People hate vultures. Actually people hate all animals associated with death, stink, and rot. Vultures get a double dose of that because of the foreboding way they circle those that were not considerate enough to be dead already and then dive head first into the carcass. The strange thing is how one beast that does the exact same thing and people give it their money and adulation instead.
The beast is Jay-Z. Think of his track record. He has always had one goal: making money. It doesn’t matter how. It doesn’t matter who he hurts. He is a self-admitted former crack dealer. Then he is rewarded by the Power Structure for selling crack. How? Becoming a Puppet Rapper, who brags on records about selling crack. I’m not even going into that because it’s obvious that is his contribution to the destruction of his community. That’s for another blog.
There is nothing wrong with being a rapper. I’m all about artistic expression. But he helps take an art form that is as uniquely African-American as the blues and uses it to talk about selling drugs and degrading women. This did three things: 1) Impressed upon young minds that not only is drug dealing normal, but an acceptable means of making money, 2) Equate African-Americans with illicit drug use, and 3) Made money. Now people admire him because he’s a millionaire, a husband, soon to be a father, a business man, a sports club owner, founder of a fashion empire. Let’s not forget a damn fool! He has to be fool, if he thinks people are not looking at him the same way they’re looking at the 1%. What millionaire tries to co-opt a current hot issue to sell some merchandise and expects to get away with it?
Jay-Z is capitalizing on the Occupy Wall Street protests by selling shirts with the slogan “Occupy All Streets.” When asked if he would be donating any of the funds to support the protesters, a spokesperson stated, “The shirts raise awareness of the cause.” Let’s see. The movement that started on Wall Street has spread south to Atlanta and across to Los Angeles. They are on the news every night, but they need Jay-Z to get their message out. This is like the bootleggers that sell purses with the “G” on them that almost look like the “C” on Coach bags saying that they sell them as advertisement for Coach. That’s like the anti-piracy ad at the beginning of a bootleg video. I can knock you’re the hustle. Jay-Z are you going on the premise that at least the T-shirts aren’t crack?
But the real kicker is that all of these celebrities are chiming in and showing support for the occupiers when they are a part of the entities being occupied. Still, they represent the inequity and rub salt in the wound by adding insult to injury. Jay-Z knows it gets cold in those tents. Hell, he could offer the occupiers an extra shirt…help them dress in layers for the coming winter. Then you have Russell Simmons. Excuse me? Isn’t the problems rich capitalists who get that way by the poor guy? Isn’t that the purpose of Russell’s brand of fee-based prepaid debit cards for folks with bad credit? It only has a $250 limit, $95 annual fee, $15 monthly service charge and 28.99% APR. I actually don’t know the terms of Russell’s card, but I do know that it is designed for young people and those with “problem” credit. Most likely it doesn’t offer bonus miles and rebates. Enter Kanye West. The smartest thing he did after arriving at the protest was to not say anything. But we all know Kanye’s rep. That took a lot of effort. Then there is Jesse Jackson sticking his head into a photo showing members of rival gangs uniting for Occupy Atlanta. Really? Maybe he will invest in one of Jay-Z’s shirts. Then he will have it on hand if the situation turns riotous. He can dip it in a protester’s blood and sell it on eBay for 1.3 million.
None of this is anything new. Hollywood has become what it is by tapping into young America, following the kids who are leaders and amplifying trends. It gets attention. The money to be made far outweighs the good.
I’m not surprised; you’re an ex-crack dealer. Not only that, an unrepentant ex-crack dealer that boastfully preyed on the youth with your crack rhymes like it’s something to be proud of. Your excuse for exploiting use to be “I was young and poor; I had to hustle to eat.” Well you moved on up to the east side and now you got a piece of the pie. What’s your excuse now?
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