In a move eerily reminiscent of hip hop media’s boosting of the Tupac Shakur/Biggie Smalls beef, Hashim Warren at Hip Hop Blogs boosts L.I.F.E. DVD magazine with an "exclusive" video of Tru Life making violent threats against Cam’Ron and Dipset, describing Cam as wanting to be like 50 (shot numerous times) and Pac (murdered in a shooting) and stating "my Dominicans will put one in your face", etc., etc.
Beneath the video Hashim states:
Because I’m feeling how L.I.F.E. DVD gets down, I joined the team to help them push this web video movement. Cop the latest DVD – it’s crack.
There’s at least one version of the core threats with clearer audio as well as at least one other "exclusive" video [Hashim is treading a well worn path here] posted at YouTube. In my aging curmudgeonly fashion, I must point out yet again to members of the hip hop media, exclusive doesn’t mean you were the only one talking to the interviewee at the time or that you had a unique camera angle, exclusive means you were the only one who has anything.
I know, I know. I’m too damn serious for my own good, expect too much from bloggers, only look at the surface of things, read Bill Cosby and Stanley Crouch when no one’s looking, and so forth.
Besides, beef doesn’t kill, members of rappers’ entourages do.
Wise words, Clyde. Cam, Tru and Hashim need to take heed. I think it’s a sign of a weak emceee to make threats of violence, and an even weaker sign — lack of integrity, more like it — for a hip-hop journalist/blogger to support it.
It surprised me because Hashim isn’t a violence promoting kind of guy. I guess he just doesn’t take it that seriously and knew it was the best way to promote that DVD mag because that’s what sells.
Or he’s becoming an industry dude. I’m seeing some interesting choices from bloggers moving up. Some seem to be able to maintain their integrity, even when associating with low lifes, and others seem to be quite consciously leaving their integrity behind.
It will be a trip to look back on all this in another five years.
I’m still chuckling at your name-dropping of Stanley Crouch … words can’t describe that guy.
Thanks, glad somebody finds me amusing from time to time!