Talk to me about the
protect black art movement.
Where did this initiative
start from and what purpose
do you hope that it serves?
When you speak about a protect black guard,
you're talking about really
protect art at its truest form.
Protect freedom of speech
and how we were around.
And of course, everyone knows that
I'm involved with young Stoner life.
I'm partners with Young Thug.
I'm partners with with Gunner
and the other 28 people that are.
Uh, currently being held under
Rico Charge and I felt like this
was 1984 and I was dealing with.
Issues around freedom of speech
back then and and and rap music.
I felt like it was 1987 that I was
dealing with issues whether it
was too much vulgar or whether it
was this is not good for kids and
I feel like in in the 2000s and
and the late 90s it dealing with
police brutality and we're saying
after police and now I'm ones.
I mean you go down the list of.
But things that Umm,
so this is 4 decades and now
just put a name to it,
you know it's it's protect black art,
protect our rights,
protect our freedom of speech,
protect our creative expression.
And I'm not just talking about rap music,
I'm talking about and all music.
I'm talking about in all arts
and forms of entertainment.
But funny enough,
the only one that's getting prosecuted
for freedom of speech and self-expression
and entertainment is hip-hop.
And I think it's unfair and I think it's.
Invasive races,
uh,
racist and motivated by a systemic
racist judicial system that
constantly goes to take us and
not only take us off the street,
take us out the street and
sometimes take us out.
Period.
Why do you think oftentimes the hip
hop community feels like Public
Enemy number one when it comes to
how it's presented in courtrooms?
Because we did it without the
traditional system, remember,
our culture was created because
they wouldn't let us in.
Our clothes were created because we
they wouldn't, they wouldn't let us,
didn't teach us about manufacturing.
They didn't teach us about ownership.
You know, our music was made
because they said, well, you guys,
if you can't do this, you don't have the
money to learn how to play the piano.
And here's your instruments and the
flutes and the things like this.
So we create our own boom BAP, you know,
I mean, we use trash cans, corners.
We use anything we could do, you know?
We we held out orchestra
on the street corner,
put a little trash can around and
someone on the playground or or or or
the park I Symphony was in the park.
So I think these things came out of
necessity for us to participate and
you know what kind of people we are.
We're creative people.
We we're hard working people and
more importantly with people that
have had dealt with so many like
I say things that went against
us that we're built for this too.
And so I think there's a lot to to say.
About what the culture has done
a lot to say that we we created
billionaires and multi millionaires
and some people go to school their
whole life and they just end
up working for somebody else.
You know in the courtroom.
When I was listening to you know,
your testimony, you seemed really
exhausted that for 40 years you've
been defending the culture.
What thoughts were going through your mind.
You know in those line of
questions of really addressing
the contribution that hip-hop does
make to the culture and how it's.
10 times present perceived illegally.
You know what? What what
bothered me the most?
And it's gonna sound um.
Sort of a. Human.
I don't know if it's even.
How about this?
I must sound like a father.
I know that Jeffrey. Has six kids.
Within the last six months, but before this,
one of his daughter's mothers was murdered.
I know what he's done for his community.
I know what the symbol of young Stoner
life and the record company and not
only him but gonna and and keep coming
out what it meant that those were your.
A I could be more like them than
be like somebody I don't know.
And so these are the beacon of lights.
And he started to build a business and
started to buy land and these were the
beacon of lights that were happening.
So I said. You know,
as much as the business is there with us,
a father. Can't take care of his children.
A mother can't love her son,
her son, her son.
A brother can't stand next to his sister in
times of need and but, but but yet alone.
And I'm not talking about whether
you're guilty or not guilty.
I'm talking about just for for bond.
To me, I think it begs to differ.
You saw Father talking.
You didn't see just a businessman,
and you saw somebody who,
they're not going to wear me down,
they're not going to Take Me Out.
They're not going to put me to position
where I'm not going to speak on it.
They're just making me stronger
and stronger because.
I believe we have, uh,
with success comes responsibility also,
right?
So that it's my responsibility while
I'm breathing to protect black guard and
protect all creators around the world.
And in that, you know,
you were able to say I'm
willing to put everything
on the line for this bond.
What statement did you
want to make with that?
I think Doug is more of a friend
and a son than he is a business
partner and the Jeffrey I know.
Right. Did Jeffrey I know
would take care of my kids?
Did Jeffrey I know would
make sure that my family is.
They're taken care of if
they're in the same area.
Jeffrey I know will make sure
that his nieces and nephews and
your nieces and nephews had the
opportunity to go to school.
The Jeffrey I know would fund a local
football team and a young entrepreneur
trying to take kids off the street.
The Jeffrey I know would build the
business and create multi millionaires.
So the Jeffrey they're talking about.
The Jeffrey let's talk about I just
don't know that Jeffrey and all I
could do is say I wanted to risk
everything on Jeffrey that I know.
It's interesting to see the tale
of two Jeffries, one that's being
told from prosecutors and one
that's being told from the community
and also the hip hop community.
Why do you think there's a
discrepancy between that?
I think there's two sides to everything.
And at the end of the day,
because we come from humble beginnings,
because we come from a places that
people might not understand or we don't,
some of us don't have the Harvard degree and
the opportunity to go to different things.
We have a different come up and there's
a different understanding of of what
helping the neighborhood is about.
You know, there's a different understanding
of not just leaving the people.
Of being up, being amongst the people
and having them see your success,
but we the very few who stayed in it and
to try to keep a constant reminder that
there is hope, there is opportunity.
I am an example.
We could prosecute it.
You know they, they,
they keep bringing up these
lyrics and not one,
one lyric is associated with a
particular crime that they talk about,
but they're saying that it influences
and this is what you said this in the
record and I try to remind people well.
Johnny Cash said.
I I killed the man in Remo to watch him die.
You know, I shot the sheriff,
but I did not shoot.
Definitely isn't the first time.
But it's rap music.
And because it's rap music,
and it was born and bred out of someplace
that a lot of people don't understand,
we're constantly attacked
because we're telling our truths.
We're telling our stories.
What does that say about
the state of the culture?
I don't, I I don't think it says
anything about the state of the culture.
I think what does it say about
the state of our judicial system.
I think it says what what,
what are we what are we doing now?
So we we we figured out that it's not a fad.
We figured out that we can create
billionaires multi billionaires
and businesses and be the
number one music in the world.
You know beat us up, locked us up,
treated us wrong sinister education
system for us to be employees that
we told you hey maybe that's not
the way it's we're going to be on.
As of now you told us entrepreneurship.
Now we're now we're mayors and governors
and journalists and at present and
now we're taking over our business.
You gonna ohh.
What the hell is going on?
And I come up with something.
OK, you know what?
We're going to take a Rico charge
at a state level on a group of guys
that are showing and loving the
community's gonna put a grocery
store and clothing inside of those
high school is it you you you don't.
You don't, you don't. These kids.
Because I was teaching them about
the responsibility and and and
our country constantly reminds us.
Every day how you are black you
have a permanent tattoo therefore
you will be treated differently
in this country and I'm not gonna
as long as I'm alive.
I'm going to keep keep protecting
black art and making sure when you
are saying racist things when you
are doing racist things America
I will call you out on it.
So who's really on trial?
What is really on trial?
Are you saying it's bigger
than just gonna it's bigger
than just the 28 Co defendants.
If you go around the world this is
not about it's not about why I sell.
It's not about kind of Doug this
is about freedom of speech.
This is about protecting the very things
that have come from blood sweat and tears.
And other people have have went on to build
a foundation so we can have a business.
We can do great business.
And this is not I can't isolate
it because I lived 40 years of it.
You know police brutality.
You know we we thought we we we saw
the worst of it. The Rodney King.
But now we know we didn't.
You know, we thought we saw the worst
of it when they were putting a fire on
CD's and stuff back and back in the day.
But now they're locking us up
because of the very lyrics that
90% of the world loves today.
You know, considering the direction
that New York is taking and the
direction that Fannie Willis is taking
versus what's happening in California,
why isn't there a general consensus
on what to do on a nationwide level?
The same reason,
not a general consensus on gun gun laws.
Same same reason out of general
consensus on storming the capital.
Same reasons. Not a general
consensus that murder is murder,
whether it's a cop putting his
knee on the back of someone's neck.
These you know, the the country we live in,
you know what I mean? It's just,
it's it's not it's not justice for all.
It's it's it's justice that's the make it
make sense for those of us who are not
us. The discussion and the
conversation about where the lines
blur between a lived reality and
artistic expression has been a debate
that's been going on for so long.
Um, can you kind of, you know with with
how long you've been in the industry,
what's your take on that,
on where the lines blur,
blur to those who want to?
In the arcade justice you know they
only blurred for those of us who need
to think about in in Ghana situation.
He's not been indicted on
anything other than affiliation.
I I believe we should be tough
tougher on crime in any city that's
struggling and the whole 9 but I
do believe we should hold the the
138 gangs that are really out there
doing what's wrong and not putting
innocent people and not giving a
fetch out they're actually saying.
To them you know what you're
guilty before you even on trial.
You know what I mean?
So I I just think there's so much work
to do and and and I appreciate that
that you even bringing light to it.
You still have a systemic racist
problem here in America.
And I think that protect black
art is is is a movement to help
get through this side of it.
But that we have more things to
deal with and I just want people to
continue to sign on to the petition.
Appreciate everybody who who
has done it and and and remember
one day you will be questioned.
When they you will be questioning,
you will want to be.
They have the opportunity to
be proven innocent,
and you won't be proven guilty
just because of something you said,
you know,
on a record.
Thank you so much for expressing that.
This is an amazing opportunity to
interview you and to kind of see this.
This nationwide topic from your
lens has definitely been an honor.
I appreciate it. Thank you for everything.