Rapper: I Wouldn't Help Police Catch A Serial Killer

This whole situation with the rapper is disturbing. However, I just found the web page of the 60 minutes segment. Most frightening is the "Cause and Effect" video, which shows some children explaining the "stop snitching" campaign.

60minutes.yahoo.com...

I think it's the most disheartening thing I have seen in a long time.

I don't think Cam'ron is responsible for the don't snitch thing. As long as there have been bad cops in black neighborhoods, it's been common sense not to call on them. They're not your friend. Unfortunately, the police have done little to nothing to help the situation. They often simply say "screw it" and ignore the real crime. Then they assault law abiding citizens just as they would a criminal.

Why snitch when you'll either be hurt by the criminal, or by the police?

Originally posted by Essedarius

Originally posted by jbondo
What percentage of rappers can actually sing or play instruments? I'm not being a wise guy, I really want to know and scratching records doesn't qualify.

You can't compare rappers accurately to musicians...they are wordsmiths, and should be compared to poets.[/quote

uhh, when their 'product' is sold in the music section of best buy and their 'product' is on the music charts and they are involved with the music awards, then yes, you compare them to musicians...thats what they are attempting to me....it's not the same as a poet...a poet writes poetry...poetry don't have music to it...you don't buy your poetry on a cd..

i will generalize cause well, i can...i have not listened to all rap but i have listened to my fair share...between my 'phase' when i was younger and my 3 younger bros, i heard enough.....in short, it blows...
i could handle certain things from certain people but as a whole, i think it is garbage...

people want to keep tossing out these 'talented' rappers with a message but thats not what you hear...you have to hunt that stuff down...whats played on the radio, mtv, mtv2, sat radio, and what is on the charts is this mainstream garbage...
a friggin turntable is not an instrument....can you hit middle c when you are scratching?
can you wrong through a chromatic scale with your turntable scratches?
didn't think so...it's some creative way to make noise and push it as music.

um did u wish to comment on all that you just quoted?

Stop snitchin' stop liein' but most of all stop hatin'!

cam and other rappers live a different life style then most here are accustomed too. it's the code of the streets! and it's not just rappers! you think the mafiosos dont/didnt follow a similar code?

Rasobasi420, youre doin a good job of defending this position mang

[edit on 24-4-2007 by biotic]

yeah, someone said you can't compare them to musicians but poets...so, i said

uhh, when their 'product' is sold in the music section of best buy and their 'product' is on the music charts and they are involved with the music awards, then yes, you compare them to musicians...thats what they are attempting to me....it's not the same as a poet...a poet writes poetry...poetry don't have music to it...you don't buy your poetry on a cd..

i will generalize cause well, i can...i have not listened to all rap but i have listened to my fair share...between my 'phase' when i was younger and my 3 younger bros, i heard enough.....in short, it blows...
i could handle certain things from certain people but as a whole, i think it is garbage...

people want to keep tossing out these 'talented' rappers with a message but thats not what you hear...you have to hunt that stuff down...whats played on the radio, mtv, mtv2, sat radio, and what is on the charts is this mainstream garbage...
a friggin turntable is not an instrument....can you hit middle c when you are scratching?
can you wrong through a chromatic scale with your turntable scratches?
didn't think so...it's some creative way to make noise and push it as music..

and bwuahahahahah to having to have 'street cred' to sell your 'poetry'...bwuahahahah

Originally posted by biotic
Stop snitchin' stop liein' but most of all stop hatin'!

cam and other rappers live a different life style then most here are accustomed too. it's the code of the streets! and it's not just rappers! you think the mafiosos dont/didnt follow a similar code?

Rasobasi420, youre doin a good job of defending this position mang

[edit on 24-4-2007 by biotic]

now you can't really compare a wannabe musician with organized crime....you know, mafioso usually try to lay somewhat low...unless you're john gotti...either way, you're not on the charts and in music videos...

and code of the streets....please...he ain't on the streets...he might have been back in the day but not now...he is in a mansion with his 4 lambhorghinis(as quoted by him in that 60 minutes interview).....
code of the street my ass....he is so far removed from the street...he's in some labels pocket....

it's painful to me when i think back to geniouses like frank zappa getting totally railroaded...never got any radio play cause of his lyrics....one of the greatest minds, greatest thinkers and greates musicians that has ever lived...yet these days you hear utter trash on the radio...it' pretty sad the state of music these days....least i have my zappa discography to get me by

Originally posted by Boondock78
people want to keep tossing out these 'talented' rappers with a message but thats not what you hear...you have to hunt that stuff down...whats played on the radio, mtv, mtv2, sat radio, and what is on the charts is this mainstream garbage...

I think you got the point. Yup, corporate #. $$$$$$

a friggin turntable is not an instrument....can you hit middle c when you are scratching?

Can Placido Domingo scratch? Who determines what is acceptable music?

can you wrong through a chromatic scale with your turntable scratches?
didn't think so...it's some creative way to make noise and push it as music..

Have you heard what Hendrix could do with a guitar?

and bwuahahahahah to having to have 'street cred' to sell your 'poetry'...bwuahahahah

Gotta go with you on that one. That's called a "sell out".

First of all the person who works the turntables IS NOT the rapper .that is the DJ aka DJ drama, Jam Master J, DJ Clue etc. 2nd NOONE simply scratches..thats 80's 90's style. 3rd it taes skill to come up with beats and melodies. Maybe they didnt play the violen themselves but they mixed that violen with that snar drum, and blended it into perfect harmony with that guitar. Next people like cam'ron yeah they have houses and nice cars but they still go to the streets quite often b/c thats where they were born and raised and there family lives. Thats like saying well i was born and raised in the us but because i have lived in mexico for 2 yrs. i am so far removed from where i came from.
I do not like cam'ron, i dont think he is a good rapper and he thinks he is more talented than he really is.. But i know where he is coming from. It is the code of the street not only perpetuated by thugs but by cops. Cops want you to snitch but they wont provide adequate protection if you help them or, they randomly start shooting or sodomizing the people that live in you community.Why help them? If two weeks ago they just shot a man who looks like you, your brother your son 50 times and the suspect didnt have a gun. Why help when the police is notorious for corruption. Why help if it could put in dager from both sides of the street.

intrepid, the listener would determine what is acceptable...i heard hendrix of course. i study theory and play guitar...i heard him make some killer music with the instrument....i also heard him make noise with the same instrument.

there is a difference between music and noise...hendrix used a lot of noise.

anyway, my point was, if it is more poetry, then get em off the music charts and off cd's and into poetry books

not all poetry belongs in books.Its called spoken word. Mos def, Common, and Tupac songs would not be able to reach the'common' people plus that is just the way they choose to express themselves. if you dont like it...turn the channel its not for you.. Saying just put it in a book is like saying there is no need for spoken word poetry in cofee shops, why dont they just put it in a book?

Originally posted by Boondock78
it's painful to me when i think back to geniouses like frank zappa getting totally railroaded...never got any radio play cause of his lyrics....one of the greatest minds, greatest thinkers and greates musicians that has ever lived...yet these days you hear utter trash on the radio...it' pretty sad the state of music these days....least i have my zappa discography to get me by

So you get it.... When does Clear Channel play good music? As a matter of fact, they openly, and publicly censor any music they play. They will not play anything that is in the slightest way dissenting. Just like Frank Zappa.

In my city every radio station that broadcasts above whatever power output it takes to actually listen to the station clearly, is owned by Clear Channel. The only hold outs are college radio. And they're not even safe. One college radio station had so many listeners that Clear Channel bought them from the University, but kept the name and "format". without the college radio dissent of course.

I use to think this way as well...when I was thirteen years old. The guys an uneducated and immature thug. Nuff said.

Originally posted by Boondock78
anyway, my point was, if it is more poetry, then get em off the music charts and off cd's and into poetry books

Poetry isn't always meant to be read. As a matter of fact, Oscar Wilde loved to hear himself talk so much he would have killed to be on the radio.

Poetry is an expression of any kind. And the point is to get people to feel it. CDs and radio are just another way to do it. That's why it's so dangerous to have it controlled by money.

the poets you mention are not on the music charts. these people(rappers) are trying to pass as musicians...you guys, the fans are calling them poets....they're the top names in a generally crappy genre....just an opinion

Dude, I don't call Cam'ron a poet any more than you'd call the Backstreet Boys musicians.

Unless you call the Backstreet Boys musicians?

Hahaha DipSET!!!

You guys may look at his comments as stupid, but from his point of view its reality.

Busta Rhymes last year saw his best friend get shot, he seen who did it, he seen the gun but he never said anything about it.

Truth to all this is, 40+ people saw 2pac get shot, those people were assaulted, and arrested.

100+ saw Biggy get shot, police covered # up.

Cam'ron gets shot, shooter dies a couple of months later.

Stuff like this is better handled in the streets.


But I dont agree about knowing a serial killer next door and not saying anything. He probably didn't think before he said this. What I think he ment is.

"If I knew a nigga who clapped 4 niggaz last week cause they rolled on his cousin last year, I wouldn't snitch"

Originally posted by Praafit


"If I knew a nigga who clapped 4 niggaz last week cause they rolled on his cousin last year, I wouldn't snitch"

um.. i really hope ur black...(im just saying, that was the first thought that came to my mind after reading this and laughing) besides that i agree that thats prb what he meant.

ImpliedChaos and interpid

Respect! Keep up the execution!

I totally agree that hip-hop is an artform as any other artform. It's like painting - some artists' paintings are wack, other artists' are superb. But you don't say that all painting is wack - thus u can't say that all hip-hop is wack - don't like it? don't listen to it, but don't accuse and offend those who do and listen to hip-hop.

Cost of being a rapper & getting free publicity? by saying you wouldn't help the cops catch a serial killer, because record sales will drop? - $00.00

The irony, of record sales dropping because you were actually killed by a serial killer? - $Priceless



*But* like anything it depends on perspective, if the serial killer is running around say Compton, murdering anybody with cornrows, he's a serial killer, but too other folks in more affluent parts of town he's a vigilante, to the folks higher up the pecking order still he's doing community service, so and so forth, the problem persists.

Quick we are to condemn, but walk a mile in someone elses shoes, and see if you dont get blisters.




[edit on 25-4-2007 by DeepSixIt]