Rapp Snitches, Selling All Your Business
The intersection of rappers and white music journalists, indirectly selling self-incriminating information...there's some feds in this house.
Yes, the title is a reference to the infamous MF DOOM anthem. I regret nothing.
Long overdue, the state of Hip-Hop / Rap has changed over the years and many of the implicit rules have shifted as well. With the embrace of the genre(s) and lifestyles all over the world, those changes have both been for the better and some for the worse. Naturally, when something becomes more accessible and ‘trendy’ to the world, there will always be populations that seek to infiltrate and pimp that very realm purely for their own financial and selfish gain. Within’ the past few decades, we’ve seen numerous individuals emerge from the gauntlet that have looked absolutely foolish in their attempts to utilize the culture in their own wicked ways. Unfortunately, there are those who manage to masquerade as proponents of the culture: Enter white music journalists and the love for black trauma / sensationalism.
Roughly two weeks ago, Casanova was detained on charges accusing the Brooklyn rapper of committing “terrible acts of violence”, in connection to the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation gang. While Casanova and countless others have utilized records to express their history in the streets, reflecting on the violence / trauma befallen by many friends and family, there are guests in our community that have salivated to hearing those stories and went onto interviewing these artists in a sensationalist fashion. Typically, that same sensationalism to garner views, likes, and monetized streams of revenue also serves the risk of jeopardizing any type of sanctuary that those musicians have gone through hell to obtain. For a while, many perhaps found the pseudo-journalism of the likes of DJ Vlad & Adam22 to contain interesting stories on the artists we’ve come to love, as well as content that really broke a person down to their core, humanizing them. However, with FBI officials claiming to have utilized Casanova’s previous extensive interview with Vlad as partial cause for indictment, a rapid wave of criticism came in regards to the style of questioning and interview approach taken by both thee aforementioned*. A consistent theme in much of Vlad and 22’s work, rappers and various black celebrities, some particularly with ties to the streets, are asked questions that are virtually meant to lead to entrapment. Rewatching many of those ‘interviews’, its unsettling to see the level of goading and urging of interviewees to divulge information that would be considered quite incriminating; from inquiring about how long their bids (prison/jail sentences) have been, to point blank asking what their illegal professions were based in, the line of questioning comes off more interrogation-style than simply a conversation between music enthusiast and artist. It also doesn’t help that a majority of these artists who have put criminal enterprising behind them, most likely still have associates who are actively engaged in that lifestyle, but keep those ties relatively quiet.
If J. Edgar Hoover were alive in these times, Vlad and 22 would be on the All Star team for COINTELPRO.
While there’s a common belief there’s no statute of limitations to illegal activity that you have since ceased engaging in, there are still many forces at work that will seize upon any opportunity to disrupt black hands from securing a bag. This isn’t even some metaphorical, ‘open your third-eye’ type of statement to be deciphered: There are segments of law enforcement, particularly in NYC, dedicated to keeping tabs on rappers. Dubbed the Hip-Hop Police, there are plenty of well-documented articles published over the past few years elaborating on the existence of such a task force, dedicated to the surveillance of numerous individuals in the Hip-Hop ethos. Some may read this and say that’s simply a myth, but prominent artists such as Prodigy (R.I.P) and The Alchemist have spoken at length about the true blue existence of such a task force, and the interview linked dates back roughly a decade ago. The entire universe surrounding the nature of the Hip-Hop Police is both intriguing and extensive, so for the sake of this piece, we shall revisit the block watchers another time. That being said, I do encourage any and all reading to look deeper and see just how pervasive the wiretapping of Hip-Hop has been, really since it’s inception.
Now, there has always been a population of the community that would liken many white individuals in primarily black spaces as the feds. In some cases, it’s slightly poking fun, simply when an interviewer does extensive, harmless research on their subject (cues Nardwuar pulling out a photo of you from MySpace back in ‘04). However, there are cases where it is intentionally meant to be accusatory, specifically when your content creates a feeding frenzy for law enforcement or if you’re a creator engaging in parts of the culture, implicitly marked ‘off limits’. It becomes all too convenient to be able to forgo wiretaps when you have youtube videos now doing all the work for you. These individuals somehow slip through the cracks and it becomes absolutely nauseating when those digesting the content of the culture see them as ‘premier’ sources in the world of Hip-Hop: Equally as stomach churning as learning Paddy Duke (real name: Pasquale Raucci), a former long term employee at HOT 97, was involved in a mob that murdered Yusuf Hawkins, a black teenager in Brooklyn, circa 1989. There are undoubtedly members within’ the walls of black culture that simply try to write-off their transgressions, chalking it up to the game, when ironically they are still guests in said game.
Right about now, I can guarantee there may be some out there quick to retort and say that it isn’t entirely the aforementioned ‘journalists’ fault. Rappers go on record every single day, and speak of their exploits, dropping dimes on associates completely unprovoked. This is a very fair point and to break up the tension, we’ll take a quick comedic intermission to give an illustration of said point:
Artists will continue to express themselves and their story, regardless of the consequences that may be foreseen or unforeseen. If it’s a way to move units, garner attention, and perhaps find some sense of catharsis from their previous ills, the cycle shall remain. The greater critique lies for those that enter a house as a guest and proceed to play the role of an informant, making it easier to serve up the residents of said house on a silver platter. Hip-Hop & Rap remain realms that still receive a fair amount of scrutiny, even with mainstream media’s appropriation and gentrification over recent generations. To make one’s bed and to lie in it is one thing, but some white music journalists have this unsettling way of trying to tuck you in at the same time. Even with that being said, the crime and violence that is so engrained into Rap culture specifically can’t be put on trial if we don’t first look at the contributing factors that gave rise via our social construction. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, when you swathe entire populations in poverty, systemically kick any type of ladder down that helps ascend to greater economic stasis, the only real option left is to obtain capital by unsavory means.
I won’t discount the fact that some self restraint and introspection probably wouldn’t hurt on the part of artists. What exactly compels black entertainers to perform these tell-alls with non-black scribes, whom probably don’t contain the capacity to empathize with our experiences? This is not meant to generalize, as there are numerous non-black individuals involved in the community that have the ability to understand where we’re coming from and manage to interact with the scene in a positive, reciprocal manner.
Perhaps, in a sense, I’m speaking more directly to black artists in that sometimes the knowledge and information we give can be weaponized against us down the line. As we rationalize giving our gritty autobiographies to white-owned media outlets by stating it’s ‘starting a dialogue’, the discourse suggests that numerous parts of our society have already heard the dialogue and they simply seek to ignore it. The system of oppression that we’ve been trying to find our footing in has long been fueled by trappings of white supremacy (with an occasional lob from POCs trying to live out their ‘model minority’ dream). I say all of this to suggest that maybe we all, in various tiers of society, need to be more vigilant in knowing whom to hold a dialogue with in order to further deepen understanding of our struggle versus discontinuing conversation with those that already exhibit comprehension, yet lack discretion. If a person is continuously considered an opp by about 90% of your community, then should you still be spilling your soul at the same table with them? We all want to avoid the pitfalls of herd mentality, but there are some instances where you have to read the room and go with the general consensus.
The burning questions that we are ultimately lead to will always linger until we all can make one concerted effort: Do we continue to support platforms that repeatedly put black artists in the line of fire? Do artists completely change the circuits they hit for interviews or at least have individuals training them to respond accordingly to (virtually) federal questioning? Can we sacrifice the desire to extend the brand when the possibility of self-incrimination is the cost? I won’t speak as though I have the answers to all of said questions, but one thing I do know is that there are definitely outlets and writers out there that contribute to the culture in a way that aims to maintain integrity, yet still honoring the rugged journey with discretion. Perhaps the answer is to change from demanding quick access to subscribers, likes, and follows, and to appreciate the smaller circuit of interviews that dive into an artists core sensibilities without playing out as being a digital mugshot. Will we, as a community, reach that point of clairvoyance? Only time will tell.
Before we go, the least we can do is provide a list and shine a light on those that you should be following in music journalism, where offering critiques is still the goal, but also preserving an artists sanctuary is paramount:
Gary Suarez / Creator of CABBAGES (Rap Newsletter), written for Forbes, Vulture, Rolling Stone, and more
Dylan “CineMasai” Green / Written for DJBooth, Pitchfork, Audiomack, & Okayplayer
Gino Sorcinelli / Creator of Micro-Chop (Publication dedicated to DJing, sampling, rapping, and beat culture), written for Okayplayer, HipHopDX, Passion Weiss, and more
Karas Lamb / Written for Okayplayer, Bandcamp, and more
Ivie Ani / Written for Audiomack, GQ, Vanity Fair, and more
MD Semel / Writer for Backseat Mafia
Andre Gee / Creator of more fire (Hip-Hop / Rap Newsletter), written for Complex, DJBooth, Uproxx, and more
Tayo Odutola / Writer for EARMILK and The Word is Bond
Nicolas-Tyrell Scott / Written for PAPER Magazine, Esquire, The Face, and more
This is such a small list in comparison to all of the amazing writing that is out there, but I truly implore you all to search beyond what is convenient and empower the scribes that truly care for the well-being of the realms we (as black people) inhabit.