As a long time Hip-Hop fan, as well as a documentary film buff, I was excited to get my copy of Rap Sheet: Hip Hop and The Cops from my Netflix queue. However, it doesn’t take long to realize the stupidity of most of the people involved in the film. Seriously. I was so in awe of this documentary, I felt I had to sit down with a fresh bowl of weed and watch it again, just so I could write this blog post about the morons featured in the film.
Basically, the film is about some “secret dossiers” that police, FBI, and task agencies have compiled on hip-hop performers and industry executives. Of course, this is frowned upon by the Hip Hop community.
The film starts with an interview of Lou Savelli, a former NYPD Sergeant, who explains that some of these rappers live their real life just like their rap songs, drugs, guns, fights at night clubs, etc.
Then we have Russell Simmons, in all his ignorance, says “they’re poets, they’re not gangstas, that’s obvious.” — First of all, Mr. Simmons, it is NOT obvious. Do you know what the word “obvious” means? He says that police should be “doing law enforcement” to deal with criminals instead of “poets.” Well, that would be nice Mr. Simmons, but some of your so-called poets are hardened criminals, whether you want to admit it or not.
Can we really blame our police for keeping files on a segment of the population that brags about being criminals?
The filmaker begins by explaining that when he was 20 years old, Tupac Shakur was gunned down, and when he turned 21, The Notorious B.I.G. was assasinated in retaliation for the Tupac shooting. A couple years later, Big L was murdered, and a couple years later, 50 Cent was shot many times. Also, about a “gun battle” outside of Hip-Hop radio station HOT 97 that sent L’il Kim to prison (although when released, she was able to go mainstream on Dancing With The Stars…lol).
Oh then months later, the filmaker points out, Sean “P Diddy” Combs was involved in another shooting that sent his moron protege Jamal “Shyne” Barrow to prison.
In 2002, the legendary Jam Master Jay was shot execution style IN HIS recording studio!
One of the focal points of this documentary is the Murder Inc trials of Irv Gotti and his friend Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, who had been a drug kingpin in the late 1980s, and was responsible for $200,000 worth of drug deals per day.
So can we really be angry that there is a so-called “Hip Hop Police?” Hell no, it sounds to me like there needs to be someone keeping tabs on some of these idiots.
Anyway, I’m just going to kind of comment of some of the more ridiculous points in the movie, like now, when several rappers are being asked about the existance of “Hip Hop Cops” and some ‘tard calling himself “Sheist Bub” says “Ya got da hip hop cops out there, and they watching, they BE at the clubs, I see ‘em, cuz I be in the clubs”
Then we have Ghostface Killah saying “Fuck the hip hop police, man, know wah mean? Mind yo fucking business, stop followin niggas, I feed babies all across Africa, nigga, know wah mean? And you put a label on me like that? You wanna follow me?”
Holy shit Mr. Ghostface Killah, you just seemed dumb as all hell. First of all, what do you think is the police’s business? And it doesn’t fucking matter how many babies you feed all across Africa, if you involve yourself with a criminal element here in the United States. Secondly, why don’t you feed babies all across the United States?
I also find it funny that all these rappers claim they do “nothin but positive” — yeah right, me too buddy. This guy Dee Dean, CEO of Ruff Ryders, says how he’s been followed, pulled over, been arrested, been harassed and was “doing nothing but positive” — whatever the fuck that means.
So now the filmmaker is describing this 500-page “secret book” in which police keep files on rappers. However, he explains that he was able to obtain a copy of this so-called “secret book” in only 2 days. LOL. Some secret conspiracy, huh?
He explains that some of the biggest names in Hip Hop are included in the book, like Damon Dash, DMX, P Diddy, Li’l Kim, 50 Cent, Shyne, Nas, Irv Gotti, Ja Rule, Kenneth Supreme McGriff, and Foxie Brown, and shows the stars mug shots, along with their past criminal history.
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