In the wake of Pop Smoke’s murder earlier this week, many artists have provided their various takes on the tragedy.
On Wednesday (February 19) – only hours after the news broke — dead prez MC stic headed to Instagram with his own “RIP” post alongside a unique perspective on the state of Hip Hop culture. The veteran artist suggested Hip Hop is no longer recognizable in its original form.
Instead, he said it’s become a culture where negativity is consistently celebrated, a stark contrast from the early days when Hip Hop was intended to uplift and inspire.
“As a culture in Hip Hop, broadly speaking, we seem addicted to glorifying supporting perpetuating and celebrating negativity,” he began. “We support and celebrate misogyny, self hate, fratricide, homicide and genocide, and we do it with pure arrogance and ego, in almost everywhere you turn in mainstream and social media. Rappers have become the joke of the culture, spitting out nonsense in flashy and catchy ways for the chance of fame and financial gain. Every major radio channel amplifies it.
“Men and Women accept and participate in the negative atmosphere. All in the name of money, notoriety and glorifying the cliches of the streets. We have watched the same cycle breed death and cause harm in numerous ways over and over and over and over again. Your favorite rappers will speak out when a fellow rapper life is cut short due to the same nonsense mentalities that most of their own music perpetuates. It’s not that we don’t know better by now. It’s a choice.”
stic continued by pointing out the people who co-sign the negativity are just as responsible as those who make the music, although he acknowledged he’s supportive of the younger generation of rappers getting paid — as long as they don’t squander their opportunities.
“And those of us who keep supporting the same are feeding the flames of the foolishness,” he wrote. “Of course we are happy to see the young ones getting to the bread and be in positions to make a difference but too many times all that potential goes down the drain because of the atmosphere that surrounds the success. I know solid cats like Malcolm X and others were killed for their voices as well but in this day of age, we have completely sold out our culture for popularity stunts and we have become a tool of our own oppression.”
The RBG Fit Club mastermind added, “Everybody wanna act cool and look the part and talk greasy and not enough are willing to embody real values and represent something helpful for our communities. For me hip hop has lost its true heart and traded it in for poor values, negativity and fools gold. If we want a better world and life for our community, families children and each other, we have to be willing to let this corny ignorant weak self destructive bullshit die.”
He concluded with, “#RIP to all the BS and let’s live like REAL ONES FOR REAL REASONS IN REAL WAYS FOR WHAT REALLY MATTERS.”
Pop Smoke was only 20 years old at the time of his death and is yet another young life taken by violence, drug overdose or suicide. As stic suggested, “If we want a better world and life for our community, families children and each other, we have to be willing to let this corny ignorant weak self destructive bullshit die.”