SOHH Squad
New York rapper Mysonne is delivering some serious food for thought. The hip-hop veteran has come forward with his two cents on rallying support for A$AP Rocky and calling out the jailed rap artists's past disassociations from civil rights topics.
The Bronx rapper went to Instagram Wednesday to show past remarks Rocky made about not feeling obligated to speak on social issues.
Rocky previously addressed his now-infamous 2015 published remarks and denied being insensitive to social matters.
Back in 2015, A$AP explained his issues with becoming the face of civil rights and justice.
“Let Kendrick and J. Cole deal with that sh*t,” he retorts. He starts rapping from his record, moving his hands while swooshing through the room on his board. He goes into the song “Dreams,” spitting, “I just had an epic dream like Dr. King / Police brutality was on my TV screen—I specified ‘TV’ because I was in London. Why would I feel compelled to rap about Ferguson? I’m not about to say that I was down there throwing rocks at motherfuckers, getting pepper-sprayed. I’d be lying. Is it because I’m black? What the f*ck, am I Al Sharpton now?” He halts the electronic skateboard and looks me in the eye. “I’m A$AP Rocky. I did not sign up to be no political activist. I wanna talk about my motherf*ckin’ lean, my best friend dying, girls, my jiggy fashion and my inspirations in drugs. I live in f*cking Soho and Beverly Hills. I can’t relate. I go back to Harlem, it’s not the same. It’s a sad story. I gotta tell you the truth. I’m in the studio, I’m in fashion houses, I’m in these b*tches’ drawers. I’m not doing anything outside of that. That’s my life. These people need to leave me the f*ck alone.” (Time Out New York)
Over the past few hours, everyone from Stefflon Don and Meek Mill to G-Eazy have urged fans to sign a petition to get Rocky released from Swedish authorities.
To be fair though, you limit musicians and you limit Hip Hop Wen u demand that every single artist speaks politically. Not everyone is talented or knowledge in politics. For example Kanye speaks out but his opinions are unhelpful at best. Hip hop has always been bigger than just politics. Some artists make purely party music for example. Saying that because asap is suffering, it’s a teachable moment, is quite patronising. It assumes he will suddenly want to talk about politics due to experiencing trauma. But he might not. Many ppl r victims of discrimination but don’t wish to talk. And no one is forced to be a political activist. Not everyone has the personality for it. Or do we want ppl to be fake and pretend to be political and not be who they are now? How is this authentic ?