MOTIVATION: ENOUGH IS ENUFF
It seems we haven’t dealt with Police/Civilian relations
on this large a scale since Rodney King, Amadou Diallo
and the like years ago. Hip Hop was in the forefront
when it was time to address it with groups like Public
Enemy, NWA and other socially conscious MC’s.
Though I hate to say it, it seems we’ve gotten comfortable
with a certain level of police brutality since those
days. The subject matter in Hip Hop has become saturated
with money, cars, jewelry, clubs and strippers with no
real attachment to what “real” people are dealing with on
a daily basis. So even if there were instances after the
ones involving King and Diallo, Hip Hop was either unwilling
to address it, or the MC’s who were mentally
equipped to address these issues were drowned out by the
new breed of artist celebrating wealth and prosperity.
And with the power shift, the music industry and the
radio stations placed their money and support behind the
“party and BS”, ultimately silencing the MC’s that were
socially aware, forcing them to go underground.
My motivation for writing and recording “Enough is
Enuff” came from the continued silence after the deaths
of Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Jonathan
Ferrell, Eric Garner and Mike Brown. Out of the 6 cases
only 3 actually went to trial and out of those 3 only 2 resulted
in convictions. One of those convictions was of a
police officer. The other cases resulted in questionable
verdicts and others never made it to trial due to questionable
decisions from the Grand Jury not to bring charges
against the suspects…who were police officers. Enough
was enough!! For all these situations to be in front of our
faces, on the TV and internet and for Hip Hop to be relatively
silent didn’t sit well with me. I have 2 sons and I
wouldn’t want to experience what the loved ones of those
who have fallen are experiencing right now. Hip Hop
needed to speak on it. Not just speak on it but be LOUD
about it. It’s time out for the “party and BS” because our
children are dying. Respect to artists like David Banner,
Talib Kweli and J. Cole for their voices and participation,
but more is needed. After a detailed discussion with
Christina Hines, my Manager I decided to put pen to
paper and as a result “Enough is Enuff” was created. I
know my voice is only but so big, but I pray that it resonates
enough to reach the minds of our youth, their parents
and even law enforcement.
For Booking and Inquiries: Christina Hines (817) 879-2361 / xmmanagementgroup@gmail.com
