The Apology

Twenty-five years ago when I created the Crips youth gang with Raymond Lee Washington in South Central Los Angeles, I never imagined Crips membership would one day spread throughout California, would spread to much of the rest of the nation and to cities in South Africa, where Crips copycat gangs have formed.

I also didn't expect the Crips to end up ruining the lives of so many young people, especially young black men who have hurt other young black men.

Raymond was murdered in 1979. But if he were here, I believe he would be as troubled as I am by the Crips legacy.



So today I apologize to you all -- the children of America and South Africa -- who must cope every day with dangerous street gangs. I no longer participate in the so-called gangster lifestyle, and I deeply regret that I ever did.

As a contribution to the struggle to end child-on-child brutality and black-on-black brutality, I have written the Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence children's book series. My goal is to reach as many young minds as possible to warn you about the perils of a gang lifestyle.

I am no longer "dys-educated" (disease educated). I am no longer part of the problem. Thanks to the Almighty, I am no longer sleepwalking through life.

I pray that one day my apology will be accepted. I also pray that your suffering, caused by gang violence, will soon come to an end as more gang members wake up and stop hurting themselves and others.

I vow to spend the rest of my life working toward solutions.

Amani (Peace),

Stanley "Tookie" Williams, Crips Co-Founder,

April 13, 1997

Stanley Tookie Williams III (December 29, 1953 – December 13, 2005)

http://www.tookie.com/protocol/

index.html

UK...2007

No more Gun and Knife crime in London



Hip-Hop as Culture
by Efrem Smith

The Hip-Hop Influence

In the book Hip-hop America, Nelson George writes this about the culture of hip-hop and its influence:

"Now we know that rap music, and hip-hop style as a whole, has utterly broken through from its ghetto roots to assert a lasting influence on American clothing, magazine publishing, television, language, sexuality, and social policy as well as its obvious presence in records and movies…advertisers, magazines, MTV, fashion companies, beer and soft drink manufacturers, and multimedia conglomerates like Time-Warner have embraced hip-hop as a way to reach not just black young people, but all young people."

A rap artist who goes by the name KRSONE (Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone) helps us understand hiphop as culture by presenting the elements and history of hip-hop in his book, Ruminations. To him, hip-hop connects to philosophy, religion, government, and corporate America. He presents hip-hop as a commentary from the 'hood with urban artists serving as inner-city journalist who use their rap, dance, and graffiti to report what's going on in the city and in the world at large. Sometimes the reporting comes across with the soft melody of Marvin Gaye asking, "What's Going On" from the Motown era.

Sometimes the reporting is done with the pride of James Brown's "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud." And there are other times when the reporting is done with the anger of the Isley Brothers', "Fight The Power." I mention these R&B artists because hip-hop is influenced in many ways by this genre of soul music. Nelson George even refers to hip-hop as "Post-Soul" culture. To a certain degree, I see this as the urban take on postmodernism, which is more commonly used in white cultural circles to describe what's going on in the world around us.

KRSONE describes hip-hop as culture this way:

"True hip-hop is a term that describes the independent collective consciousness of a specific group of inner-city people. Ever growing, it is commonly expressed through such elements as: Breakin' (dance), Emceein' (rap), Graffiti (aerosol art), Deejayin', Beatboxin', Street Fashion, Street Knowledge, and Street Entrepreneurialism. Discovered by Kool DJ Herc in the Bronx, New York around 1972, and established as a community of peace, love, unity, and having fun by Afrika Bambaataa through Zulu Nation in 1974, hip-hop is an independent and unique community, an empowering behavior, and an international culture."

The American Heritage College Dictionary has given hip-hop the following definition: "The popular culture of big city and especially innercity youth, characterized by graffiti art, break dancing, and rap music—of or relating to this culture."

Hip-hop moves beyond music into other forms: D.J., the M.C., dance, visual art, fashion, language, and big business. It's also culture because it encompasses the culture of African-Americans, Latinos, and Urban America. When I was in middle school and high school, hip-hop was more than just music for me—it was finally feeling like my voice was in the mainstream of American culture. It really felt like the voice of urban youth culture, especially those of color, were finally in the mainstream.

Take into consideration that hip-hop evolved after formalized and legalized integration. Hip-hop evolved after a movement for civil rights, which had young people on the front lines. Not that hip-hop was the first to use the arts to speak to political, social, and spiritual issues, but it did so representing the underclass of urban America.

see more at
youthspecialties.com