I had a choice this week, an extremely difficult choice where I could of made a good chunk of money. But I would've had to deal with/talk to/negotiate with an executive at RSE/Rhymesayers. My Sister @PsalmOne and a cadre of other humans have already said it is #BoycottRhymesayers
There are a number of cases within the label, in particular members of DOomtree and the punk/hip hop MC P.O.S. a variety of accusations and alleged incidents. I'm an abolitionist I am not a sit around and wait for a white man in a uniform or a robe to tell me to BELIEVE WOMEN.
I always believe all women. If a woman says such and such tried to r*pe her, I believe the woman. If verifiable proof comes out later to the contrary, perhaps I'll take her words with a grain of salt, but IT COSTS YOU NOTHING to believe women when they tell you about abuse/rape.
we have no power. many don't believe us. the burden of proving an accuser did something wrong is on the woman who is already damaged by the abuse. then there's the gaslighting. TRIGGER WARNING
I was gangraped in my 20s. held against my will. no police were called. no judge...
I was gangraped in my 20s. held against my will. no police were called. no judge...
no jury and unfortunately no executioner. no one in the community took care of it. the only thing that happened ws that people tried to drag my name through the mud. i was "slut shamed". I laughed, because men are filthy whores with dirty community dick 95% out of 100. still...
to this day at least once a year I'm confronted with people who trigger memories of that experience, either remembering they knew and did nothing, or seeing the rapists/their family members out in the world or online. you can never be unraped. unbeated. unabused. it lingers.
There are a few good men. some of them rhyme or produce or own record labels. some of them are artist managers. here's the kicker. as good and wholesome and upstanding as they might personally be, we live in a capitalist society. a good man isn't your comrade when he's for sale.
I advocate feeding ur children by any means necessary. One of the things enabling me to speak out & tell ANY truth I see fit is that U cannot starve me. I have no physical children. I fast regularly by choice. Your money does not move me. What u eat does not make my bowels move.
I've been quiet, submissive, subservient, played the background to y'all foreground, and kept everyone's secrets for far too long. I am tired. I am an elder. I was pregnant at 12 forced abortion at 13, my Son would have been in his 30s by now, I'd be an esteemed GrandMother.
The fact that you can't see my children doesn't mean they don't exist. the fact that they're all dead means you get to subjugate me and treat me like shit, and I have to take it. I have to survive off the crumbs. I have no protection. I'm alone in the industry and in the streets.
But speaking of the streets one thing you'll learn if U cross me or come across me, is that the things a lot of rappers lie on & say they've done I actually did. ME. myself. I was an enforcer in more than one gang. Read it again. I sold yay and yow to put myself through college.
I'm not going to get on the TL or even on phones and talk about accusations of abuse, violence and r*pe. I'm going to starve U and use any & every power that I have to make sure U do no commerce. wither and die on the vine unless U make right the wrongs u KNOW u done. I'm not ...
going to get into a discourse or back and forth. I know what I know on many abusers, rapists, gaslighters and men who generally truck in misogyny and misogynoir. yes I know were ALL the bodies are buried. NO i'm not going to "out" U or anyone else, if it isn't MY STORY to tell.
But I won't/cannot do business with y'all anymore. I can't front and try to negotiate with someone who is an agent or manager of an abuser. I can't post a video from a label that fosters an environment of abuse. SOME OF Y'ALL LABEL MEN/WOMEN ARE REST HAVENS FOR RAPISTS & ABUSERS.
when i post these truththreads I get DMs from fans, press, execs, friends/family. I don't bend break or fold. I'm not here to tell the secrets I know. I'm here to make sure YOU MOTHERFUCKERS GET SOME GODDAMN HELP. If U know you've commited abuse, U can DM, I will HELP U. ON God.
If U know ur artist/s committed rape/abuse and you're still out here repping them, I cannot help U. If U own/operate a record label known for artists with abusive behaviour? I can't fuck with U. I can't buy or MARKET/PROMOTE ur music fam. I don't negotiate with abusers/enablers.
So I'm sure come Saturday AM when everyone's reading this over coffee & tea the subject of @sarocthemc is going to arise. I don't know the Sister personally however she is close w/some of my Sistren. I always respect her & her work. I believe her LP will be available ON HER SITE.
Everyone makes their own choices in this industry and in life. I love Sa-Roc's music, message & her whole ministry. I even included her in my 2018 Best of the Year wrap up for @spotify. I have no way of knowing how long ago she agreed contractually to release usic w/Rhymesayers.
In most cases, contracts signed by artists have to be honored. If you find out later you're signed to a label full of rapists & abusers of women, no one cares B. the court don't care, the fans don't care, U break your contract U are liable financially. So I cannot condemn her...
All I can do is what I can do. If U know me U know i'm born & raised in LA, with heavy ties to VENICE and the Graffiti culture. @TheRealRakaa and @Evidence have been compadres of mine since we were all basically kids. Still, if Evidence does a RSE project, I can't support it...
There's no way in hell. I can't post a link, I can't listen to a song on DSPs, the only thing I could do is ask him personally for the music just for me to listen to but even that is fraught and problematic. How can I support any of my bredren/sistren if the work they're doing...
is financing a FUCKING RING OF ABUSE/RAPE/VIOLENCE TOWARD WOMEN? My Muslim Brother Musab @MusabOnTheReal is one of the founders of Rhymesayers. I trust him implicitly, he's a true friend of mine AND a real Muslim. I haven't had the chance to discuss this with him or others yet...
Furthermore there is a real chance that 2021 or 2022 will bring about the finality of all of my business dealings with DOOM who of course released the stellar MMmm...Food album (recorded/mixed/mastered in my home for the most part) through RSE. #BoycottRhymesayers so guess what?
If we can all come to an agreement of monies I'm owed amicably, or if there ends up being some other way of handling the past works in court or arbitration, I PERSONALLY WILL NOT TAKE $ from the RSE projects. It is tainted blood money & I don't care how much it might be, FUCK NO.
If it is ever agreed by whatever means on how much I'm owed, INSHA'ALLAH, whatever RSE monies there are would have to go to charities in Minneapolis that shelter abused women, council rape victims, etc. That's what the label should be doing all day anyway. MAKE SOME DAMN ZAKAT...
and clean up your isht, Siddiq. get your damn artists some help. get them in programs. come CORRECT with some statements of fact from the artists and from the label. BELIEVE WOMEN. SUPPORT WOMEN. PAY WOMEN FOR THE HARM YOU'VE FACILITATED AND ENABLED. BREAK. BREAD. OR. FAKE. D**D.
donate funds TODAY to these organizations helping women and girls in music/tech
@girlsmakebeats2
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DONATE DIRECTLY TO WOMAN-ARTISTS, help them build/rebuild their recording studios/DJ setups
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@girlsmakebeats2
@womensaudio mission
@BlackGirlsCode
DONATE DIRECTLY TO WOMAN-ARTISTS, help them build/rebuild their recording studios/DJ setups
$NANLIB
$khaynes19
$walasia
$Kakarot314
Support the music/art of @psalmone and her crew by carefully NEVER PURCHASING her music released via RSE/Rhymesayers. Buy direct from the artist every time. psalmone.bandcamp.com
I'll open the floor to ALL THE LADIES please drop your wishlists, cashapps, buylinks, #onlyfans
I'll open the floor to ALL THE LADIES please drop your wishlists, cashapps, buylinks, #onlyfans
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