Filed under: Celebrity News, Dr. Boyce Money, News, Education
With every passing day, I am seeing more and more that the wild west days of Death Row Records in the 1990s are still upon us. T.I. and his associates, who once presented themselves as representing the evolution of hip hop, are now positioned as nothing more than a reminder of the same old thing. I'm not sure what could be more stereotypical than a bunch of black men fighting over a diamond encrusted gold medallion. I guess we'll get more of the details in a Vh-1 'Behind the Music' special in the year 2025.
Another element of this "compelling" story is that other artists with names like 'Spodee,' 'C-Rod' and 'Mac Boney' are named in the lawsuit for their part in the alleged assault. Gersham claims that someone threatened him with a gun before pushing him down a flight of steps. C-Rod allegedly recorded the fight on his cell phone and sent it to T.I., whom the suit claims did nothing to stop the attack.
Killer Mike has taken issue with the allegations and says that they are "100 percent false." He also argues that the story runs counter to the role he plays in the community as a youth advocate. While we might like to know the truth, it appears to be nothing more than he-say, she-say at this point.
Apparently, T.I.'s involvement in the lawsuit comes down to his having the deepest pockets and the biggest name in the room. The Chinese have a saying that "the fattest pig always gets slaughtered," so if you're as wealthy as T.I., you might as well accept the fact that people are going to sue you if you give them an opportunity. I'm not sure if receiving the cell phone video should make T.I. liable in the suit, but it certainly helps the lawsuit get into the news.
As for the nature of the attack, I just wonder when we can get past the days where brothers feel the need to thug it out in the studio, with a pound of weed, pulling pistols out on each other over gold chains. The business of hip-hop has turned into a pile of monkey business, keeping black men in situations where we are begging to be enslaved, broke or incarcerated. This whole story is just silly.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.