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Akon Lied About Criminal Past: The Smoking Gun

arXter said:
i didn't say it was a gimmick and of course there are those who lived the 'thug life' - they started this art of Hip-Hop through poetry and story-telling of struggles and lessons in ghetto life.
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That's not entirely true. Early rap was mostly party music like Kurtis Blow, The Sugarhill Gang, Super Rhymes, Sequence, and even pre "Message" Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. After "The Message" is when real life topics were rapped about.
 
and, by the way, who said that fresh prince isn't taken seriously? maybe he is called 'pop', but he's still making a lot of money. his brand of music was very successful, and i'm sure a lot of it was bought by audiences who can discern, and also subscribe to the hip hop
 
DuranDuran said:
That's not entirely true. Early rap was mostly party music like Kurtis Blow, The Sugarhill Gang, Super Rhymes, Sequence, and even pre "Message" Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. After "The Message" is when real life topics were rapped about.
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i was referring to the thug-life/gangsta rap sub-genre of Hip-Hop - i call it art because that's what it was and still is if you listen to the right voices (Immortal Technique etc.).
 
vncwilliam said:
and, by the way, who said that fresh prince isn't taken seriously? maybe he is called 'pop', but he's still making a lot of money. his brand of music was very successful, and i'm sure a lot of it was bought by audiences who can discern, and also subscribe to the hip hop
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I mean he isn't taken seriously by the hip hop field. To the gangsta fans, he's like the Spice Girls. He's never in the rap magazines, except if they're talking about Jazzy Jeff's turntable skills.
 
As for Akon's criminal past, I have to say I've never liked Akon. He's always come off the wrong way to me... and when I heard Michael was working with him, I was like :mellow:
 
It was stupid of Akon, because glorifying criminal actions is stupid. Plain and simple. It isn't the same as the Jackson Five lying about their age. That doesn't hurt anybody. Akon lying about being a criminal, a hard core criminal, sends out the wrong messege to a lot of kids who look up to him, unfortunatly. They look at the path he supposedly took and try to follow it themselves. Only problem for them is, they aren't going to make it, they'll just end up in jail. And Akon needed to lie not because he's an artist who longed to express himself and that was the only way. If he was truly gifted, he could have made it without all that crap. And Michael getting arrested didn't give him street cred., it's not something he brags about or want's to highlight, and there's no one in the world that can relate to what happened to him, except maybe O.J. Simpson, being handcuffed in front of the whole world and dragged off to the police station for everyone to see.
 
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Only the people who live in the hood knows whether Michael gets street cred or not because they are the ones that give it. Kanye West is wearing MJ mug shot and sings that he is bad like mj. Seems to me that the hood done gone give MJ street cred anyway.
Only the people who live in the black community can say whether Akon is a bad example to them or not. They are not stupid. They know Akon is acting. If they live in the hood, Akons criminal record is not going to make one iota of difference to them or , cause they will have seen it all before.
AKon have talent. He reminds me of Bob Marley. Michael Jackson respects him and he is not prejudging him. He also have a lot of respect in the black community. I really do not know why there is so much hate for Akon around here. I wonder where all this hate comes from, can't be just cause Akon told a lie. I am happy that he is not the criminal that people thought he was. I love Akon. When he sings he reminds me of Africa,my ancestral home, in the same way that Bob Marley reminds me of Jamaica. The caribbeans love him too.
 
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How exactly can Mike have any street cred? He's never been in "the Street". How can someone in the hood relate to someone who buys overpriced paintings and has a zoo. If being arrested makes you hard, then Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, etc have plenty of cred.
 
DuranDuran said:
How exactly can Mike have any street cred? He's never been in "the Street". How can someone in the hood relate to someone who buys overpriced paintings and has a zoo. If being arrested makes you hard, then Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, etc have plenty of cred.
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Michael has always had street cred. I think he got it when he did Beat It and used real gangsters to dance with him, but I think he got it also for buying the beatles catalogue and for much more than merely being arrested. He made the baddest music. He broke down racist barriers and so much more. Yes, being arrested adds to his street cred.
I live in the black community here in London and I can tell you that the boys in the hood here love Michael Jackon. They say Michael is 'Heavy'.
I think also the fact that the media keeps on attacking him too, they see it as racist attack and that it is done because MJ broke so many records and bought the beatles catalogue. To them, that is being bad. They will say that Mike is the 'Blackest'; black man around. That is giving him street cred.
 
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Michael himself has said he doesn't know anything about the street, that he's never been exposed to that kind of life, that he's always been sheltered, lol. Black kids from lower class homes look up to Michael because he worked for what he got and where he is, he worked his ass off, not because he got arrested or danced with some gang members in the background. They look up to him because he proved that a black person can be as big and bigger then any white person. He came from a similar background, living in less then middle-class surroundings until the age of 10. That's about as much street cred. as Michael's got. But he wasn't arrested for something he did and he wasn't arrested because he wanted to be or engaged in something that would get him arrested. He was arrested because he opened his home to a bunch of scam artists. It was completely out of his control. Most people who get street cred. from being arrested are arrested because they were purposfully engaging in illegal activity. And kids in the "hood" do look up to people like Akon, and Snoop Dog, and Fiddy Cent and Kanye West and all these people, and they do look to them as role modles and as the blue print for getting out of their current situation. The difference between someone like Michael and them is, Michael understands that responsibility and has always tried to present a good, clean image for them to look up to, not glorifying stupid sh*t like drug use, drinking, sex, women, etc... He's always tried to show that it's hard work that will get you out, not crime. People like Akon don't understand that and that's what people should be angry about. You shouldn't want street cred. Who cares whether you've expereinced the streets or not. That's not what makes you hard, that's not what makes you real or tough and the fact that kids think it does today just shows how warped society has become.
 
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Datsymay said:
Michael has always had street cred. I think he got it when he did Beat It and used real gangsters to dance with him, but I think he got it also for buying the beatles catalogue and for much more than merely being arrested. He made the baddest music. He broke down racist barriers and so much more. Yes, being arrested adds to his street cred.
I live in the black community here in London and I can tell you that the boys in the hood here love Michael Jackon. They say Michael is 'Heavy'.
I think also the fact that the media keeps on attacking hiom too, they see it as raist attack and that it is done because MJ broke so many records and bought the beatles catalogue. To them, that is being bad. They will say that Mike is the 'Blackest'; black man around. That is giving him street cred.
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Uh, no one in the hood in the US knows or cares about The Beatles. Buying a publishing catalog isn't street. A lot of the kids believe he bleached his skin and doesn't know about any vitiligo, which really isn't street. Beat It? By your logic Arnold Schwarzenegger has "cyborg cred" because he played one and became governor, lol. A lot respect some B-Ball player who sells the $200 sneakers that they shoot someone for stepping on.
 
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DuranDuran said:
Uh, no one in the hood in the US knows or cares about The Beatles. Buying a publishing catalog isn't street. A lot of the kids believe he bleached his skin and doesn't know about any vitiligo, which really isn't street. Beat It? By your logic Arnold Schwarzenegger has "cyborg cred" because he played one and became governor, lol.
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a lot of 'thugs' attended MJ's concert in Washington D.C. and cried at the end of his performance for 911.
 
As far as Akon and his talent are concerned...nobody is gunna stand in front of me and turn down the radio when 'don't matter' is on. i love that song. it may be a good reason why MJ hired Akon. in the end, the music tells the story...and Akon is a good songwriter..perhaps cus he's been the target of so much hate. Maybe MJ sees that, and can relate. this is not excusing him for some of his reported behaviours, but the fact is, Akon is on t25 and yall took that cd to number 1, despite your protests, if you don't like Akon. in the end, the music rules.
 
vncwilliam said:
a lot of 'thugs' attended MJ's concert in Washington D.C. and cried at the end of his performance for 911.
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Thanks for telling it like it is.
Michael jackson sets a wonderful example of 'INCLUSIVENESS'. He excludes no one. He is devoid of racial and social prejudice. The work he is doing with AKON and WILL.I.AM and all these other people that he calls are going to transform them and help them to be better people. You do not help being by cussing them out and calling them names. Just because you are better doesn't man you look down on them. MJ knows that somebody helped hom when he needed ot, or there but the grace of god goes he. I like and admire MJ for that.
The boys in the hood sees this in him too. he is the real deal.
Now let me post something Farakhan says about them rappers that some of MJ fans want to cuss and call names. If you have never walked in their shoes you have no right to judge them. Telling a white lie to get a job to feed your family is far better than stealing the food. You can go to jail for stealing, not usually for lying, not even in court.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGzvbqu98kU&feature=related
 
Then why are the "bad boys" praised and "clean" acts are considered corny and cheesy? Look at all the Al Pacino "Scarface" shirts.
 
vncwilliam said:
As far as Akon and his talent are concerned...nobody is gunna stand in front of me and turn down the radio when 'don't matter' is on. i love that song. it may be a good reason why MJ hired Akon. in the end, the music tells the story...and Akon is a good songwriter..perhaps cus he's been the target of so much hate. Maybe MJ sees that, and can relate. this is not excusing him for some of his reported behaviours, but the fact is, Akon is on t25 and yall took that cd to number 1, despite your protests, if you don't like Akon. in the end, the music rules.
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I didn't even know who Akon was until fans started cussing him out. I heard the song,'Momma Africa' and it brought chills to my whole body. When he sings reggae, he reminds me of our Bob Marley. He has great potential to be an excellent artist. MJ will give him encouragement. Yes, I believe MJ sence the hate and probably deliberately wanted to encourage him.:)
 
DuranDuran said:
Then why are the "bad boys" praised and "clean" acts are considered corny and cheesy? Look at all the Al Pacino "Scarface" shirts.
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like it has been mentioned..MJ broke that barrier. he is a clean act, and he is world reknowned.

nobody is endorsing criminal acts..but clearly there is a right way and wrong way to deal with each case.
 
vncwilliam said:
like it has been mentioned..MJ broke that barrier. he is a clean act, and he is world reknowned.

nobody is endorsing criminal acts..but clearly there is a right way and wrong way to deal with each case.
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I bet if you go to "the hood" you'll see more Scarface than MJ. Do you really think that someone in a gang would idolize Mike or a "clean" act? If that's the case then there would be no reason to lie about being in prison. Look at the average rap video, just a lot of big booty models and throwing up gang signs.
 
DuranDuran said:
I bet if you go to "the hood" you'll see more Scarface than MJ. Do you really think that someone in a gang would idolize Mike or a "clean" act? If that's the case then there would be no reason to lie about being in prison. Look at the average rap video, just a lot of big booty models and throwing up gang signs.
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i live in the hood. and the most played songs are 'billie jean' 'thriller' 'wanna be startin something'...you get my point.

no doubt there are problems. no doubt there are disturbing images on tv. But there are also strong messages that bring people together, in crisis.

again, MJ is proof that there is a way to deal with the problems without condemning the art, and, clearly there is a way to rehabilitate. and clearly, those who wish to truly run afoul of the law, and use the art as a defense, can be weeded out, if they choose not to better themselves. and, clearly, those who wish to use their art to bring themselves up from dirt, should be allowed to do so, until we gradually solve the problem.

but blasting all of hip hop is not the solution.

and now that Akon is in a better place than he was, he should not be used as the poster boy for evil.
 
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Back in the 1980s, Farrakhan said something totally different about acts like Mike & Prince. I guess he changed his mind, lol.
 
DuranDuran said:
Back in the 1980s, Farrakhan said something totally different about acts like Mike & Prince. I guess he changed his mind, lol.
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it sounds like Farakahn's views are being modified throughout the years. i don't know where he's headed...but, suddenly he is sparking a lot of interest.
 
Talk about it DuranDuran. Farakhan said that Michael was horrible for American's youth in the 80s, because he wasn't "manly" enough. He spoke strongly against him. Suddenly it's okay to support him though when he can support the ideas that blacks are a target of racism. He's a hate preacher.
 
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LOL!

And you use Louis Farrakhan as a reason why we should back off of Akon's foolishness?

Michael Jackson was sheltered from the streets by his parents and before he knew it, he was a star so he never got to experience what Akon and 'em experienced. And it's a double standard when no one knows about Mafia ties but black celebrities' lives get scanned when the Mafia runs shouldn't have been as secretive as it was.

Thing is the guy lied about being some kingpin and now he's exposed as a... probationer. I guess he felt if he LIED about being in trouble - on purpose - that he can be seen as a thug. That's the mentality people have nowadays. 30 years ago, when hip-hop started, there wasn't no such thing as acceptable thuggery.

But once NWA came on the scene, people had this fake sense of reality that in order to be cool, you have to be a gangsta like Eazy E claimed he was and get a deal. That's an unfortunate reality and even sadder when R&B singers act that way.
 
wannabestartinsomthin21 said:
Talk about it DuranDuran. Farakhan said that Michael was horrible for American's youth in the 80s, because he wasn't "manly" enough. He spoke strongly against him. Suddenly it's okay to support him though when he can support the ideas that blacks are a target of racism. He's a hate preacher.
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The guy is a flip-flopper. He called Michael (and Prince, I believe) "fruity" but as soon as Michael got in trouble, he's all supporting his innocence. :rolleyes: I call him something as an habitual flip-flopper.

And this isn't even about Michael...then again, they're "supposedly working on something" so he should be brought up. :lol:
 
troubleman84 said:
LOL!

And you use Louis Farrakhan as a reason why we should back off of Akon's foolishness?

Michael Jackson was sheltered from the streets by his parents and before he knew it, he was a star so he never got to experience what Akon and 'em experienced. And it's a double standard when no one knows about Mafia ties but black celebrities' lives get scanned when the Mafia runs shouldn't have been as secretive as it was.

Thing is the guy lied about being some kingpin and now he's exposed as a... probationer. I guess he felt if he LIED about being in trouble - on purpose - that he can be seen as a thug. That's the mentality people have nowadays. 30 years ago, when hip-hop started, there wasn't no such thing as acceptable thuggery.

But once NWA came on the scene, people had this fake sense of reality that in order to be cool, you have to be a gangsta like Eazy E claimed he was and get a deal. That's an unfortunate reality and even sadder when R&B singers act that way.
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I would rarther he told a lie and got a job tthan buy a gun and rob a bank. It is the lesser of 2 evils. EVERYBODY LIES SOMETMES. Akon's lies has been put on blast, but he is not anymore a liar than the president of the united states.
 
wannabestartinsomthin21 said:
Talk about it DuranDuran. Farakhan said that Michael was horrible for American's youth in the 80s, because he wasn't "manly" enough. He spoke strongly against him. Suddenly it's okay to support him though when he can support the ideas that blacks are a target of racism. He's a hate preacher.
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Actually, MJ is using NOI bodyguards. Also Jermaine is orthodox Muslim (but not NOI). I think he introduced Mike to Farrakhan and also was behind Mike's going to Dubai. Mike's allergic to the sun, so why would he go to the desert?
 
troubleman84 said:
The guy is a flip-flopper. He called Michael (and Prince, I believe) "fruity" but as soon as Michael got in trouble, he's all supporting his innocence. :rolleyes: I call him something as an habitual flip-flopper.

And this isn't even about Michael...then again, they're "supposedly working on something" so he should be brought up. :lol:
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There are many people who used to hate Michael who are now ardent fans of his. Maybe farakhan has had a change of heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SI5SZNoejw&feature=related
 
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DuranDuran said:
Actually, MJ is using NOI bodyguards. Also Jermaine is orthodox Muslim (but not NOI). I think he introduced Mike to Farrakhan and also was behind Mike's going to Dubai. Mike's allergic to the sun, so why would he go to the desert?
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Or was. :lol: He only used them for the trial for protection yet people were thinking he was anti-Semitic automatically like what?

And Dat, you rather believe in a lie about a crime? LOL He didn't hurt nobody but himself. It ain't like he was lying about his age (which he did), and that's perfectly alright, fine keep your age from everybody else. But don't lie about being convicted of doing something that's criminally illegal. :lol: You know what I'm saying? LOL
 
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