Cipha Sounds
When is a joke not a joke? Answer: When it offends thousands of people. It doesn’t matter if you are Don Imus, Rush Limbaugh, Mel Gibson or a NY DJ who is trying to be a comedian. DJ Cipha Sounds of the popular NY radio station Hot 97 recently issued an apology for making an ignorant and racist comment about Haitian women which apparently caused a ruckus across the internet. The radio host was quoted as saying on air “I’m HIV negative cause I don’t mess with Haitian girls.”
Is this what Cipha Sounds really think about the Haitian people? Does he even know how one can contract the deadly disease? While we are not passing any sort of judgment on him, we do believe that for him to hold a spot on the airwaves may not be the most practical idea for the station bosses at Hot 97.
Sounds has been scratching hip-hop records for about nine years, most notably as a member of Funkmaster Flex’s crew. He has hosted a radio program on New York’s Hot 97, as well as a show for Sirius Satellite Radio.
In his apology video, he points out some of the things he has done to support the Haitian cause but we ask you Cipha, does those good deeds give you a pass to insult a race of people?
There is a place where racism does not exist. A place without color or class, prejudice or status. A place where man, woman and child are equal. It’s called a graveyard! If you are ahead of or behind the person nearest you it doesn’t make you evil.
It is simply an indication that you are still breathing. We begin life as equals and we all end up the same way. What happens in between is largely a matter of choice. As a representative of the hip hop culture and someone who has reached a level of respect from his peers and fans alike, Cipha Sounds must understand the power of words and how destructive it can be to not only to the Haitian community but also to the many people around the world who is suffering from this deadly disease and don’t even know how they have contracted it.
Source: Vlad TV
