Boycott Hip Hop: Save the Industry, Free the Jena 6

It's feeling kind of hardcore all of a sudden.  Two leading hip hop bloggers call for boycotts of hip hop music on the same day for totally different but quite reasonable reasons.

Jay Smooth says we must not buy Kanye West's Graduation or 50 Cent's Curtis in order to break the music industry's crack-like dependence on hit sales.

Rizoh says:
Bottom line: I won’t buy another rap CD until I see more rappers take an active stand on the Jena 6 issue.

I'm down on all counts but I'm particularly interested in aiding the Jena 6 since I feel like even individual support can be felt quite strongly at this moment.  Besides, the realities of the marketplace will sort things out for the music industry soon enough.

Comments

[J. Jesus Ruiz]

phukn J Smooth man... he always contradicts the status quo.

Don't buy kanye and fifty... hip hop IS dead.

what next?

either way this dude's a genius. props.

[OPERATION BOYCOTT MARK ECKO IS LIVE & WELL]

OPERATION BOYCOTT MARK ECKO IS IN FULL EFFECT;
We purchased and supported your brands (Marc Ecko "Cut & Sew" collection, G-Unit Clothing Company, Zoo York, Avirex, Complex magazine) for many years and have made you rich and allowed you to use this cultrure as a base for your companies.
I dont have a problem with you buying the ball. But I do have a problem with you hating on Barry Bonds. The Hip-Hop Culture is usually down with the underdog. Down with the person thattands up, doesnt quite despite what the media is saying about them. Bonds stood tall throughout all the alligations & sports writter talking bad about him.
Where were you with your * when bush cheated his way into the white house.
I dont have a problem with you buying the ball. But I do have a problem with you hating on Barry Bonds. The Hip-Hop Culture is usually down with the underdog. Down with the person that stands up and doesnt quite despite what the media, and corporate america is saying about them. Bonds stood tall throughout all the alligations & sports writter talking bad about him.
Where were you with your * when bush cheated his way into the white house.
I guess you havent figured it out yet. We like seeing a face on TV we can relate to that is successful. With or without the alligations.You have asisted in tearing picture down for your on greed. How successful will you be without the HIP-HOP community and culture. Think back to Tommy Hilfigure and when we stopped messing with him.
If you read this and agree. Please tell a freind. We control alot more than the media will ever show. our money is making alot of people rich who obviously dont care about us. Look into your closet and add up all the materialist bullshit you can do without. I know I have a closet full "name brand" over priced Bullshit I can do without.
OPERATION BOYCOTT MARK ECKO IS IN FULL EFFECT

[The Writer]

I can dig the sentiment behind this letter and I was even shocked myself when I heard Marc Ecko was the buyer who concocted this whole thing with the asterisk on the ball. That being said, this letter is rife with typos and even a repeat paragraph. To be published on a website calling people to a serious action like this, at least employ the spelling and grammar check if you can't run it by someone who can edit it. This letter shouldn't be on display in this condition, but I'm behind the sentiment. It isn't like Marc Ecko needs my short money anyway, so fucc 'im.

The Writer

[Clyde Smith]

Typically comments in the comment section are not edited by ProHipHop but simply allowed to exist or not. ProHipHop doesn't endorse anything anybody's dropping in here.

On that note, there's no reason to consider this a "serious action". Let's get real.

[Bridget]

I'm white and I think what Marc Ecko is doing is racist. When I first heard about it, I thought how could someone who has made so much money off of black people do something like this, but I guess sometimes bigotry gets in the way of common sense. This could ruin him. I for one will never buy any Ecko products again.

[JB]

I'll keep buying Ecko's gear because:

1. I like it
2. It looks good
3. I think his voting idea for the Bonds ball was creative and democratic
4. Bonds is a cheater who deserves the support of no one
5. Supporting Bonds just because of his skin color is ignorant