This is not a homosexual hate post. This is not a post diminishing hate crimes and their impact on the victims and the society we share. This is not about prejudice and hate at all this is an opinionated article about lying and using Hip-Hop as a means of expression.
Today Jussie Smollet has been charged with a felony count of staging a hate crime assault on himself because he was not satisfied with his pay on the Fox TV show 'Empire'. Chicago Police are reviewing this case and say this was all staged for a raise in his salary and looking for a higher pay grade than what he earns now. There is nothing wrong with negotiating your worth and being able to raise the agreement in which you can or will be paid from an employer I mean hell we all fight for raises at out jobs right? The issue to this alleged assault happening that I personally have with it, is that Mr. Smollet said I am the "Gay Tupac". What the Fuck Does That Mean?
Tupac Shakur was an artist that was raised with the Black Panther Parties' belief of fighting oppression and hatred to a people because of skin color to the nation to build a do for self attitude against a government that still to this day sees the destruction of people of color lives' to this very day and will as long as it exist. Tupac was not a holy man for as many songs and he made that were social in nature, Brenda's Got A Baby, he will also be remembered for his anger filled music as well, Hit Em Up. But for his career Tupac talked about raising the community and unity for all people of color to build a nation of unified people. Where the hell did Jussie Smollet get punching someone in the face made him the "Gay Tupac".
What did we miss in the motives Tupac set out for himself as seeing his people be uplifted to now only remembering the Death Row Pac that wanted to kill a label and former friend. The usage of Tupac's name here bothers me because the real L I want to give Jussie Smollet is in tarnishing the name of a Late Great MC and turning his name into a catch phrase. Being the GAY anything is not the way to promote or conduct your life just be yourself and let your life be defined by your own motivations and actions. Personally I don't care who anyone sleeps with and if you do not share a bed with me it is not my business to know anyway. I would like to believe we are past being the Gay, The Black, The White, The Asian or The Spanish anything and just be who we are. But ala it seems that we are not and through the plague of prejudice we still have to deal with these names and labels that in the end cause more division than anything else.
As far as Mr. Smollet is concerned we are innocent until proven guilty and I reserve judgement for his pending case. He is guilty in my eyes of tarnishing the name of another man to look righteous and as a warrior for what seems to be an empty cause or paycheck, He has to hold this L for the simple fact that he wanted to be compared to a real fighter that believed in a cause and made music to reflect it. Tupac may not have been Bob Marley or Christ but we can look back and see he cared enough to provoke thought and change in his music. Jussie Smollet will be remembered as a Clout Chaser and a liar if this is proven true.