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Hip-Hop images captured & stilled for

the worlds view

their mug shots are a center piece portrait

—with most rappers thinking—

the snitch framed them

reading exclusive interviews some writers have

created a moral panic on their client’s profiled

in magazines asking:

 are rappers the target?

        is the justice system fair?

behind bars they tell their pathetic stories of

bad habits: sex, drugs—violence 

glorified on record

magazines post

nineteen faces in the trenches

awaiting trial to be punished not by their peers

but twelve evaluators

a jury

& the rap artist get sentenced according

to their crimes:

holding firearms, robberies,  murders, rapes, perjury

5 yrs—8 yrs—& lives are accumulated

now these enslaved patrons of hip-hop—leave slogans

to market their release “get free or die trying”

there’s some confusion here

the jail system shouldn’t be a boost

for the label to sell more records

and the beat goes on… the beat goes on

radio in heavy rotation rapper get crazy spins

in the urban markets

promoting beefs and misogyny—their vocals rain supreme

as many-many words come across teenage equilibrium

in song format that djs scratch derogatory terms back

and forth

that even a five year old can retain songs

like “I’m Locked Up”

kids understand it more

especially when their brothers in detention &

father’s serving eight years for domestic violence &

distrubution of powder white

operation lockdown is in effect

with female rappers—too

are almost identical with their cell space

the monkey bars are holding their words

they’re punished for selling sex—lies

in court 

then—they’ll get a little conscience

& see their adversary for who they really are:

corporate industry designed to profit

& incarcerate all Black and brown …

do not quote me

see Ms. Barnes piece “off the cuff” & read the depressing media hype

with some of hip-hop most celebrated

going to places where Larry Pinkney & Huey P. Newton have been

for real causes—the people’s struggle & not for the non-sense

of seven shots in crowded parties or aggravated assault

rappers now sit miles away

isolated from fans

platinum records

& iced out jewelry

that could’ve saved residence of New Orleans

SUFFERING without revenue or a place to stay

these are members of Hip Hop images captured & stilled for

the world’s view

their mug shots are a center piece portrait

--with most rappers thinking—

the  snitch framed them.

The preceeding words are lyrics from the CD Bumpy Tymes

BlackCommentator.com Spoken Word Columnist, Poet Blackman Preach (Cedric T. Bolton), is a poet (spoken word artist) and producer, born in Pascagoula, Mississippi and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. Cedric received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Washington University and currently resides, with his wife, in Syracuse, New York.  He is the Founder of Poetic Black Fusion, a writers' workshop that provides access and opportunities to poets of African Ancestry living in Central New York.  He is also the co-founder of Voices Merging, a student-run poetry organization (spoken word) at the University of Minnesota that provides a social outlet for undergraduate students to develop as writers, network and express themselves on stage. He has been writing poetry for 14 years and is published in the Ethnic Student Center's Newsletter at Western Washington University, The Spokesman Recorder, and St. Cloud Times. Click here to contact Blackman Preach.