Monkey see, Monkey do

Theo Shaw, 18, (left) and Robert Bailey Jr., 17, (right) two members of the Jena 6.

Picture: npr.org

Hip Hop artists backing Jena 6 can be a problem if they’re not setting an example themselves.


In September, thousands of African Americans marched through the streets of Jena, Louisiana to show support for six boys on trail. If you don’t know what happened, here’s a rundown: six high school aged African American males, also known as “Jena 6” were initially charged with attempted second degree murder after attacking and beating a white classmate unconscious following an incident where nooses were hung from a tree in the school’s yard.

Since then, the Jena 6 males have garnered a lot of attention from musicians, especially those in the Hip Hop community. In fact, a benefit concert was hosted in Birmingham, Alabama showcasing artists like Jagged Edge, Nick Cannon, Hurricane Chris and (the bad boy himself) Bobby Brown. Moreover, there have been other rockers that have enthusiastically donated money, support and prayers to those at the center of the case.

But how long will this last? Especially since many the individuals supporting Jena 6 are publicly blasted for their raunchy and/or violent music? Not to mention those who are too busy defending themselves in court or getting carted off to jail for some of the same reasons why the Jena 6 boys got in trouble.

For instance, rapper Foxy Brown told reporters that they should pay more attention to what’s happening with the Jena 6 case, and not hers. Foxy Brown said all this during her legal trouble, which stemmed from her smacking a nail salon employee.

Rapper Trick Daddy was arrested for disorderly drinking, resisting arrest, and fighting in a Miami strip club in September.

David Banner and Master P defended their music to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “Aren’t there bitches out there?” David Banner asked. “Don’t they exist? Those types of women exist, and if they didn’t it’d be different.”

All of these situations are funny to me because there was a time when Hip Hop artists simply made the music they wanted without any excuses. Like, Public Enemy. They were a group that constantly educated and enlightened youths about their political and social surroundings, serenading crowds with songs like Hell No We Ain’t All Right and Can’t Truss It.

William Jelani Cobb, author of To the Break of Dawn, describes Rakim’s Casualties of War album as an eerie, Nostradamus-like tale of urban terrorism similar to the horrors of September 11th.

And Ice Cube’s 1990 album, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted came out after the Rodney King beating and LA Riots. On his track Tales from the Darkside, he said the LAPD’s role was to “serve, protect, and break a n*ggas neck.”


So what’s different? There are too many excuses and not enough responsibility. Too many rappers aren’t taking responsibility for the words they express. If their neighborhood’s are dilapidated, over run with drugs and filled with men and women that hold no moral values, then there’s nothing anyone can do but try to fix the problem. At the same time, local and national decision makers need to take their communities back into their own hands, whether it’s on Capitol Hill or in their back yards. Rappers don’t express their views for just no reason, and neighbors don’t complain when there’s nothing to complain about.

Perhaps there will be some Hip Hop artists that will stand up and start taking more accountability for the lyrics they write. Maybe lawmakers nationwide will stop talking and start constructing and developing cleaner, safer communities.

Maybe America needed the Jena 6 experience—we obviously haven’t learned our lessons from years prior.