April 26, 2006

Opinion: Lil'Kim Should Give Up Hip-Hop And Move On

Rappers hold a very high place in the African-American community, so much so they believe any crimes they are accused of are because they are black and famous. In the case of Kimberly "Lil'Kim" Jones, she defended people who did commit a crime by lying on the stand. Even after the verdict was passed, the question on everyone's mind was one word: Why?

I'm sure Ms. Jones knows about surveillance technology, most businesses utilize to catch people in the act. A New York radio station had it when a fight between her entourage and the entourage of another rap broke out. The whole thing was caught on tape. On the stand, she and an assistant both claimed two members of Kim's entourage were not even there when the shooting took place. Ding! Out comes the tape and in goes Lil'Kim and her assistant to prison.

Now no one wants to go to jail, that's a fact. The trouble is if you are caught in the act and the evidence is there, you are going to go regardless. That was the puzzling part of watching a scene from Lil'Kim: Countdown To Lockdown, in which a few bystanders held "Stop Snitching" signs. It wouldn't have mattered if ten people denied or confirmed members of her entourage were present at the shooting; the tape would have said otherwise. But let's turn our attention away from Lil'Kim's lying to another problem, the "Stop Snitching" phenomenon.

If a child is molested in a church by a man of the cloth, does that mean the child keeps quiet to keep the peace? If a mother looses a child to a bullet not intended for him/her, does the friend of the child stay silent? What if Busta Rhymes lost his own children to a bullet? You would certainly see him speak with rage and point the finger directly to the face of his child's killer. But even Busta himself stands by the code of the streets, despite the fact his bodyguard died defending him a while back.

Fuck the "Stop Snitching" bullshit; it is the right of everyone in this country to turn people in (evidence willing) regardless of the streets. The people of New York (where Lil'Kim is from) should wake up to a simple fact: they don't own any block and they are not the law. Stop promoting the ghetto culture and start promoting common sense. If that makes me a white sell-out, so be it. But I shouldn't be angry; the street culture will continue to seduce the black community or any community that doesn't know anything else. As for Lil'Kim, this is my suggestion: dump your music career and do something else. The world of hip-hop has turned too violent and too controlled by corporations shelling out the same crap every year.

Even thou her film career consists of minor roles or b-films, Miss Jones might want to take a shot at some behind the scenes positions. She could produce and develop screenplays or even be a director. She could also be a writer with her many tales of street life and make money without partaking in the crap street life brings. The best part is she doesn't have to resort in battling anyone or dissing someone to gain attention. Even better, she could make an autobiographical movie based on her fights with Foxy Brown; then both could use that as a huge career boost, maybe even make it a comedy.

Speaking of Mrs. Brown, Lil'Kim needs to make peace with her rival. Foxy had almost certainly lost her hearing and also faces a jail sentence if convicted (she apparently had a fight at a hair salon over a bill). The two of them could be best buddies and may even once again be able to grace magazine covers the way they did when they started in the early 90's. I'll be surprised if Lil'Kim even goes that far when she's released later this year.

Posted by Matthew at April 26, 2006 02:36 PM | TrackBack
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