No Ghetto Pass For Bill O'Reilly!

No "Ghetto Pass" For O'Reilly:

Time to Put Bill on Blast

Min. Paul Scott

Enter the Bill O'Reilly twilight zone. Late one night, on his way home from the Republican Convention , a hungry Tom White mistakes Rufus's Chicken and Ribs for a Cracker Barrel. His worst fears are realized when a major riot breaks out after Tyrone Jackson slips on a watermelon slice and knocks over Mack da Knife's bottle of malt liqour. Running through a hail of bullets, hot sauce bottles and other assorted weapons, Tom barely makes it back to his Volvo alive. Good thing that the bullet proof vest that he wore under his Brooks Brothers suit also protected him from spears...

A few days ago, Bill O'Reilly was chillin' with his ace boon...um.. "main man" Rev. Al at Sylvia's restaurant in black Harlem. According to media reports, he was shocked how civilized the black folks there behaved.

"Is this Harlem? I could have sworn that I was in New Hampshire!"

Much to Bill's surprise there were no shoot outs, no chicken sacrifices and no cannibals runnin' around with bones in their noses. Just folks sitting around dining on fine cuisine that I'm sure included, but was not limited to fried chicken.

Well, at least O'Reilly didn't tell that worn out joke about being afraid that he was "on the menu."

I never liked Bill O'Reilly, so excuse me for being a little..OK alot biased. Over the years, Bill O'Reilly has been the self -appointed Hip Hop hitman, the Right's cool, conservative crusader, dedicating his life to preserving..well, whatever ever it is that Conservatives preserve.

This great avenger is responsible for almost single handedly getting the infamous gangsta rapper Snoop Dogg kicked off the Muppet special, getting Ludacris canned by Pepsi and blowing the whistle on Whitewater. (No, that was someone else but you get the point)

Although, O'Reilly has not been totally off the mark in all of his criticisms, as Grandma would say "if you throw enough stones, you're gonna eventually hit somethin'."

What gets folks about O'Reilly is hyperbole. He blows things way out of proportion.

Recently he tried to paint Nas as the most notorious "gangsta rapper" that ever picked up a microphone.

Problem is. Nas ain't a gangsta rapper.

Now if I had Bill O'Reilly's flair for the dramatic, at this point, I would start calling him the most disgusting, hateful, venom spewing hatemonger that ever walked the planet. But I ain't him, so I'll stop with "a right wing intolerant bigot."

Of course, Bill is busy spinnin' in his No "Spine" Zone trying to paint himself as a victim of some Left wing conspiracy probably led clandestinely by Al Franken.

Since when has O'Reilly given any rapper or non right winger the benefit of the doubt ? He sees an opening and goes for the jugular, full throttle.

And since O'Reilly has been so quick to shut Hip Hop down, Hip Hop should shut O'Reilly down, pronto !

Now, I know that some of ya'll are asking "didn't we just go through this with Imus?"

Your point?

If I had my way, I'd get rid of all the right wing venom spitters: O'Reilly, Boortz, Hannity (Alan Colmes for sitting next to Hannity), Coulter, Savage, Malkin...

(Hold up, I started hyperventilating,)

...and I'd replace them with Kool Mo Dee and the other political rappers of the late 80's. That way we would have black folks expressing black outrage instead of white folks speaking for us while we sit on the sidelines sayin' , "Yeah, what the white guy said!"

Not only should Hip Hoppers stand up and "impeach" the Right's talking heads, but the anti-war activists, progressive movements and others who are tired of the Conservative's dominance of the media should stand up, too.

Remember, they may come for Nas today but it'll be Bono and the Dixie Chicks, tomorrow.

To join the movement and to hear the official anti- Bill O'Reilly anthem "Drums of War" log on to http://www.hiphopstrikesback.com/

Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Hip Hop vs America or America vs Hip Hop

Hip Hop vs America or America vs Hip Hop:

Tale of Two Trials

Min. Paul Scott

Hip Hop was on trial twice last night. One was Hip Hop vs America Pt. 1, a prerecorded attempt by Black Entertainment Television to appease its viewers after years of complaints which came to a broil after last Summer's ill advised "Hot Ghetto Mess" Reality Show. The other was "America vs Hip Hop," sponsored by the Subcommittee of Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce . The first one was catered towards a predominately young, black teeny bopper audience who had just finished watching videos on "106 and Park" and wanted to to see if Nelly had gotten any new gold teeth since his last CD. The other was for the rest of mainstream America who have grown sick and tired of a bunch of young black "thugs" ruining "their" country.

The BET special was pretty much what you would expect from the company, a weak attempt at self criticism with bumpin' videos and applause signs. Perhaps Part 2 will get "deep" but Part 1 did little to elevate the "rap" beyond the realm of where it has been since C. Delores Tucker dissed Pac back in the early 90's.

"You don't understand Hip Hop!"

"And you, young man, need to pull your pants up!"

You still have the same panelists from the older generation trying to to be a parent/buddy friend to 30 somethin' year old millionaire Hip Hop artists. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson did the Biggie rap thing that he has been showcasing since the mid 90's and rappers, Nelly and T.I. proved once again that loud "don't" make it right.

T.I. kinda lost me with the whole "I have to trick my fans into learning" logic. (or lack thereof)

Not to mention his brilliant theory that the problem with Hip Hop is "you got fake thugs rappin' about being real thugs who never were thugs instead of real rappers rappin' about being real...."

Oh, never mind.

And then Nelly came with the "it's not fair to judge me based on a four minute rap video with credit cards being slid through a black woman's booty" defense.

What else can we judge you by Nelly? Your PH.D dissertation on "The Juxtaposition of Capitalism and Marxist Leninism?"

Down the way in DC, "From Imus to Industry: The Business of Stereotypes and Degrading Images," hearing called together by Senator Bobby Rush featured Master P and David Banner along with activists and industry big wigs such as Edgar Broffman and Doug Morris.

Needless to say, the theme of the hearing was problematic in itself.

Although Hip Hop activists have raised this issue over the last five months, it cannot be overstated that this current national discussion on the state of Hip Hop is a diversionary tactic in the aftermath of the Michael Richards/Don Imus controversies to take the focus off of institutionalized racism and white male bigotry and replace it with a focus on dirty dancin' and baggy pants.

While the efforts of former Black Panther Bobby Rush may be commended, would his time not have been better served making sure that a thorough congressional hearing on Reparations for the descendants of enslaved Africans takes place. Or hearings on COINTELPRO, for which groups like the Jericho Project have been advocating that could result in the exoneration of his former Panther comrades and other political prisoners still locked in jail and in exile ?

Also, it must be also noted that if we look at the emphasis that America has put on Hip Hop compared with the coverage of stories like the Jena 6 and the black woman that was tortured in West VA, the comparison is troubling.

What is unfortunate is that many of us do not see this current Hip Hop controversy in socio-political terms. While the kiddie converation on BET may have had a better looking stage, the meeting in DC could set public policy for generations to come.

Did anybody think to ask where the Hip Hop discussion fit in the agenda of the Subcommittee of Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection on a highly compartmentalized Capitol Hill?

Did anyone notice that the committee is in charge of dealing with some Homeland Security related matters? So which part of Hip Hop are the feds really concerned about; the "misogynist" lyrics of a Nelly or the inflammatory political rap of a M1 of Dead Prez?

http://energycommerce.house.gov/

At the end of the day , were we any closer to improving Hip Hop than were were before the BET program and congressional hearing?

BET promised another earth shakin' sequel to Tuesday night's show (So what are they gonna do for a grand finale, have TI punch Rev. Al in the mouth?) and the people in DC came to the consensus that censorship ain't cool, def, or funky fresh.

Is there really a difference between gangsta rapper, "Killa T" grabbin' his crotch and yellin' "I'm just keepin' it real for the homies in tha hood" and Viacom head honcho Phillipe Dauman sitting before Congress and saying with a straight face, "We have a responsibility to speak authentically to our viewers ?"

What we need is a clear analysis of the Hip Hop problem based on facts and not prejudiced by political bamboozlin' and hero worshippin' of rappers.

With a clear analysis we could raise the level of consciousness of the Hip Hop connosiers so high that neither Hip Hop hearings nor censorship would even be necessary.

Min. Paul Scott is a writer and activist in Durham NC. For more info visit http://www.hiphopstrikesback.com

(919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Hatin' The Skin I'm In: Response to Stanley Crouch

Hatin' the Skin I'm In: Response to Stanley Crouch

Min. Paul Scott

I remember back in the day, when I was a kid, I used to watch those sitcoms like Happy Days. Once in a while, during Black History Month, they had to deal with the "dreaded" race issue. From out of nowhere some lone black dude would show up in a lily white town , get picked on for being black only to have his honor defended by some "Fonzie" kid that would deliver a tear jerkin' speech about racial tolerance and universal brotherhood. Just before the funky music would play for the closing credits, the black dude would make some overly emotional apology about how he "couldn't help that he was born black." The seeds of self hatred are planted early. I wonder if Stanley Crouch ever stared in one of those sitcoms?

I was reading Stan's piece in today's NY Daily News and seems like ol' dude wasn't feelin' the piece that I did on Jodie Foster's new vigilante movie "Brave One" and my analogy about "a t'd off Rosa Parks bustin' cap's in tha fools that made her sit in the back of the bus."

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/09/24/2007-09-24_reel_like_story_is_no_substitute_for_a_r.html

Now I've read Crouch's stuff before about his hatred of Hip Hop and all things black.

(OK Stan, we get it Hip Hop = Bad. Now keep it movin')

The problem with Crouch is that he seems to dwell on the issue ad nauseam.

Now, I am far from a Hip Hop apologist and have taken many stands against the negativity in "some" Hip Hop.

But unlike Crouch, I realize that Hip Hop is really a code word that the media use for black youth and the degree of separation between the average rap dude and me isn't as much as you might think.

I also know that "black folks dissin' black folks" is a hot commodity. Just look at Bill Cosby's career. I mean, America hadn't thought about Cosby for over a decade until he became the official Hip Hop charm school headmaster demanding that young black men pull up their pants and talk proper English.

"Let's see if "we" say it, it will be considered racist but if we can pay a black guy to do it..."

So, many black folks have jumped at the chance to be the black Charlie McCarthy to the white power structure Edgar Bergen.

I bet Stan is somewhere, right now" in some editor's office buck dancin' to "Crank that Soldier Boy."

Until today, I was willing to live and let live and let Crouch get his hustle on. (We all got to eat, right ?)

But then he decided to diss me and I really wasn't feelin' that line about:

"Fortunately, there is ample proof of the universality of insipid thinking to discourage all except the most devoted bigots from concluding by reading blogs that black people are no more than the upright monkeys they were always thought to be in more informed times."

Not sure what all that meant, but I'm pretty sure that it was a diss...

Like my dude, Bugs Bunny used to say:

"Of course, you realize, this means war."

So Stan, I'm calling you out, homie. You wanna debate? Anytime, anywhere...

To borrow from the old school EPMD jam:

"So if you're thinkin bout battlin you better come prepared/
Come witcha shield and your armor gear"

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283. His blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/

"Cut the Bull" Mayoral Campaign

OK, as the local folks already know, your's truly has thrown his baseball cap in the ring for the race for mayor of Durham, the Bull City as a write in candidate. So, I will be starting an official "Cut the Bull" (CTB) section on this blog discussing local issues.

Durham has the usual hot button topics poppin' off this election season.

The first, of course, is what to do about these "murderous gangs that are plaguing our city, hiding behind every bush just waiting to dive on some unsuspecting citizen out for a nightly stroll..."

Yeah right...Cut the Bull !

You can read about my feelings about this "get tough on crime stuff" on my entry from weeks back "Mayberry Goes Gangsta"
http://nowarningshotsfired.blogspot.com/2007/07/when-mayberry-goes-gangsta.html

But I will say that you all need to stop depending on "Eyewitness News" and go out and get some "I witness views" about what's really going on in Durham.

Maybe if we stopped trying to fight "gangs" which are legal and fight "crime" which is illegal that may make a difference...

Ya think?

Next, the " illegal alien" issue...

Don't know about you but illegal aliens from South of the Border no more effect my livelihood than "illegal aliens" from outer space...

For most poor folks we "ain't never" had it so they can't take it.

Unemployment was a problem for poor folks long before the brown brotha's came and if they were all shipped back today, unemployment would still be a problem. The problem in this country is not too many illegal alliens but too many greedy rich people hoggin' all the resources and too few people who are willing to say it.

But if it makes you sleep better at night to think that the only thing standing between you and that six figure salaried job out in RTP is Julio Rodriguez, What can I say?

Lastly, a couple of points on the Herald Sun stories...

So, the paper called me "Smith" in the paper last Saturday and retracted it on Sunday.

No biggie, it was probably an honest mistake (wink, wink) I'm sure they will call me worst names between now and Election Day.

Not sure how Mike Ashe from the Durham Election Board was "misquoted" as saying in Saturday's paper that a write- in candidate did not have to file papers with the board unless he/she was going to spend more than three grand and then have it flipped the next day to say if a candidate spends "any money" he/she must file? I thought that you were free to write any name on the ballot in a Democracy. (That's why they leave a blank space.)

No worries, Mike. I ain't gonna spend a dime. I got my own printer for fliers and my own burner for my election song CD's.

I never understood how spending 15 grand on those annoying signs ever helped anybody get elected anyway.

"Let's see, I've never seen this guy in my 'hood, don't know what he stands for but he's got some real pretty signs, so he gets my vote!"

Are people really that shallow? So, no donations please. You wanna do something, give the money you were gonna give me to the next homeless person you see. It's about to get cold and they need it more than I do...Or download my "campaign theme" from the website, burn it and blast it in your ride.
http://www.hiphopstrikesback.com/

Lastly, that last quote in Sunday's paper about my homie "J-Dub" (Jackie Wagstaff) was not supposed to be a diss about our campaigns being different because I am in touch with the street.

It was kinda taken out of context. I was referring to my role as primarily a Hip Hop activist...

I have nothing but respect for Ms. Wagstaff...

Well, I'm signing off for now...

So just chill, 'till the next episode...

Min. Paul Scott
The Hip Hop Howard Beale
"Mad as heck and not takin' it anymore"

Durham is Truly A-Maze-ing

Durham is Truly A-Maze-ing

Min. Paul Scott




It started off as an easy task, last June. I just wanted to go to
the post office, check my mail and go home.

Simple, right? Not in Durham.

What started off as a simple trip to the post office
ended up being a journey through the streets of
Durham. Anyone who entered into the
matrix formerly known as downtown Durham, last Spring can "feel me" on this one.

However, for those critics who are asking
"why in the world would I want to go downtown." Let me
hip you to the facts.

If you have dared venture east of Brightleaf Square
earlier this year you would have found yourself bombarded with detour signs; signs that lead you from one detour to another.

Although, I have lived here for more than 20 years
and thought that I knew every nook and cranny in the
Bull City, last June I found myself following a
little old lady with out of state tags who for some
strange reason I assumed knew where she was going.
After taking a few wrong turns, we found ourselves
exchanging confused looks in the parking lot of the
used bookstore.

As I sat in the parking lot drawing a makeshift map to
sell to out of towners, I thought about how the detour
ridden downtown area is similar to the City of
Medicine's political scene.

Durham is one of those cities where old south
conservatism often clashes with new south progressive
idealism. Many times, this is a good thing, as by
nature a culturally diverse community needs a
diversity of ideas.

Historically, Durham politics has been dominated by a
handful of powerful and smooth talking public
interest groups all claiming to possess the best
solution for the city's problems.

While the grouping of political ideologies is standard
practice in any Democracy, it becomes problematic when
these groups only represent the powerful few and no
longer represent the aspirations of the struggling
masses.

Although, these organizations are very visible when
election time comes around or when it is time to put
another face in a high place, they are rarely seen
addressing the needs of the everyday citizens in the
off season. The representatives of these groups give
grandiose stump speeches about how their organization
is best qualified to lead the masses of Durham folks
through all the detours into the proverbial promise
land. However, the underlying issue always seems to
be what group's crony gets the fat contract to paint
more detour signs while the everyday citizens remain
as lost as ever.

This is not limited to Durham, however, as there is
alarge segment of the population who identify with
neither the Republicans nor the Democrats. Yes, there
are people who's views are neither represented by the
highly conservative Fox News nor the liberal National
Public Radio.

Locally, you might say that neither WPTF nor WUNC
"rep the hood nor the trailer park.”

Durham, like the rest of this country, needs a new
voice that speaks for all the people of Durham, not
just the chosen few. Someone who speaks for the
average Joe who only wants to put food on his
family's table, a roof over their heads and have them
live in a safe neighborhood. Although Durham's
political groups seem overly sympathetic to my
concerns during election time, I doubt if any of them
really cared that my million dollar check from Ed
McMahon might have been waiting for me in my mail box while I was
lost at the corner of Main and Roxboro.

As we enter into the upcoming political season you
will hear, ad nauseam, these groups trying to sell you
on the promise that they have a new direction for
Durham and how one group is good and the other the
epitome of evil.

But when all is said and done , I think that most
people are just like me.

We're just trying to get to the Post Office.

Min. Paul Scott will launch his "Cut the Bull" Campain Saturday September 22

For more information conatc (919) 451-8283

NWSF Bullet: Why America Needs OJ

Let me say this from the jump. Most black folks couldn't care less about OJ Simpson. After all the tears that we have cried over political prisoners like Mumia Abu Jamal and Jamil Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown), not to mention Uncle Willie who still claims that he didn't knock over that liqour store back in the day, forgive me if we don't have any Kleenex's to waste on a man best known for always running through airports for no apparent reason in the old Hertz commercials.

However, why does white America feel the need to pull out "OJ in a Box" every couple of years, especially when there is a major story circulating around the black community with the smoking gun of white racism.

Seems that anytime that the media want to divert our attention they just go get OJ, dust him off and place his smiling face in front of the camera. It's almost like they have him trapped behind a "break in case of emergency" glass.

Or anytime they need a black bad guy to counter some white act of racism, they get OJ. I wish that I had a dollar for everytime over the last decade, I've heard a white person who was trying to justify white bigotry say...

"Yeah, but what about OJ!!!!"

Black children harrased for sitting under a white's only tree and a black teen gets unjustly sentenced...

No problem, get OJ ....

Black woman tortured and forced to eat poop...

um, OJ...

White comic launches a N bomb tirade at black patrons at a comedy club...

Ditto ..

OJ goes to court tomorrow..I can just see him leaving court doing that scene from the movie Scarface...

"You need people like me so you can point your ***** fingers and say 'that's the bad guy."

So until the next episode of white racism...

Say goodnight to the bad guy.

Min. Paul Scott http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ (919) 451-8283

NWSF Bullet: Give Us Gangsta Rap!!!

Funny thing happened today. Last week, I sent my press release for Hip Hop Strikes Back's controversial new track "Drums of War" that puts Bill O'Reilly and the rest of the Hip Hop Haters on blast to my friendly local paper, the Durham Herald Sun.

Seems like it was given the go ahead until I called today to see why "Drums of War" had not graced the front page (or at least honorable mention at the bottom of the gardening section.)

I was now told that the song ,for some reason, did not fit the format for even the Arts and Entertainment blog.

No problemo...

I admit that "Drums" is a little hardcore, even though it contains none of those dirty four letter words...(OK, we were tempted to call Sean Hannity a no good "bleep...bleep....bleep" But we didn't!!!)

And I can see it not really fitting in under a story about "Big Bubba and his Amazing Banjo."

Plus when a newspaper decides to label you persona non grata, you can put on a clown suit and set yourself on fire while singing Yankee Doodle Dandy and the reporters will do a front page story on the fireman's boots that put your fire out....

But out of curiosity I went to the entertainment blog and what were they promoting on the 8/29 entry?

A local group's myspace page featuring a song about N***** rollin' dice on ho's!!!

(Really, I'm not making this up)

Don't believe me? Go to the Herald Sun's website (http://www.heraldsun.com/) and under "Entertainment" click on the A&E blog and scroll down to 8/29....

I had always said that if given a choice the media would choose the smooth gangsta stylings of a Snoop Doggy Dog instead of the political and well thought out rap of a Public Enemy...

Now we know and like they used to say on the old GI Joe cartoon...

"and knowing is half the battle...."

"Ms Goetz" Gets a Gun: Is The Brave One Racist?

“Ms. Goetz” Gets a Gun:
The Brave One and Black Male Bashin’

Min. Paul Scott



Peep this scenario. Timid lookin’ white lady sittin’ alone on a dark NY subway when all of a sudden two black dudes who look like they just stepped out of a 50 Cent video come all the way from the back of the train and pull a knife on her for no apparent reason. Little do they know that they are about to go heads up with the psycho chick from hell...

What I have just described is the trailer from the new movie, “The Brave One” which opens in theaters September 14th. The plot of the film, as I understand it from the previews, is Erica Bain (played by Jodi Foster) and her fiance are out walking “Sluggo” when some bad dudes kill the man and kidnap the dog, which drives Foster’s character over the edge and she transform herself into...drum roll please ... “Bad News ” Bain, hardcore vigilante and defender of the defenseless...Dum Dum Dum!!!

“It was one thing to kill my man but when you mess with the dog...Prepare to meet your maker, buster !”

What bothers me about the film is not the plot per se, after all anyone who has the nerve to shoot someone’s significant other and kidnap the pooch deserves a beatdown. But what gets my goat is the not so subtle racial overtones in the previews.

A trailer is supposed to be a lightening quick, 60 second synopsis of a two hour movie so the flash that I got from the Brave One preview was black thugs, Latino gangs and loud creepy music. Now if I missed the scene with drunk, white college frat boys chasing Jodie Foster through a keg party armed with Super Soakers, blame it on bad lighting.

Another case of anti-black male propaganda by Hollywood.

While this is nothing new, what is never discussed is the socio-political ramification of black male bashing in the media.

Have you ever wondered why after all the ill stuff that has happened to black people over the centuries that you rarely see a black vigilante movie striking back at white folks? This is because the movie makers know, full well, the power they posses to shape public opinion. So don’t ever expect to see a movie about one day when Rosa Parks gets tired of being told to sit in the back of the bus , she starts blastin’ fools with her pistol.

The film industry has a history of portraying black men as violent beasts dating as far back as 1915 with DW Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” which featured a blood thirsty former slave named Gus who had a taste for white women. The movie was used as a Ku Klux Klan recruiting tool and a high number of lynchings were also recorded after the film’s release.

During the early 70's it can be suggested that Richard Nixon’s “get tough on crime” policy was not hampered by the blaxploitation movies of the era that portrayed black men as hustlers, dope fiends and pimps.

Moving into the 90's, how much of a role did movies like “Menace to Society” have in the development of stricter drug laws and anti-gang legislation disproportionately effecting young black men?

Politically speaking, did movies like 1993's “Falling Down” and it’s portrayal of the angry white man taking back his country help rally the troops for the 1994 Republican takeover of Congress in a post LA Rebellion America that was becoming increasing “multi-cultural?”

Many of us will never admit to how much we are effected by the stereotypical images we see on the big screen and how these images effect our judgement, especially when we are forced to make split second life or death decisions.

When Bernard Goetz put holes in some black teens on a NY subway or Soon Ja Du murdered 15 year old Latasha Harlins in a Korean grocery store in LA, were they reacting to real threats or imagined threats based largely on media images?

Either way, as a result of their very real actions one black teen lay paralyzed and the other dead.

Call me a modern day Don Quixote chasing windmills at every turn thinking that they are racist dragons but as Thomas Jefferson once said, “The price of Freedom is eternal vigilance.”

So, sometimes does that mean making a mountain out of a molehill?

Perhaps.

But what if there was a movie about an evil slum lord and the first man shown in the preview just happened to be wearing a yarmulke ?

Or if the next release by Warner Brothers was a flick about child molesters with a cameo appearance by “Father Flanagan ?.”

Would Jews and Catholics be wrong to be a little miffed?

Only black folks have to write a doctoral thesis defending why they are P.O. ‘d; other cultures’ concerns are taken at face value.

If it wasn’t for the fact that black males make up a disproportionate number of inmates in American prisons and at this very moment six young men in Jena Louisiana are facing long prison sentences, I probably wouldn’t bother bringing up this issue.

But these are the facts and fighting against the negative stereotypes of black men has become my raison d’etre.

You know , they say a picture is worth a thousand words, but to a young black man facing prison, a movie picture is worth a 20 year bid.

Min. Paul Scott is a writer and activist in Durham NC. His blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Scared Spit-less

Scared "Spit" less:
Why Hip Hop Fears the Powers that Be
Min. Paul Scott


The date is September 11, 2007. The conference room of
the Hyatt Hotel is packed as 50 Cent and Kanye West
engage in a debate over who’s CD will out sell the
other. Although, Kanye West has been known to kick a
serious rhyme or two, it’s not about that this go
round. It’s about who is going to get it poppin’ at
the club next weekend and which CD is going to shake
up the world. Half the crowd is screaming G-Unit,
while the other half is throwin’ up the Rock-a-fella
diamond. But in the end who wins the competition for
Hip Hop world supremacy? The Conservative Think Tank
meeting across the street devising ways to silence
black voices....

For the last few months, there has been a buildup
surrounding the same day release of the Kanye West and
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson CD’s to rivale that of the
Ali/Frazier fight. I am expecting any moment to see
Don King on TV talking about how "magnanimous" the
event will be.

The obvious question is that with Hip Hop being under
the gun since the Don Imus "nappy headed ho" thing
last April, why isn’t Hip Hop more interested in
devising a counter attack?

Am I missing something?

In Atlanta, right now, the powers that be are pushing
for laws banning saggin’ pants at the same time the
talking heads are trying to blame Michael Vick’s dog
fighting rap on DMX.

So why do Hip Hop artists choose to major in the minor
instead of tackling the hard questions ?

The answer is simple. It’s called fear.

Men ain’t supposed to be scared of nuthin’.So in the
larger than life, testosterone driven world of Hip
Hop, of course, this is over exaggerated,

This is not to say that black men don’t have the right
to be a little edgy. Just look back at our history.

It was not unusual for rebellious black men in the
19th and early 20th centuries to be hanged in front of
their wives and children. Not to mention the
COINTELPRO Program of the 60's in which those who
dared to speak out had their lives snatched.
It must be noted that those assassinations were not
for the victims but to plant a seed of fear in
generations to come so that if they even thought about
rebelling against authority, visions of black
mutilated bodies would flash before their eyes.

This is the historical source of our fears. No one
really wants to be a martyr, especially amongst a
people who don’t have such a good track record in
honoring their heros.

Or maybe the rappers are scared of "revolutionary
career suicide" to borrow from a phrase coined by Huey
P Newton.

America has shown very little tolerance for those who
have been blessed with the treasures of capitalism who
use their fame and influence to challenge the very
system under which they gained their wealth.

Do the rappers of today really want to suffer the same
fate as Paul Robeson who was blackballed for being a
"Commie", Billie Holiday who was banned for singing
about that "strange fruit" hanging from southern trees
or Craig Hodges of the Chicago Bulls who was
blacklisted for rockin’ a dashiki to the White House ?

Hip Hop has not been spared the wrath of the
establishment as rappers such as Professor Griff,
Sister Souljah, Ice T, Ice Cube experienced "Hip Hop
high tech lynchings" during the late 80's/early 90's.
Who wants to risk losing a fleet of sports cars and
houses in the Hamptons when it is much easier to bury
your head in a bag of weed and pretend that all is
right with the world?

Recently, it was revealed that the government has a
program called "Talon" that was keeping an eye on anti
-war activists including members of that peaceful,
turn the other cheek religious group, the Quakers.

Now if the Feds kept a file on that dude on the
oatmeal box, what kind of file do you think that they
have on the brotha on the cover of a CD burnin’ a
flag, raising his middle finger and yellin’ F**** the
Police?

Also, while Hip Hop headz were quick to wear T-Shirts
that said "Free Pimp C" and "Free Lil Kim", how many
are going to sport t-shirts that say "Free the Jena
6"?

Despite all the tough talk that rappers spit at each
other, when it comes to speaking truth to the powerful
decision shapers most have a fear of Bill O’Reilly
grabbin’ them by their collars in a back room and
saying:

"Listen, we can handle this like gentlemen or we can
get into some real street stuff...’

But that ain’t everybody. Some of us are not afraid to
speak truth to power in 2007. Durham NC rapper Big
Swagg, hook master Mr. Cox and yours truly, the TRUTH
Minista have teamed up for "Drums of War" a Hip Hop
diss track aimed at those who are dissin’ Hip Hop.
(You can download it at
http://www.hiphopstrikesback.com )

Let this be the "Fight the Power " of 2007! The new
anthem that is going to make Hip Hop stand up! The
song that is going to shake the very foundation of....

OK, I’ll be happy to just give Bill O’Reilly
nightmares about a group of "gangsta rappers" tying
him up and making him watch 48, uninterrupted hours of
BET.

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott’s blog is
http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com He can be reached
at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com

New Rap Disses Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Others

Rap has been getting a bad rap as of late. Since the Don Imus fiasco last April, much of America's attention has been focused on the violence and misogyny in some Hip Hop lyrics. Now a group out of NC is fighting back by releasing their own rap response.

Durham NC's "Hip Hop Stikes Back" (Big Swagg, Mr. Cox and TRUTH Minista Paul Scott) has recorded a diss track called "Drums of War" which takes shots at such opinion shapers such as Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Paula Zahan and even Ted Nugent.

Although, much of the Hip Hop coming out of the South is about dancing the group challenges southern rappers to be more politically conscious.

Also, the lack of black and latino faces on networks such as Fox News and MSNBC makes it important that rappers use their songs to give another perspective of world events. Hip Hop Strikes Back does just that as the group tackles subjects from Don Imus, to the Jena 6 to Michael Vick.

Although much of Hip Hop's attention is focused on the upcoming release of the Kanye West/50 Cent CD's, the group is hoping for a million downloads by September 11th to prove that people will support underground southern Hip Hop with a message.

The song can be heard and downloaded for free at http://www.hiphopstrikesback.com/

For more information contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com