February 17th, 2006
Las Vegas City Life recently published a guest commentary by Andreas Hale. In the commentary, Hale attempts to blame the murder of Metro Police Sgt. Henry Prendes on racism and downplay the negative effects the “gangsta” culture has on rap music in general.
I’m not feelin’ it one bit.
Who is responsible for the tragic events of Feb. 1 that ended with the deaths of Amir Crump (a.k.a Trajik) and Metro Police Sgt. Henry Prendes?
Who do you think is responsible? Everyone in town knows damn well that Amir “Trajik” Crump was responsible. He shot and killed a cop in cold blood. End of story.
Aside from what is obviously known, there are other circumstances surrounding those deaths that haven’t been addressed. Like our society’s history of violence, for example.
That’s funny. It was common knowledge that the circumstances surrounding those deaths was Crump’s history of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE — which wasn’t addressed in the op-ed.
Crump was beating the crap out of his girlfriend in a fit of rage, and she called the cops. This was NOT the first time Metro had responded to a domestic violence call when “Trajik” decided to take his frustrations out on his significant other.
Society didn’t tell Crump to engage in domestic violence, nor did society tell him to kill a cop. Crump made those choices on his own. He created the circumstances surrounding those deaths. He was ultimately responsible.
It is a well-known fact that the police and the African American community haven’t exactly been the best of friends over the years, especially with regards to the hip-hop generation. A number of African Americans have been brutalized at the hands of the police.
That statement has ABSOLUTELY no relevance to Prendes’ murder. Crump brutalized his significant other, then brutalized his entire cul-de-sac, killing one cop and wounding another in the process.
Whether shot, unlawfully searched, accused, harassed or simply beaten, the police have shown their stripes from time to time and have instilled a fear within the African American community. Did Crump’s fear of the police play a role in the events? If he believed the police did an honest job of “serving and protecting,” would he have fired those fatal shots?
Crump wasn’t being unlawfully searched, accused, harassed, or beaten at the time. After beating his girlfriend with a broomstick, he went into his house and waited for the police to arrive — heavily armed and loaded for bear.
According to Metro records and eyewitness accounts, Prendes approached the front door and was gunned down by Crump. Crump then unloaded 50 more rounds from his semiautomatic rifle on police, went upstairs, and started shooting down on officers as they attempted to rescue Prendes. It took a rifle shot from a Gang Unit officer to take Crump out.
Metro Police followed procedure and shot Crump in self-defense. They would’ve followed the same procedure if the suspect was white. To infer that racism played a part in the incident is asinine.
Crump wasn’t killed because he was black; he was killed because he became a homicidal threat to others.
[snip]
Rappers embrace an image that might not truly reflect who they are because artists who portray the negative, stereotyped image are more likely become popular and get the big record deals. On the other side of the coin is the notion that some rappers are indeed violent and cause people to fear anything remotely hip-hop. If the media didn’t push this image, and rappers didn’t have to pose to get recognition, would Crump have undertaken the violent persona?
That’s a cop-out and you know it. Rappers are SOLELY responsible for the images they project, for better or for worse. You can’t tell the differences between the posers and the real deal nowadays.
Dave Rosen (manager of Trajik’s group, Desert Mobb) told the Review-Journal that Crump was a peaceful person and his persona was just a “pose.” He also stated violent lyrics “just kind of go along with the music.” Knowing that should put these events even more in perspective.
Oh yeah. He was a peaceful person who became the monster he rapped about. He was a peaceful person who battered his girlfriend on several occasions. If he was so peaceful, why didn’t he control his anger? Why did he engage in domestic violence and kill a cop?
If it walks like a thug and talks like a thug, it is a thug. Crump died as a thug; not as a poser.
The most sickening thing about this whole ordeal is now Desert Mobb CDs are selling at a rapid pace.
Agreed. It’s a damn shame — and it’s morbidly sick of people to idolize a dead domestic batterer and cop killer.
This further reinforces that negativity and hip-hop are peas in a pod in the public eye. Crump’s death has validated him to many ignorant people who are impressed by death. Yet the only ones who should be mourning for Crump are his close friends and family. Death by violence and cop killing should not be idolized by the public. True fans of hip-hop know that and will not allow this event to define rap music.
Finally, some sense is being made.
As for the hip-hop community, crimes like the above should be denounced. What hip-hop needs desparately is a revival of the Stop The Violence Movement.
Unfortunately, the media has linked the fact that he is a rapper who killed a cop and placed the blame squarely on rap music’s shoulders.
He was a rapper by trade, and he killed a cop. Sadly, rap music is stigmatized. It is what it is.
Can I blame the media and society? Yes and no. Crump was a man before he was a rapper. Society and the media linked the two together and thus, have given rap music another black eye. But we cannot remove the responsibility from the audience that has embraced the negative and shunned the positive. This should teach us all that we have a long way to go before we truly understand one another.
Again, it is what it is.
Crump was neither a man or a rapper when he died. He was a batterer and a cop killer. He died a thug’s death.
If rap music wants to end the black eyes such deaths bring, “gangsta” rappers need to be held accountable for the images being perpretrated by their fellow artists. Rappers should be denouncing such violent crimes en masse, and start being responsible for their products — especially those products that glorfy the “gangsta” lifestyle that includes misogny, domestic violence, hate, and murder.
Rappers need to start policing their own, or law enforcement will do it for them.
Filed under Commentary, Entertainment, Local News | Comments (15)
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