S. Samuel
Grammy-winning rapper T.I. is the latest hip-hop artist to speak on George Zimmerman being acquitted for the fatal shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin last year.
Clearly upset by the not guilty verdict, Tip said he would have went to extreme measures if someone took his own son’s life.
“Man, it was some bulls**t,” said T.I. “My hat goes off to the Martin family, because if it was me and my child, there wouldn’t have been no trial. I’d have been on trial. It would’ve been the trial of the father who killed the man who killed [his child]. That would have been my story. My hat goes off because [the Martin family] are much more clear and level-headed thinkers than [myself].” (News Radio)
New York rapper Raekwon recently said the Martin family’s fate was sealed with the selected jurors.
“When I heard about the verdict, about the Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman case, I was sad,” Rae revealed in an interview. “I was disappointed in the justice system and I felt like they didn’t really pay attention to the case the way they were supposed to. The jurors, there were mothers there, and it hurt me to know that they wouldn’t even understand the fact that he’s still a child. This is a kid right here, this is not somebody that I’m saying, ‘Well, he looked the suspicion’ or ‘He looked like he was carrying [a weapon], he was going to draw on you’ or ‘He was bigger than you.’ This is a kid. He looked like he didn’t weigh no more than 120 pounds and you a grown man following him and you must have wanted to be this hero.’ And I think within the case, people didn’t look at it all the way.” (Fuse News)
Last week, rap star Jay Z admitted the not guilty verdict hit him extremely hard.
“I was really angry, I didn’t sleep for two days. I was really angry about it. We all knew it was still a bit of racism in America but for it to be so blatant, if you just ask yourself the question, ‘Didn’t Travyon have a right to stand his ground?’ He was being chased, he fought back. He may have won. That doesn’t mean he’s a criminal. He won. If you chase me and you try to attack me and I defend myself, how can I be in the wrong? How is that right? This guy went to get some Skittles and go back to watch the All-Star game. He had plans. ‘I gonna get this Arizona, these Skittles, and go watch this game.’ … He had no intentions of robbing anyone’s home — it’s a thing where it’s like a reminder of, ‘We still got a long way to go.’ It’s beautiful because this generation right now, they don’t see color in that way. We’re a bit removed from those racist feelings.” (“The Truth With Elliott Wilson”)
Recently, Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs said the all-female jury could not possibly relate to the struggles of African Americans and especially to the slain teen.
“The defense team was arrogant, stand-offish, talk sh*t to the judge. They did their job. They swayed them six jurors that were on the motherf*cking jury. They swayed them for giving him [Zimmerman] no time,” Gibbs said. “Those Jurors must not have a child or something. I thought you supposed to trial a person from n*ggas that’s in his peer group? The jurors were like 50-plus, they wasn’t from his peer group. They were some old women from Florida. Some old white women from Florida. They didn’t give a f*ck about Trayvon Martin, his mother, all the cost involved that his family is going through right now. This sh*t is tearing his family apart, and this n*gga just get to walk free? Come on, now.” (XXL Mag)
