Hip-Hop Did Not Kill Trayvon Martin Posted by Lucas Garrison on 07/15/13 | Filed under Opinion, Jay-Z

Although it is all over the news and will likely (hopefully) dominate discussion for the foreseeable future, I was debating whether or not to discuss the Trayvon Martin case. It is an important conversation, but it didn’t seem right to have it surrounded by "Mystery Booty" and "Fails Of The Week". Still, with something so important, the decision to skip it didn’t feel right, and after reading an article from Fox Sports’ Jason Whitlock, I had no choice to respond. In his article, available here, Jason talks with Dahveed Nelson of the 70’s rap/spoken word group The Last Poets. Throughout the article, Whitlock makes several lofty claims (most centered around Jay-Z), but more importantly, he and Nelson assert that hip-hop is “squarely” to blame for Trayvon Martin’s death:

Thug rappers and their employers are partially to blame for Zimmerman seeing a black kid in a hoodie and immediately thinking “punk criminal.” The same group is also partially responsible for making young people think it’s cooler to pose as a wannabe thug than a wannabe scholar. “More than partially,” Nelson interrupted me. “I think you’re being conservative. You can put the blame squarely on hip hop. It’s a marriage. It’s like the movie Django; you have those who collaborate with the enemy. The enemy has its responsibilities, but you’ve got the collaborators. That’s what the whole hip-hop culture is. I know the history of hip hop.

Both of their claims are misguided and unfair, specifically Whitlock’s claim that, “Thug rappers and their employers are partially to blame for Zimmerman seeing a black kid in a hoodie and immediately thinking “punk criminal.”’ While I agree that hip-hop’s “thug rappers” are reinforcing negative values to the audience, this doesn’t have much to do with Martin’s case. If you want to discuss thug and gangsta rap, do so in the context of the ever-growing body count (and lack of coverage) in Chicago; Martin’s case is a whole different conversation.

Martin being profiled, attacked, then murdered in doesn’t have anything to do with Chief Keef, but with a system that is biased, flawed and says that a 17 year old black kids life is expendable. Even if Trayvon was dressed like a “thug” or was a Gunplay fan, who the fuck cares? Since when does listening to a certain type of music or dressing a certain way mean you should be shot? It is the same thing as blaming a rape victim for where they were or what they were wearing when they is stricken of their power and have their rights trampled. While Whitlock isn’t saying Martin was a thug or had this coming, the fact that he is look at the gangsta rappers role puts this into a different context than it should be in. What are the odds that Zimmerman, the only gun-wielding thug involved even knew who Chief Keef was? I just don’t see the connection between hip-hop, Trayvon, and Zimmerman.

Hip-hop has been around for around five decades now, but the reasons why there was no justice for Trayvon are rooted in circumstances (like slavery, reconstruction and Jim Crow laws) in a time long before hip-hop was even a thought. For Whitlock to suggest it is hip-hop’s fault not only slanders the genre—where many artists strive for hard-hitting discussion and social change—but dismisses other factors, so deeply rooted in American culture that need to be discussed at a time like this. It is an overarching brushstroke and a cop out to an issue that needs a fine-tooth comb so we can analyze every reason why this was allowed to happen. If you ask me, gun control, the flaws in the justice system, and institutionalized racism deserve our time, and yours Jason, much more than looking at hip-hop.

A grown man profiled, stalked, engaged (against direct police orders), and killed a teenage boy, but because of a “stand your ground” law, he was able to walk off without even a manslaughter charge when, in the same state, a black woman who fired a warning shot to scare off her abusive husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Sorry Whitlock, but in the words of Dead Prez, “It’s bigger than hip-hop."

See Also:  Speak of Freedom: Trayvon Martin, ‘Project X’ & The Media’s View of the Young Black Male
See Also:  This Is My Rifle: The Tragic Death of Trayvon Martin