CherubAmi Ruiz
Dr. Vince Montes
SSS100.1893
October 05, 2007
Essay; Research Paper
“Hip-Hop Cop” What’s Next?
When are we, prominent people of the American society going to wake up and smell the
foul stench right in our backyards? Seriously these unfair discriminations against people of color
need to be dealt with before they totally get out of hand. For instance, the discrimination hip-hop
artists. Hip-Hop is a culture and the only universal language that shelters the black minorities. It
has become an expression of their way of life and the only forum where these artists can freely
express themselves in spoken words and get paid. Currently, hip-hop is one of the fastest ways to
success and fame in the music industry that the under privileged have. However, this Cinderella
story has it down side and it is called the “hip hop police”. The existence of this police unit has
been denied so many times by the police department but yet the rap artists say otherwise. These
artists continuously make mention of “Hip-Hop Cops” in their lyrics and claimed that latter’s
sole purpose is to stalk the artists and try to catch them with substantial evidences that could land
them in jail to end their fairytale success. Moreover, it was the statements made by “Game
(Jayceon Taylor)” who is on a fast ride to stardom that caught my attention.
Recently, a writer Sean Gardiner of the Village Voice wrote “Game-known as Jayceon
Taylor before he got famous, was chauffeured around town last fall, Raps new “it” guy can
afford to go anywhere and do practically anything he wanted in one of the world’s great cities.
The only draw back was that he’d have to endure a constant, not-so inconspicuous tail by
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supposedly secret NYPD unit that rappers call the Hip Hop Cops” Gardiner went on and wrote
that Detective Derrick Parker the founder of the hip hop squad himself said, “Game is right in his
assessment that the cops are following him-they are.” Once I got past the shock of the cop’s
confirmation of the existence of the “hip hop cops” which is something they have belligerently
denied in the past. I asked myself why the need for this unit in the first place? According to the
Miami Herald byline by Nicole White and Evelyn McDonnell, “Miami and Miami Beach police
are secretly watching and keeping dossiers on hip-hop celebrities like P.Diddy and DMX and
their entourages when they come to South Florida, a move police say is to protect the stars and
the public”. The Miami Herald continued to say that the police secretly photographed these
rappers as they arrive at the Miami Airport. They also stake out at the rappers hotels, nightclubs,
and video shoots. They consult a six-inch-thick black binder of every rapper and his or her group
with an arrest record in the state of New York. The binder begins with a photo and rap sheet of
Grammy-nominated rapper 50 Cent and ends with Ja Rule. Miami Beach Chief Charles Press
said, “What would law enforcement be if we closed our eyes? Our job is to know as much about
things that could hurt innocent people.” So where were the omnipresent police when Tupac
Shakur, the Notorious BIG and Jam Master Jay were murdered? Why these murders do remain
unsolved? I guess the aim of this unit is not to protect the artists, but rather to show the rappers
who really run the show (TOP DOG).
Benjamin Chavis, president and chief executive officer of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network,
a government watchdog and voter-registration group said, “Some people see gangs and hip-hop
artists as being synonymous. That’s a mistake. The recording industry is a legitimate American
enterprise, not a gang.” The hip-hop cops said they are also striving to put an end to gangs and it
spread. Naturally, the number one suspects are rappers because most of them are allegedly
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affiliated with gangs. Their flamboyant lifestyles and the violent nature of their music do not
help to their credit. However, as gangs exist in every community, for the police to single out the
hip-hop (mostly blacks) community as the major gang inducer, the function is obviously
stereotypical and very disturbing. Attorney Bruce Rogow who successfully represented “2 live
crew” when the rappers were prosecuted for obscenity in the early 90’s said, “this kind of
conduct shows insensitivity to constitutional limitations. It also implicates racial stereotyping.”
Furthermore, the police department finds verbal confrontations more dangerous and
violent than physically breaking musical instruments right in front of fans at concerts as most
rock n roll, punk rock and heavy metals artists (mostly whites) do. This is supported by the lack
of special units designed to supervise the behaviors of the white bands while songs, bear the
same messages as the rap songs. The only difference between them is the expressions of their
experiences: while a rapper is talking about how he she had to hustle while growing up because
mom was hooked on drugs while dad is nowhere in sight, a rocker will be talking about how his
or her parents never gave them ample attention while growing up. The rappers are more
aggressive and vocal because they were born and raised in tough neighborhoods where the only
way to gain respect is by fighting their way out. And that is exactly what Hip-hop is: a gateway
from hell as most of these rappers sees it. It is also the venue where under- privileged children
gets their shot at fame and fortune without losing sight of where they come from and who they
are. Most of these rappers are reformed criminals who try to channel their energies towards their
music to stay away from deviant behaviors. Commitment like these should be recognized and
honored instead of being harassed incessantly.
Jeff Peel, director of Miami-Dades Office of film and entertainment said, “he’s worried
about policy that could prompt hip-hop artists to stay away. South Florida is a choice spot for
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stars to live, celebrate and film music videos, an enterprise that pumps millions of dollars into
local economy. If something is going to dissuade them from coming, that would not be good
news for us”. This proves that local businesses are concerned about the artists’ well-being; their
presents or absence greatly affects their economy and consequently the nation as well. In
addition, if these cops continue with this dubious behavior they may inadvertently redirect some
of these reformed criminals back to their old ways which would do more harm than good to the
society.
In conclusion, it is noteworthy to mention that rap music is one of the oldest and most
essential part of hip-hop culture. It has evolved and expanded and encompassed many different
sectors such as films, poetry and fashion. Hence, shutting down this empire by continuously
harassing the rappers will affect a lot of people in the lower end of the totem pole. There is no
harm done by the hip-hop community, and rappers to be precise, other than performing while
black. The misconception that blacks are dangerous will never die down if police continue to
depict these rappers as such. Although the existence of hip-hop cops are rumored to be
everywhere rappers found themselves in, I focused mostly on the situation in Miami because it is
the one place where police have proudly confirmed the existence of hip-hop cops and also for the
reason that most of these rappers frequent Miami for relaxation or business purposes such as
video shoots.
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