Kanye West causes controversy on NBC

[WesSyde]

hey Jim u made some good points that i hadn't thought about. why wouldn't people evacuate? well i think one reason is that the flood that came with the hurricane wasn't expected. that being said, people should still evacuate. i know i sure would if a hurricane ever came where i live. i don't care what the category is, i'd be outta there. especially after what i've seen can happen on tv. i understand people are poor, but there's gotta be some way to get to a higher ground. but also, if the people can misjudge the impact of a hurricane like that, then the government can too, and they did. the government is just as guilty of misjudging the impact and coming late as the people in New Orleans are of not evacuating.

i also agree with the race point. this is a huge disaster, we need to come together. separating the races by calling out the president on race issues isn't required right now. people need to come together, black, white, rich, or poor and and grind it out damnit!

unfortunately the severity of this hurricane wasn't expected and that's why it got so bad. i mean, aren't there people who could have the common sense to say "hey there's a CAT 5 hurricane coming to New Orleans, where they are BELOW sea level with only an old, weak levee holding them back from all the water above them. why wasn't this expected? hindsight is always 20/20 and there's always things that should've been done or could've happened. i think people need to get past that and unite together to make the best of this situation

Edited September 3, 2005 by reborn2reign

[MaxFly]

...but everyone seems to shy away from the issue of needless violence and assault.

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The news doesn't seem to shy away from that at all.

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They also don't seem to be shying away from the fact that the govenment has failed to provide adequate support for those who are still suffering.

They are doing their job; addressing all sides of the issue and asking the questions that need to be asked. The media has in no way given the government a free pass on their slowness in providing aid to those in Louisiana and especially New Orlenes.

Perhaps Kanye should follow the media's lead and address all sides of the story as well.

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I suppose that the coverage you get in Mass is very different the coverage I see in Indiana. Which could explain why we're on different sides on this. :) The coverage I see rarely asks any hard questions about why the response time for this group of people seems to be so much worse then the response time for other groups of people.

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Chris Matthews, Tucker Carlson, Keith Olbermann, Rita Crosby, Anderson Cooper have all been discussing it... In fact, I'm watching CNN right now, and they are discussing the race issue and the response issue this very second...

[Chief]

explains a lot....folks...if you actually believe Bush sat there 4 days till he jumped, you are sadly misinformed.....

[WesSyde]

explains a lot....folks...if you actually believe Bush sat there 4 days till he jumped, you are sadly misinformed.....

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well a lot of the people that have contributed in this topic are some of the older ones on the board. Ted, MaxFly, Schnazz are all in their 20's and 30's.

[Chief]

i wonder what kind of outcry there wouldve been if the govt actually went into the houses and forced residents from their homes.

[bigted]

Hey now there's a lot of older folks that're outraged by this too, I know my parents are pissed, the reason I brought up Bill O'Reilly for a reference is that if it was Will Smith that was being accused with rape he'd have to live with it for the rest of his life and would lose his popularity and yet Bill O'Reilly stays on the air like nothin' happens, Michael Jackson will never sell as much as he used to but he's innocent! :shrug: Look at Eminem, he went to jail for gun charges, calls his mama a whore, and now is in rehab for drugs, now if Will Smith or Kanye West did this they'd live with it forever, Eminem's gonna have a statue of himself and be known as the most original rapper of this generation when he dies just like Elvis and his birthday will be a national holiday. It's hard for black people to get acceptance in society, you do a million good things but if you do one your image is ruined and you ain't forgiven, why do you think we're mad? Wouldn't you be mad if your race was through 200 of years of racism and yet you're still called a stupid n****r?!! Anyway why'd it take 4 days for major action to be made? The rest of the world is gonna be putting us down, we're not looking the most powerful nation right now, this Bush is making us look like idiots throughout the rest of the world! To be homeless, hungry, and thirsty in the middle of chaos is a disgrace! This is America not Afganistan damn it, if we can't handle a f***n' hurricane how could we handle terroists? people don't like hip-hop 'cause rappers have the balls to say what's on their minds more than other musicians but the most who do it go unknown, I mean they'd rather see 50 Cent and Eminem sell 5 million with meaningless songs than to have Nas or Kanye West sell that much 'cause songs with meaning is like barbershop talk to the public and they don't want that to be heard, this verse in "American Way" is exactly how the streets feel, I bet the media will make up something about Kanye's past to ruin his image:

"Yeah, check it, uh

Spot build-rocker, lil' papa killed Hoffa

Beard lil' longer, feel strong and I'll stop ya

Drill sergeant, still thorough, wheelbarrows of distilled vodka

Get me real bonkers like Will Ferrell on cat tranquilizer

Rap guys get bank and think they messiahs, but they liars

Vote fo who now? You're red, white and blue?

I'm American too, but I ain't with the president's crew

What you peddlin' and who you peddlin' to?

You ain't got the ghetto with you

Try'na lead my sheep to the slaughterhouse

Talkin 'bout +Rap the Vote+, you ain't thought about

The black vote mean nathan, who you gonna elect

Satan or Satan? In the hood nothin is changin, uh

We ain't got no choices who to choose

Ten-years ago they were tryin to stop our voices

And end Hip-Hop, they some hypocrites

Condoleeza Rice - I don't really get this chick

Tell her if she ever really cared about poor schools

About poor children, then she gotta prove that she

ain't just another coon Uncle Tom fool

Like these MC's, gotta give 'em the rules

Lie to the youth, Uncle Tom you confused

Might as well give the Hip-Hop community a noose

Need a truce with the gangs and some food for the hungry

On Kerry nuts, he look at you like a monkey

You MC's on that old slavery path

The Bushs'll look at yo' ass and laugh

See, it's all about community, let's help ourselves

Cops brutalize us get dealt with with shells

It's our turn, it's 'bout time we win

Need somebody as the hood as my councilman, uh"

Edited September 3, 2005 by bigted

[MaxFly]

Ted, you said...

"they put down Mike Tyson for being a rapist but Bill O'Reilly was charged with rape too but they don't talk about that anymore the way they do with Mike Tyson"

Those are your exact words... You didn't say if Bill O"Reily was charged with rape... You said "Bill O'Reilly was charged with rape too but they don't talk about that anymore."

When was Bill O'Rielly charged with rape...

[bigted]

Ted, you said...

"they put down Mike Tyson for being a rapist but Bill O'Reilly was charged with rape too but they don't talk about that anymore the way they do with Mike Tyson"

Those are your exact words... You didn't say if Bill O"Reily was charged with rape... You said "Bill O'Reilly was charged with rape too but they don't talk about that anymore."

When was Bill O'Rielly charged with rape...

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Aight man that was a typo but you're missing my point, don't you think if Will was accused of rape like Bill O'Reilly was and even was proven innocent like Bill O'Reilly was wouldn't Will's image still be ruined? :stickpoke: I mean they still talk about 2Pac being in jail 10 years later and won't let him rest in peace and yet Eminem being in jail is quickly forgotten already. :sick: It should be a double standard in society, we're not totally equal yet.

[rcpbball30]

I've got a lot of different thoughts about this issue, but I really don't have the time or patience to put it down, but I would say my opinion on the issue has to fall within the realm of Jim's and Maxfly's. Kanye wasn't seeming to look at both sides when he said that, and should have been calling for unification, not more controversy during such a tragedy. Later, when I have the time, I will expand on this topic more.

[bigted]

What's so different about Kanye West speakin' what he said to the public last night than it is when he and many other conscious rappers say the same things in their songs? I guess it's ok for a rapper to talk about it on wax with a few people listening to them but god forbid if they say something on national TV or make a music video for it, they start to jump on you for it! :shake: In that case I guess it's ok for 50's "Candy Shop" to get major rotation and Nas' "Just Another Moment"get lil' airplay huh? :stickpoke: Hip-hop is expression of the opinion of the streets, that's what's keepin' it alive, Kanye West gave me a good feeling that hip-hop is still alive in the public!

[Chief]

Lets address this shall we.

First and foremost. Louisiana still has 70 percent of their Natl Guard not deployed overseas. Now my question is why were they not deployed quicker? Do you know who has authority over the Natl Guard?

Secondly, I never said I was not disappointed in the way this was handled. What I feel is that people are jumping on the band wagon of "Blame the National Govt and Bush" when in reality, the mayor and the governor of Louisiana should be looked at hard and heavy.

People are quick to assume that Bush just sat there. Well, Bush signed the State of Emergency document less than 24 hours after the hurricane had hit. It takes time for ships to be loaded and resources to make their way to New Orleans. Not only that, how the hell do you expect the Coast Guard and Navy to make their way into the harbor and lakes when debris is floating everywhere. That stuff has to be cleared first.

Yes, the way this is being handled is FUBAR. The blame hardly rests on Bush, let alone the National Govt.....thus I feel Kanyes statement is moot and uneducated.

Edited September 3, 2005 by Chief

[MaxFly]

Ted, you said...

"they put down Mike Tyson for being a rapist but Bill O'Reilly was charged with rape too but they don't talk about that anymore the way they do with Mike Tyson"

Those are your exact words... You didn't say if Bill O"Reily was charged with rape... You said "Bill O'Reilly was charged with rape too but they don't talk about that anymore."

When was Bill O'Rielly charged with rape...

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Aight man that was a typo but you're missing my point, don't you think if Will was accused of rape like Bill O'Reilly was and even was proven innocent like Bill O'Reilly was wouldn't Will's image still be ruined? :stickpoke: I mean they still talk about 2Pac being in jail 10 years later and won't let him rest in peace and yet Eminem being in jail is quickly forgotten already. :sick: It should be a double standard in society, we're not totally equal yet.

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Ted, Bill O'Reilly was never accused of rape... No one has said that Bill O'Reilly raped them... That may be a typo too, so I'll give you time to correct that as well.

I'm going to address your point, but I'll continue to press you on this Bill O'Reilly thing, so don't skip a response to it...

You're right. Society often has a double standard for people of differet races.

However...

Many rappers these days go to jail and they often sell more records as a result so the eminem thing isn't that big an issue. So many rappers are charged with illegal possesion of weapons and drugs, it's become common place and is quickly forgotten, not just for Eminem as you have insinuated, but for everyone...

The thing with 2Pac is that he glorified his jail time, always talked about it, always made it an issue. The man had thug life tatooed across his stomach. He talked about it in his music so it is always going to be an issue when he is mentioned...

[MaxFly]

What's so different about Kanye West speakin' what he said to the public last night than it is when he and many other conscious rappers say the same things in their songs?  I guess it's ok for a rapper to talk about it on wax with a few people listening to them but god forbid if they say something on national TV or make a music video for it, they start to jump on you for it!  :shake:  In that case I guess it's ok for 50's "Candy Shop" to get major rotation and Nas' "Just Another Moment"get lil' airplay huh?  :stickpoke:  Hip-hop is expression of the opinion of the streets, that's what's keepin' it alive, Kanye West gave me a good feeling that hip-hop is still alive in the public!

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The problem with what Kanye said is that he spoke it at a time and a place that was inappropriate. Again, he should have sought to promote unity and to call on Americans to help their fellow Americans... It was not the time and the place to call out the president or criticize the government. He had a right to say what he said, but he chose a poor time and place to say it. And again, if he realy wanted to say something meaningful, he should have called on his brothers in Louisiana to work with one another and to stop the violence and the lawlessness. He should have called on them to work with those who are trying to provide aid, not hinder their efforts.

[bigted]

The thing is though more people criticize 2Pac for his thug life than they do for Eminem for all the stuff that he did so far, it's like it's ok if Eminem makes a scene in public but when 2Pac did it the media nailed him hard and still do, the East Coast-West Coast beef is the most memorable thing of Pac's career, before that he was a conscious rapper like Common that was slept on, he wasn't famous till he was shot and then couldn't control his emotions that much after that, I could understand that somebody could feel angry after they were shot it's all normal, it's like you gotta hide all your emotions when your black or else you'll get criticised, we all gotta be Uncle Toms in other words, 2Pac was a true man not no uncle time, he wasn't afraid to speak his mind. In fact the bandwagon fans ignore the songs like "Keep Ya Head Up" and "Dear Mama", it's like the way 2Pac is betrayed by the media you'd think that he was just a heartless wannable thug like 50 Cent, they don't really know the true story of his career and yet Eminem is considered a hero for talking about killing his mama and his girlfriend, you don't think if he was black he'd be criticized more? Allen Iverson made an album say fag a lot like Eminem and yet his got shelved, sure he might not have much skills but at least he should be allowed to release his album just like Eminem is when he says fag a million times, Kanye West stood up and said rappers shouldn't say fag, I bet the media might get on him about that too gradually just like they did with Will sayin' that he curses a lot in his movies when it's only a script really, it's like the ones that stand up for somethin' get criticised and the ones that pollute the airwaves get praised. 2Pac loved women and his mama too, he hated scandelous women so he called them bitches, I feel the same way too about that so shoot me too right? We gotta address problems in society and talk them out just like this instead of avoiding talking about it and just acting like everything's perfect, you say it was a bad time and place but I say it's a good time in place, when is the right time to talk about something? Bush would have less blacks hating on him if he'd talk to representives of hip-hop like Russell Simmons and Chuck D more often to understand their point of views and then find a way to do things to improve the black community, when people ignore you you get mad, people protested in Texas and yet Bush didn't acknowledge the woman and sit down to talk to her for 5 minutes, if you talk to somebody the problem could easily be solved! For a lot of blacks a lot of times we have no options but to sell crack, play ball, or rap to make a living, it's harder for us to get jobs even if we have degrees and if we ever go to jail it's even harder for us to be accepted back in society, Bush and all politicians needs to address this issue too. I graduated high school 2 years ago and yet I could only keep a job at a store for like 6 months at a time so far and sometimes I wonder what I'm gonna do? I work hard too but they lay me off and don't call me back even when their buisiness picks up again so I have to go somewhere else, I wonder if things will change when I graduate college, it frustrates me sometimes, hopefully I'll still be able to afford the internet, lol, I wanna do the best I can to get by I don't wanna go down the fast lane doing somethin' I'll regret later on so I pray that I'll make it, sometimes hope isn't enough for us though, pride is all we have. Anyway, I remember hearing about the Bill O'Reilly trial just like once or twice on the news last year, they didn't focus in on it that much so if you blinked you missed it, a woman who worked on FoxNewsChannel for Bill O'Reilly's show accused him of rape, read all about it here if you want to:

http://beldar.blogs.com/beldarblog/2004/10...ning_litig.html

btw, Jim ain't u a MC Hammer fan? He made a song called "Brothers Hang On" where he expresses the exact mentality of how blacks are treated in society, some of these lines are my thoughts right now too, they don't even have the damn lyrics online I had to type them myself from listening to the song just now, it's retarted that positive mcs like MC Hammer get ignored, I just figured f*** it it's a deep song and it'd make a great point about what I'm sayin' here, Kanye has the right to express how we all feel, Hammer's probably proud of him!:

I gotta send this out to our people being genocized

600,000 brothers in jail, brothers we got to hang on

My mind is poisoned from the pictures I see(on tv)

The hookers all the killers seem to look like me (black)

A silly plan or super stupid plot(always gotta hustle)

It's always me that rock seems to got(hooked, why me?)

You let them tell it and I'm already through(He won't be nothin'!)

I can't take it what am I supposed to do(What I'm a supposed to do?)

And all of my heroes are rarely ever seen(only in trouble!)

You killed off one just for having a dream(Long live Martin!)

Everytime we get it together, the Uncle Toms break us on up

We're just like crabs in a basket, nobody lets us on up(why do we kill each other?)

I can't find a job with decent pay(nowhere!)

I hit the neighborhood where I stay(rock stars live there!)

I call on God but I don't pray

I don't think I'll make it anyway, my mind's gone

Hang on, brothers hang on(you got to hang on)

Hang on, brothers hang on(don't let go, don't let go!)

I see my homies living so large(they rollin')

They pass me by with no regard(frontin')

Rollin' hard, benefits of the game(yep, 'cause of the game!)

Bankroll's super fat plus they got that Oaktown fame(playground legends)

I try to fight it but I gotta survive(survive!, survival)

You can't tell me nothin' when I'm barely alive(I got to eat my brother)

I lost my woman and my self respect(What's really going on?)

I think it's time I go and grab my gat(I don't know what to do?)

And walk the streets and sling me some dope(sling ya dope!)

I got no money and I lost all hope, I'm gone

Hang on, brothers hang on(you got to hang on)

Hang on, brothers hang on(don't let go, don't let go!)

And now I'm sweatin' 'cause my mind is so confused(confused!)

And I don't know what way I should choose(I could go either way)

My mama would cry if she only knew(it'll break my mama's heart)

What I think I'm about to do(I gotta do it)

My gun is loaded and Joe is waiting(I'm waiting!)

And in this game I could die from just faking(perpetrating)

So here I go, I gotta take my chance(Life is a chance!)

Drop this off and I'll make a quick grand(A quick G!)

I'm scared as hell, I really don't want this life(No I don't)

But I gotta do something if it's wrong or if it's right(I gotta survive!)

It's not my fault that's what I keep saying(saying!)

And inside my mind, help me lord right now I'm praying, I'm going

Hang on, brothers hang on(you got to hang on)

Hang on, brothers hang on(don't let go, don't let go!)

Things have changed and I'm in deep(real deep!)

2 nines in my hand even when I'm asleep(if I sleep?!, if i sleep!)

And if I sleep I don't sleep long(not too long, can't sleep)

10 blocks from mine, it's going on strong(real strong!)

A lot of fly girls stay on my jock(jocking me!)

You get like that when your name is just so hot(in the streets!)

On top in the streets and my bank is big(real big!)

And now I'm glad that I did what I did(I'm rollin')

Fly suits big cars and plenty of gold(Fort knox)

Jacuzzi, bath tubs, and fly silk rugs(they sportin')

Enemies I got 'em(so?)but I don't care(they suckas!, don't care)

It's better over here than it was over there

I think

Hang on, brothers hang on(you got to hang on)

Hang on, brothers hang on(don't let go, don't let go!)

Someone is knocking, who could that be?(who is it? who is it?)

A basshead at my door but I got no sympathy(sympathy!)

You smoke the pipe(last deal though) and that's your thing(that's your thing!)

You try to jerk me and all you get is a bang(pow!)

Someone is knocking, who could that be?(who is it? who is it?)

Shots rang out, yo they shootin' at me(oh whats up?)

I grab my oozie, but it's too late

I'm not Tony the Tiger so I don't feel so great

My blood is runnin', I could feel it on my face(on my face)

And I hope somehow I could be back at my old place(my old place, chillin')

I'm dying fast and I feel cold

Losing my life at 20 years old

I don't wanna die

And I'm getting scared as I cry!

I'm gonna miss my mama and my family too(I love you mama)

I should've hung on but my life is through(my life is through)

I pray that somebody hears my song

And brothers, my brothers hang on

Hang on, brothers hang on(you got to hang on)

Hang on, brothers hang on(don't let go, don't let go!)

Damn I did so much ranting here, I might have a career in writing one day, I think I'll save this post! :lolsign: Anyway it all Bush's fault for all this but we need some president to relate to us, it ain't like we're gonna have a black president in our lifetime either though. :stickpoke:

[Hero1]

I think a lot of parties are to blame.. It certainly was not handled appropriately. Watching the news the last 5 or 6 days.. the question everyone's been asking is "Why?" and there doesnt seem to be an answer.. If someone can explain to me why they wern't letting people leave, why people on highways were getting no food water or medical supplies.. please do.