Monday, August 02, 2004

Republican take on the "Hip Hop Vote"


If Only Bonecrusher was a Republican!

The efforts of some in hip hop has been written off as "corny" by "towering" Republican hip hop head Darius Mitchell. And he should know, according to this article in the Weekly Standard.

A funny bit of dialogue between the article's write and Darius Mitchell, some "generation gap" type interaction going on:

Remy Martin is on the list. I joke to Darius that I know him, he makes a fine cognac. "She" he corrects.

"That guy is Lloyd Banks," he says, "his single right now is on fire." "It's pretty, hot, huh?" I counter, trying to speak the language. "No, no," he says with a pitying glance, "That's the name of the single: 'On Fire.'" "Oh," I say, now feeling as though my press pass should read "Whitey W. Whitebread."

"There's Jadakiss," he says, pointing out the rapper who recently suggested in rhyme that George W. Bush felled the World Trade Center. "What about this Benzino fella?" I ask Darius. A look of concern crosses his face. "I hope he's not here," he says, "because him and Jadakiss don't get along. Benzino's crew got stabbed-up a while back." That would be bad, I agree, though I'm secretly pleased, since the Democratic Convention has already proven on the dull side, and it is highly improbable that anyone's crew will get stabbed-up at The National Conference of Democratic Mayors luncheon.


Who the hell cares what Babs of Da Band has to say? Apparently, the author seems to care and picks her to represent all politically active hip hoppers:

I ask Babs if Puffy's had any second thoughts. "Da Band is a wrap," she says with finality. Still, even without job security, she felt she had to be here since "it's a big thing--it's more for the kids." I don't take Babs for a current-events buff, but she has seen Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11." "Woowwwww!!!" is her reaction to it. I ask her what she holds Bush responsible for. "Everything," she replies, "The war, the World Trade Center, just everything." Asked if Bush was complicit in the Twin Towers going down, she responds, "I think he had a part in it. There was a lot of people that was involved, but he knew it was going to happen."

He goes on to say that she is in charge of "voter education" for the Hip Hop Summit Action Network, and that if she is, then "voters are in trouble".

He also talks to Farnsey Bentworth:

Over in another corner, Puffy's protégé and former Jeeves, Farnsworth Bentley, stands immaculately tailored, crisply appointed in a bold-stripe suit, his cap-toed kicks shining like light bulbs, and an umbrella--from his new line of umbrellas--hooked over his arm. Bentley likens the voter-registration seeds being planted to his own umbrella entrepreneurship. "They're not going to understand until they see the umbrella fly out, like okay, this is serious. This man really started something. He made using umbrellas indoors a not-bad look." Not voting he says, is exhibiting bad taste, "like walking around without a pocket square." But he won't say who he'll vote for. He's waiting for the debates--"I want to hear people talking smart."

My problem with this article is that people who are dimwitted politically are given some kind of attention and focus. Who the hell cares about Babs from Da Band, and Farnsey Bentworth? Furthermore, I don't know who Darius Mitchell is, and I don't care if he's a "towering black man", as though that's some form of validity. Reminds me of Bill O Reilly's stunt of having an ex-gang member on his show; again, another "towering black man" who should have the last word because he's towering, black and now he's a Republican!

"It's corny," says Darius Mitchell, and Darius should know. He is a towering black man and hip-hop head who edits an online newsletter called masspoliticalnews.com, which sub-specializes in policing the intersection between political and hip-hop cultures. Mercifully, it's not a very busy intersection. But on this day, unfolding in the shadow of the Democratic Convention, is the Hip-Hop Summit, which for Darius, is sort of like Christmas, and Mardi Gras
and Oscar-Night all rolled into one.


Of course, he's towering, he's black, he edits for a Right Wing website, so, hey, he should know! LOL....next they should find a Right Wing version of Bonecrusher who screams pro Bush slogans. That'll work! LOL.

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