New Orleans MC Dee-1 just released a viral open letter addressing the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and also addressed Black-on-Black crime as well as artists talking constantly about killing their own in their music and now have the gall to now want to speak out against police brutality when they obviously don’t respect Black life either. Taking a hard stance like B.o.B did as well, watch as Dee-1 eloquently makes his plea for all people to come together in peace. Also here’s a written copy of his plea.
“Rest in peace Michael Brown. Prayers up for you and your family. I am an advocate for stopping the killing 24/7/365. That goes for black on black killing, white on white killing, all of it. With so much media attention on this incident, I just don’t want to diminish the importance of EVERY SINGLE INNOCENT LIFE that gets lost due to murders every day and night in our communities. It’s known that there is systemic racism in this country and that is apparent everyday. And it’s especially scary that a police officer who is supposed to protect-and-serve could repeatedly shoot an unarmed citizen until he’s on the ground lifeless…..Well I had a dream that I woke up and racism was dead. But guess what? The murder rate was still high in New Orleans and Chicago, Milwaukee, and other cities across the country. I’m at a point in life where I care more about self-accountability than anything. 94% of blacks who are murdered are killed by… Blacks. 86% of whites who are murdered are killed by… whites…. Self-hatred, a lack of value for life, and a lack of conflict resolution skills are a big part of this problem too. So if you tweet for Mike Brown but can’t tweet for the innocent brother in your own hood that got killed yesterday, check yourself. If you shed tears for Mike Brown but don’t get upset when you hear rap lyrics glorifying this self-on-self killing everyday, check yourself. If you attended a Mike Brown march then got in your car and left so you could make it to the concert you purchased a ticket for to see your favorite artist who raps about how the first dude to come test him in the hood is gonna get his head knocked off his shoulders with a chopper, check yourself. That stuff ain’t cool. I can’t cosign people who want to speak up now but their single that dropped last week was glorifying murdering aka self-hatred. Self-accountability. That’s what we’re lacking. Think about the boy who cried wolf. Your credibility is at a minimum by the time the wolf really comes and you start calling for assistance. So this isn’t directed at the people who advocate this non-violent lifestyle 24/7/365. This isn’t for the ones who draw the line in the sand and say “right is right and wrong is wrong, ALL THE TIME, nomatter who is doing it.” This isn’t for the unsung heroes who only have 150 followers on twitter but who spread love and positivity everyday to whomever they encounter. This isn’t for the artists who say “I’m not going to make songs glorifying murders and violent crimes, even if I’ve been exposed to that lifestyle since I was young. That STILL doesn’t make it right.” Every day there are lost lives who don’t get marches, national news coverage, and millions of tweets in their honor. The issue of innocent lives lost due to gunfire should bother ALL OF US, ALL THE TIME. If it doesn’t, we need to check ourselves, and that’s who this is for. I’m praying for Mike Brown, his family, and the officer who murdered him. Because we’re called to love everyone, even our enemies. This non-violent movement should be a lifestyle, and I pray this incident sparks that sentiment in your heart.” – Dee-1
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