Over the last week, many Ukrainians have fled their country after Russian President Vladimir Putin began a invasion of Ukraine under the guise of a “peacekeeping operation.” You would think that in a crisis like this, people would be decent human beings. Think again.
Over the weekend, video surfaced of African students being denied passage on a train taking citizens out of the country.
Ukrainian Police officers refuse to allow a black African into a train transporting people fleeing Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/MX2Iq6N0dr
The videos spread across social media, and has prompted Young Thug, even though is thousands of miles away from the situation, to do something about it.
The Atlanta artist took to his Instagram Stories where he called upon his fellow rappers to help the thousands of African students get out of the country.
“If some of my rap brothers are in I’m willing to help Africans get out of Ukraine however I can sense they not letting us pass” Thug posted on his IG story. “Who ever holds the info for these movements please contact me ASAP I’m ready.”
Many students that are stranded in Ukraine have taken to social media to let the world know the racism that they are facing as they are trying to leave the country.
One student tweeted how the police threatened to shoot them and refused to let Africans cross into Poland and are allowing only Ukranians to pass.
“Watch how they are threatening to shoot us! We are currently at the Ukraine-Poland border. Their Police and Army refused to let Africans cross they only allow Ukrainian. Some have slept here for 2 days under this scorching cold weather, while many have gone back to Lviv.”
Watch how they are threatening to shoot us!
We are currently at the Ukraine -Poland border. Their Police and Army refused to let Africans cross they only allow Ukrainian. Some have slept here for 2 days under this scorching cold weather, while many have gone back to Lviv. pic.twitter.com/47YG4gxFC4
Last week, President Joe Biden nominated the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, Kentaji Brown Jackson. The next step for Brown Jackson will be a confirmation, showing the forthcoming battle between Democratic leaders and the believed pushback from republicans. According to NBC News, IL representative and White House and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin aim to have the confirmation complete by April 9, with the inclusion of Republican voters.
In response to Biden’s nomination, Democratic National Committee Chair Jamie Harrison released a statement in support of the selection:
“Today, President Biden delivered on yet another campaign promise. In doing so, he has made history. By announcing he will nominate Judge Jackson to the Supreme Court, President Biden has put forward an exceptionally qualified, talented jurist to serve on our nation’s highest court.
Judge Jackson will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Court. Her experience as a public defender will add a vital perspective. In short, Judge Jackson will live up to the legacy of Justice Breyer and the other qualified jurists that have served and continue to serve on the Supreme Court. I fully expect the Senate will agree and confirm Judge Jackson with bipartisan support — as they have three times before.
Judge Jackson will also shatter a longstanding glass ceiling in the judicial branch of our government. America’s greatest strength is the nation’s diversity. Our government works best when it represents and reflects the diverse people it serves. For too long, Black women have not seen themselves represented on our nation’s highest court — a court that renders decisions that affect their daily lives on everything from reproductive freedom to voting rights.
When the Senate confirms Judge Jackson, that will finally change. I am so excited for the country to be reminded once again that there is nothing a Black woman cannot do. She can be vice president. She can shape the future of our nation. And yes, she can serve on the Supreme Court.”
President Biden is promising the world will hold Russia accountable. In a statement late Wednesday night, Biden said his prayers are with the people of Ukraine as they “suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces.” He said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “premeditated war” will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.
This follows reports of Russian forces invading parts of Ukraine. Ukraine is wedged between Russia and Europe.
Last Wednesday, Russian President Putin ordered a “special military operation” to protect the Donbas region of Ukraine. an eastern territory that is already held by pro-Russia rebels.
In 2014, Putin invaded and annexed Crimea, which lies just to the south of the rest of Ukraine. Then, Putin backed pro-Russia rebels who started seizing territory in eastern Ukraine.
Biden noted he is meeting with G7 counterparts on Thursday morning and then will tell the American people what consequences the U.S. and its Allies will impose on Russia.
President Biden previously warned Moscow there would be “swift and severe consequences” if Russia invaded Ukraine.
Trump might’ve gotten kicked off of every social media platform but we sure still do hear a lot from him. The former President shared his thoughts about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and admiration for Russian President Vladamir Putin on the right-wing radio show The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show.
The former President, who was impeached for allegedly threatening to withhold aid to Ukraine unless it could hurt Biden, praised Putin for his military strategy while also saying that none of this would have happened if he was still President.
“Here’s a guy who’s very savvy … I know him very well,” Trump said about Putin. “Very, very well. By the way, this never would have happened with us. Had I been in office, not even thinkable. This would never have happened.” Trump went on to praise the Russian President for declaring two regions in Eastern Ukraine independent and calling the invasion a “peacekeeping” operation.
“I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of Ukraine, Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful,” Trump said. “So, Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?”
The White House responded to Trump’s remarks during a daily press briefing.
“As a matter of policy, we try not to take advice from anyone who praises President Putin and his military strategy, which I believe is what happened there, [or who] expresses an openness to lifting sanctions about the seizing of territory in Crimea, or at any point in time, told leaders of the [Group of Seven nations] that Crimea is a part of Russia, regardless if they are a former president,” Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
Ahmaud Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones is thankful the Department of Justice brought federal hate crimes against the three white men who were convicted of killing her son.
Arbery’s mother, father and lawyers came out of the courtroom with their hands raised in victory after the guilty verdicts were read. Mrs. Cooper-Jones said the DOJ was forced to convict the killers of her son because the family and supporters put pressure on them to do so.
She said she knew Ahmaud’s race was involved in the case from the beginning and knew the courts would side with them because of that.
“I now want to address the members of the DOJ. I’m very thankful that you guys brought these charges… but back on January 31, you guys accepted a plea deal with these three murderers” Cooper-Jones said.
She continued that she had “begged” the DOJ not to take the deal, and asserted that the verdict today would not have happened without her family’s continued activism.
President Biden is promising the world will hold Russia accountable. In a statement late Wednesday night, Biden said his prayers are with the people of Ukraine as they “suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces.” He said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “premeditated war” will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.
This follows reports of Russian forces invading parts of Ukraine. Ukraine is wedged between Russia and Europe.
Earlier today, Russian President Putin ordered a “special military operation” to protect the Donbas region of Ukraine. an eastern territory that is already held by pro-Russia rebels.
In 2014, Putin invaded and annexed Crimea, which lies just to the south of the rest of Ukraine. Then, Putin backed pro-Russia rebels who started seizing territory in eastern Ukraine.
Biden noted he is meeting with G7 counterparts on Thursday morning and then will tell the American people what consequences the U.S. and its Allies will impose on Russia.
President Biden previously warned Moscow there would be “swift and severe consequences” if Russia invaded Ukraine.
Former NBA baller Royce White is running for Congress, he announced Tuesday. White is running for Minnesota’s fifth congressional U.S. representative seat, currently held by Democrat Ilhan Omar. The former Iowa State player is running as a Republican, one of three vying to square off against her.
Today I’m officially announcing that I will be running for Congress in MN-CD5 against Ilhan Omar. It’s time to clean house. God Bless America! The Fight Continues… #Godspeedpic.twitter.com/Wx3GLZ8AcY
“Ten years ago, I took on the NBA and the establishment,” he said in his video monologue. “I said that mental health was one of the greatest issues we face. And I was willing to give up my dream to fight for people I have never met. I took the lead when others wouldn’t.
White gained national notoriety for his stances on mental health and those stances ultimately prevented him from having a real shot at an NBA career despite being selected No. 16 overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft. He played in only three NBA games for the Sacramento Kings during the 2013-14 season.
In the years since, White has played professional basketball in several different leagues, including being the No. 1 overall pick in Ice Cube’s Big 3’s 2019 draft. He has also spent the past several years training for a mixed martial arts career.
Two U.S. senators will introduce a bill today that would protect children online. The “Kids Online Safety Act” is co-sponsored by Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Republican Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
The bill would require social media platforms to provide parents with tools to protect their children from harmful content online, including sexual exploitation, bullying and product recommendations.
“The “Kids Online Safety Act” would finally give kids and their parents the tools and safeguards they need to protect against toxic content—and hold Big Tech accountable for deeply dangerous algorithms.
Algorithms driven by eyeballs and dollars will no longer hold sway. I will fight for swift passage alongside Senator Blackburn, my partner in this effort,” Blumenthal said in a statement.
The introduction of this bill follows the Facebook whistleblower whom released internal company documents that showed the dangerous effects of algorithms used in marketing online.
According to The Hill, the legislation would require platforms to limit the ability of individuals to contact or find a minor, as well as prevent individuals from viewing a minor’s personal data collected by or shared on the platform. It would also require minors to have an option to opt-out of algorithmic recommendation systems and establish a duty of care for platforms to prevent and mitigate harm to minors, including the promotion of self-harm, suicide, eating disorders and substance abuse.
Two U.S. senators will introduce a bill today that would protect children online. The “Kids Online Safety Act” is co-sponsored by Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Republican Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
The bill would require social media platforms to provide parents with tools to protect their children from harmful content online, including sexual exploitation, bullying and product recommendations.
“The “Kids Online Safety Act” would finally give kids and their parents the tools and safeguards they need to protect against toxic content—and hold Big Tech accountable for deeply dangerous algorithms.
Algorithms driven by eyeballs and dollars will no longer hold sway. I will fight for swift passage alongside Senator Blackburn, my partner in this effort,” Blumenthal said in a statement.
The introduction of this bill follows the Facebook whistleblower whom released internal company documents that showed the dangerous effects of algorithms used in marketing online.
According to The Hill, the legislation would require platforms to limit the ability of individuals to contact or find a minor, as well as prevent individuals from viewing a minor’s personal data collected by or shared on the platform. It would also require minors to have an option to opt-out of algorithmic recommendation systems and establish a duty of care for platforms to prevent and mitigate harm to minors, including the promotion of self-harm, suicide, eating disorders and substance abuse.
You could use two hands to count the number of rappers who currently would rather be spitting bars on the microphone than living behind them. We have ten fingers, so lets count 10 notable rappers who are currently incarcerated.
In no particular order, YNW Melly, YFN Lucci, Pooh Shiesty, Casanova, Tay-K, Q Money, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, RondoNumbaNine, and Fam Goon Ralo are all locked up. This is just the list that we’ve accumulated. With more research, we could easily extend this list.
Tay K Casanova YFN Lucci
From Generation X to Generation Z, almost every era of Hip-Hop has had its share of rappers run into legal battles with the law. The judicial system has never been Hip-Hop friendly.
In the late ’80s, Slick Rick did a five year bid during the prime of his career. Snoop Dogg signed to Death Row Records just before being acquitted for first degree murder in 1993.
Snoop Dogg acquittal
Two years later, one of the most influential rappers ever, Tupac Shakur, served eight months in prison on sexual abuse charges.
In 2001, Bad Boy artist Shyne Po went to jail for 10 years for his involvement in a night club shooting. In 2009, Lil Wayne sat down at Rikers Island for two years for possession of an illegal firearm.
Meek Mill was arrested and hit with reckless-endangerment charges for popping wheelies in 2017. He had to serve five months of his two-four year sentence. 34-year-old, Meek Mill, has been fighting the justice system since 19-years old.
This reoccurring history of America’s criminal justice system resenting rappers, who are mostly Black people, is a reflection of the cruel history of the relationship between the American government and the Black community.
Black history in the United States is well known to be connected with violent, unfair, and biased treatment against people of color. Slavery, segregation, and a broken economic infrastructure including the prison system all aided in the prevention of Black progression.
People of color were denied civil rights and liberties. Black people were socially discriminated against, and struggled to advance financially.
If Black people didn’t suffer from those living conditions, there wouldn’t be a need to listen to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” Unfortunately, POC did suffer, but they took the struggle and expressed it through sound. As a result, the birth of Hip-Hop.
In the late ’70s, during the genesis of the genre, artist mostly used music as a rhythmic way to not only entertain and uplift people, but also a way to lyrically protest the problematic issues plaguing low-income Black communities.
After the civil rights movement, Hip-Hop stood as a united voice for issues like poverty, racism, inequality, criminal justice, police brutality, and anything else that oppressed Black communities.
While Black artist non-violently protested with lyrics, the American government developed its prison industrial complex. The prison system is an industrial sector, just as slavery was considered an agriculture and labor business.
The evolution of Hip-Hop happened simultaneous to the mass incarceration of people of color in America’s prison system. Is the parallel of this phenomena coincidental or is it systematic? We’re not here to determine that, but let me leave you with some facts.
According to a 2012 report from the Death Penalty Information Center, there have been at least 1276 executions in the United States since 1976. There are approximately 3,251 inmates on death row and Blacks represent 42% of these inmates (Death Penalty Information Center, 2011). This statistic is quite disproportional because African-Americans only represented 9.7 percent of the population back then.
So again, is this systematic or coincidental? Is the unpopular opinion true about rappers being targets by America’s criminal justice system? We are uncertain in every case, but if rappers are not targeted, many make themselves easy to become targets.
Many artist deviated from reciting the same unhealed stories of civil struggles. They became more aggressive with their approach, and the music went from peaceful to painful.
The emergence of rap music gradually made Hip-Hop more dangerous. The kumbaya rap era ended, and transitioned to “Wa da da dang Wa da da da dang (Ay!) Listen to my 9 millimeter go bang!”
Sadly, this created a new parallel.
The increase of violent music, increased Hip-Hop’s popularity. Rappers became cultural icons and their unruly substance made everybody want to listen to rap. In 2017, Hip-Hop officially became America’s number one music genre, and all eyes were on the culture. This put the culture under a microscope, or better yet, put the culture on social media.
Artists should be able to utilize technology and use social media as a promotional tool. Instead we’ve seen more then a few rappers expose and document their alleged involvement in criminal activity online.
Tekashi 69 YNW Melly
The culture began to see more glorification of street life, rising criminal activity and dismissive attitudes towards the law. New-aged rappers seemingly love to display their rebellious behavior. Coincidentally, the feds love it too. It makes their job easier.
The Hip-Hop community fed up with the Hip-Hop police and blatant discrimination that rappers receive from the criminal justice system decided to take action.
In an effort to protect the artistic liberty of rappers, Jay-Z teamed up with other powerful leaders in Hip-Hop to push “Rap Music on Trial” (S.7527/A.8681)
“Rap Music on Trial” is a proposal of a new law in New York that will prevent the usages of lyrics on trial. The bill was written by Democratic Senator Brad Hoylman, Jamaal Bailey, and Catalina Cruz.
Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro and University of Richmond Professor Erik Nielson co-wrote a letter to New York lawmakers in favor of the approval of this bill.
Hov along with superstars such as Meek Mill, Big Sean, Fat Joe, Kelly Rowland, Yo Gotti, Killer Mike, Robin Thicke, and more have all petitioned the letter.
New York rapper, Fat Joe said he is passionate about change and desires Hip-Hop to be treated fairly in the future.
“Our lyrics are a creative form of self-expression and entertainment – just like any other genre,” Fat Joe told Rolling Stone. “We want our words to be recognized as art rather than being weaponized to get convictions in court. I hope the governor and all the lawmakers in New York take our letter into consideration, protect our artistic rights and make the right decision to pass this bill.”
In 2017, the late South Central rapper, Drakeo the Ruler served three years in Los Angeles County Jail after the content of his songs and videos were used to prosecute him.
Drakeo the Ruler
“They rap about their crimes,” said the prosecutor Shannon Cooley. Detective Hardiman agreed and told the court he used “the greatest crime-fighting tools on earth – Google and social media.”
Hardiman cited Drakeo’s lyrics where he allegedly spoke about driving around with a rival rapper “tied up in the back”.
The judge indicted Drakeo on multiple felonies. Charges included murder, conspiracy murder, criminal gang conspiracy, shooting from a vehicle, illegal possession of a firearm and a number of other charges. He faced a life sentence.
In 2020, Drakeo accepted a plea deal that helped acquit his murder charges. His lawyer, John Hamasaki spoke on the judges initial decision to prosecute his client.
“It really makes no sense, logically, from a criminal justice perspective,” Hamasaki said. “Their main crime was making music, videos, and raps. And those raps were offensive to the [lead] detective.”
Erik Nielson, is the co-author of a book on discrimination in Hip-Hop, Rap On Trial; Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America. Nielson said he’s identified more than 500 total cases since 1991 in which rap has been used as evidence.
“Police rely on rappers’ music because it’s easy to watch YouTube videos and it’s often effective,” Nielson shared. “You don’t have to do police work, and you get convictions. It makes it very easy to pin crimes on people who were not involved.”
Hip-Hop is aware of this biased behavior by America’s criminal justice system, and it’s taking steps towards changing it. In no way should your bars lead you to a life behind them.
pic.twitter.com/VzIlHhbYU3
(@pinatafarms) February 28, 2022
