when most artist were affiliated or influenced by organizations like The Five Percenters and NOI. Islams relationship to the black community is something that goes back to pre-slavery. I guess what I am wondering is if this has something to do with Islam as a whole or is Luke singling out muslims from the middle east in particular.
Im not hating on Luke but i have to wonder why a guy who made his living off of sexually charged rap lyrics and strip clubs is taking sides in a controversy that really has nothing to do with him or his business. Especially when the same people bashing the mosque are the same ones who would like to see him put out of business.
Craziest thing is, the biggest supporter of the ground zero mosque may be none other then Luke himself. Lyrics from Banned In The USA.
Luke's speech:
What is this?? Is this not America? This is not China! This is not Russia! This is not the place where they brought down the wall, this is America!
We have the right to say what we want to say, we have the right To do what we want to do, and what I do in my house, You might not do in your house! So what I do in my house is my business! And the simple fact Of it all is that we are BONDED by the First Amendment! We have the Freedom of EXPRESSION! We have the freedom of CHOICE!
And you, Chinese, black, green, purple, Jew, YOU have the right to listen to whoever You want to, and even the 2 Live Crew! So all you right-wingers, left- Wingers, bigots, Communists, there IS a place for you in this world! Because this is the land of the FREE, the home of the BRAVE! And 2 Live Is what we are!
Showing posts with label rap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rap. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
R.I.P. Guru
Written April 20, 2010.
Wow. I'm in a complete state of shock at the moment over word that legendary emcee Guru, one half of the iconic hip hop group Gangstarr is dead at the age of 43 after a battle with cancer. This is heartbreaking to say the least.
During times of tragedy and times of joy the lyrics of Guru, real name Keith Elam, have been there for me. It's hard to truly summarize at this moment because of all the emotions currently stirring, just how much this man's work has meant to me. He isn't alone in his efforts, I have plenty of favorite hip hop artists, each special to me in their own ways, but none have ever been quite as unique as Gangstarr.
I became a believer around 2001 after hearing a track by Gangstarr called "Above The Clouds" featuring Inspectah Deck off of the compilation CD Wu-Chronicles Chapter 2. The intro speech of President JFK over a jazzy DJ Premier beat and the lyrics by Guru would forever change how I viewed myself as a hip hop fan. I would later go on to collect much of the group's albums including such classics as Daily Operations and Moment Of Truth. Daily Operations, in particular, still receives a spin at least once a week.
What I loved most about Guru was his ability to never stay pigeonholed to any one style. The man could go from sounding as politically insightful as Chuck D in one song to sounding as smooth as Snoop Dogg in the next. I have a great deal of respect for Guru over the fact that he never needed to sell out and portray himself as anything other then who he was. Guru never had to run around in a bullet-proof vest disrespecting other artist and being a gimmick because he truly loved the craft of emceeing and allowed his lyrics to speak for themselves.
The Internet will be abuzz with conspiracy theories over Guru's troubled relationship with the other half of Gangstarr, DJ Premier, for years to come. I will reserve my theories on that out of respect for Guru and the legacy of Gangstarr, what's done is done. But I will say that it would have been nice to see the two reconcile before it had to come to this. Both are legends, Premier continues to be one of the top producers in the industry, but without each other they just seem incomplete. What a tragedy a partnership so beautiful had to die so miserably. That's just how these things go I guess, success has a way of changing relationships.
It is my hope that the death of Guru re-invigorates an interest amongst younger hip hop fans to explore an era from a not-so-distant past when hip hop stood for something both artistically and culturally. Regardless of what happens, Gangstarr will remain a staple of my collection for the rest of my life. Thank you to Guru for the many years of hard work that has been invested into the quality of his work, it will live on forever.
Wow. I'm in a complete state of shock at the moment over word that legendary emcee Guru, one half of the iconic hip hop group Gangstarr is dead at the age of 43 after a battle with cancer. This is heartbreaking to say the least.
During times of tragedy and times of joy the lyrics of Guru, real name Keith Elam, have been there for me. It's hard to truly summarize at this moment because of all the emotions currently stirring, just how much this man's work has meant to me. He isn't alone in his efforts, I have plenty of favorite hip hop artists, each special to me in their own ways, but none have ever been quite as unique as Gangstarr.
I became a believer around 2001 after hearing a track by Gangstarr called "Above The Clouds" featuring Inspectah Deck off of the compilation CD Wu-Chronicles Chapter 2. The intro speech of President JFK over a jazzy DJ Premier beat and the lyrics by Guru would forever change how I viewed myself as a hip hop fan. I would later go on to collect much of the group's albums including such classics as Daily Operations and Moment Of Truth. Daily Operations, in particular, still receives a spin at least once a week.
What I loved most about Guru was his ability to never stay pigeonholed to any one style. The man could go from sounding as politically insightful as Chuck D in one song to sounding as smooth as Snoop Dogg in the next. I have a great deal of respect for Guru over the fact that he never needed to sell out and portray himself as anything other then who he was. Guru never had to run around in a bullet-proof vest disrespecting other artist and being a gimmick because he truly loved the craft of emceeing and allowed his lyrics to speak for themselves.
The Internet will be abuzz with conspiracy theories over Guru's troubled relationship with the other half of Gangstarr, DJ Premier, for years to come. I will reserve my theories on that out of respect for Guru and the legacy of Gangstarr, what's done is done. But I will say that it would have been nice to see the two reconcile before it had to come to this. Both are legends, Premier continues to be one of the top producers in the industry, but without each other they just seem incomplete. What a tragedy a partnership so beautiful had to die so miserably. That's just how these things go I guess, success has a way of changing relationships.
It is my hope that the death of Guru re-invigorates an interest amongst younger hip hop fans to explore an era from a not-so-distant past when hip hop stood for something both artistically and culturally. Regardless of what happens, Gangstarr will remain a staple of my collection for the rest of my life. Thank you to Guru for the many years of hard work that has been invested into the quality of his work, it will live on forever.
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