This article originally appeared in Hip
Hop DX, one of our favorite publications.
Stop Snitching…it is probably one of the most popular sayings in
the Hip-Hop community aside from the marvelous word “Hater.” Apparently over the course
of the past decade, “snitching” is the worst possible thing an individual
can do. Just think of all the past “snitches” and how you feel about
them when their names are brought up. Kobe Bryant, Jose Canseco and
Lil’ Cease amongst others. Yeah…many of your fists ball up by their
damn selves when you think of these famous so-called “snitches.” But
I have some snitches that you may not even know about. Young Jeezy,
50 Cent and Cam’ron are a few that I can think of off the top of the
head. Oh you didn’t know? Well before I explain why these people are
“snitches” let me tell you a little story…
I’m at the Anthony Hamilton concert about a month ago, when in between
acts I decide its time to get up and grab another vodka and cranberry.
As I’m walking into the venue lobby, I run into a friend I haven’t
seen in years (I’ll leave his name out because I don’t want to be
a “snitch”). So I slap him a righteous five and get down to small
talk that goes a little something like this…
What’s up fam?
Ain’t nothing…how’ve you been?
I’ve been good. Just moved back home.
Oh word? How’s life?
Well I can’t complain. I’m doing my thing, ya dig? Making good money
doing this electrician thing.
Oh serious?
At this point I’m pleasantly surprised to know that a brother is doing
well and hasn’t fallen by the wayside. That is until he drops the
bomb on me…
But you know me ni@@a. I gotta get my hustle on! A ni@@a gotta be
pimpin’ these hoes!
Now it’s not the casual “pimpin’ the hoes” like many of us think
– just having sex with random women and whatnot. Oh no…he means the
true art of pimping. He proceeds to give me his story of how one of
his hoes got “out of pocket” with him at a strip club and was eyeballing
another pimp (who just so happens to be another guy that I know who
is a middle school teacher!) and the two almost came to blows over
this ho because that’s messing up his money.
Now many of you are asking yourself… “Andreas, what the hell does
this have to do with Stop Snitchin?” Well apparently he doesn’t think
much of his “profession” to the point where he can just tell anybody.
He and I weren’t that cool to the point where he can air out his dirt
in confidence. But I had to ask myself, “If he told me, then who else
did he tell?” And when the police come to his door for solicitation,
and proceed to cuff him, he’ll probably be thinking as his head slams
to the car hood, “How did they find out?” That’s when I’ll pop out
with a sign that displays my new campaign for all to adopt… “Stop
Snitchin’ On Yourself!”
We have been so caught up in this whole “Stop Snitchin” nonsense that
it never really dawns on us that we give up the goods on a daily basis
without the powers that be having to use that menacing Patriot Act.
We make their lives a bit easier when it’s time to build up that rap
sheet that they will use against us in a court of law.
Now back to 50 Cent, Young Jeezy and Cam’ron. Have you listened to
their music lately? 50 has more guns than Barry Bonds has home runs,
Young Jeezy is the Snowman that still hugs the block and Killa Cam…well
he breaks every gotdamn law under the sun in his music (check out
the lyrics to "Get Ya Gun" if you don’t believe me). These
days it has become cool to talk about the dirt that you do (even though
you know that your black ass still ain’t out bustin’ guns, selling
coke or pimping women). And when the cops are targeting them and may
harass them a couple of times, they still have the nerve to say, “Why
you @#%$ with me?”
I’ll tell you why! How the hell do you expect to beat a murder rap
when your name is C-Murder? Stop Snitchin’ On Yourself! A shootout
happens at a local club and you happen to be there. Not to mention
you are infamous for saying “@#%$ arguing, I let my gun talk for me.”
Stop Snitchin’ On Yourself! A young woman leaves your hotel room and
conveniently calls 911 to say that she has been raped. You have an
album out saying how “I’m gonna take that @#%$!” Stop Snitchin On
Yourself! You are out “minding your business” when three hungry kids
(not hungry like “let’s get it” but hungry like “I haven’t eaten in
5 days”) break you for your three 50k chains. The very chains you
wore in your last video while spilling Crystal like water and saying
“I got more money than I can spend.” Stop Snitchin On Yourself!
You kids make it damn hard for us regular folks out there. Hustlin’
today has become more recreation than occupation. Back in the day,
cats hustled to get out of the streets and I’ll be damned if not every
drug dealer, pimp, thug or whoever would openly tell folks what they
do. Nobody was proud of it. And the kids were the first ones they
told to “Stay out them streets and stay in them books. You don’t want
to end up like me.” Back then, people hustled to eat. Today, kids
hustle for the sake of saying that they hustle. My friend was an electrician
with no kids (to my knowledge). Last time I checked, electricians
made pretty good money. I don’t think he was missing any meals either.
But apparently the art of doing dirt and broadcasting has become rather
cool.
While many still think that your art still holds true to your identity,
don’t you think by saying how much dirt you do, on record, that you
are basically incriminating yourself? Even worse, by making dirt cool
for the kids, don’t you think that it may cloud their judgment on
what is positive and what is negative? Go outside and see how many
snowman t-shirts you find on kids under the age of 18. Then ask yourself
how many of these kids have even seen an ounce of cocaine in their
short lives. Listen to how they talk. See their myspace pages. They
are so open to incriminating themselves before they even understand
how to do the dirt about.
Rakim, who may be the most influential emcee of all time, said:
“It wasn’t cool to talk about what went on on the
block. Especially on a record…I had people that was close to me that
was doing what they do. I respect (street hustlers) for doing what
he got to do, I’ll let him know if it ain’t good, but still I respect
that man he got to get his food. I got people that’s close to me was
doing real things in the streets. For me to get on the mic and start
talking about certain things… It’s like three-dimensional right now,
every time somebody get on the mic and mention some crime, you got
5-0 knocking at the door or tapping the phone or investigating this
crew or this crew.”
*Ring Ring* you hear that? That’s your gotdamn wake up call kids!
Real gangsters don’t publicize. And for those who feel that you have
to publicize your hustle to get props, take a look at Rakim. How many
guns did he bust? Don’t recall him pushing rocks in his music, yet
he can be pointed at as the one who took the game to the next level.
Remember that.
So, as the pressing companies continue to push “Stop Snitchin’” t-shirts,
remember that the person who is saying it probably is either doing
dirt themselves, or will probably squeal like a pig when the real
pigs apply the pressure. And if not, they are just seriously misdirected
in this world. And while we make it cool to pick up a gun or pimp
hoes, why can’t we make it cool to educate and elevate? When I was
with Lupe Fiasco, we had a conversation about the rap game. He dropped
some serious jewels, but amongst them he said, “Why can’t the hook
to Laffy Taffy be ‘read-a-book’?” Think about it.
But once again, we continue to fall for the bait that these media
outlets use to trap us. Sure, 50 Cent can talk about guns because
the label pays him to do that, as well as feed the impressionable
minds out there, with the nonsensical concept that thuggin is “cool.”
Think of it like this; Cam, Jeezy and 50 are all paid actors. You,
my naïve friends, aren’t. So when you broadcast your cool little hustle
game, you are attracting negative attention to yourself. And when
you are pulled over on the corner, with cops harassing you, (which
they are going to do anyway but now you’ve helped out their cause)
remember these words, as your head gets slammed on that hot 5-0 car
hood, as the thought of “how did they find out” runs through your
brain….
“Stop Snitchin On Yourself”
And with that, I’ll leave it to the words of the late great Christopher
Wallace, AKA The Notorious B.I.G., “Don’t you know Bad Boys move in
silence and violence” But I’m just a critic…Who the Hell Am I?
Andreas Hale can be contacted at [email protected].
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