The Dis Network (from 6.7.2005)

It strikes me as strange that the most visible and some of the
most talented people in our community tend to do more harm
than good. A few months ago, it was Bill Cosby and his wretched
vilification of the African American poor (which now includes the
middle-class thanks to Mr. President). Now we have the incessant
bombardment of hip-hop MCs attacking each other. It’s cool, I
guess, to mix it up a little, but how many times can you rap about
a diamond worth 200 stacks in one ear alone?

Women are part of the problem because most of these men seem
to feel the only way they can attract you all is by showing how much
money they have and can spend. Their egos are already larger than
life. I have heard Killa Ca dis Ma$e, and the Lil Flip and T.I nonsense.
I have even heard about the beef between Luda and T.I.; my
information comes directly from underground mixtapes.

I’m really trying to understand this, I mean so what if Dem Franchise
boys hate D4L or that Lil Scrappy used to have blond hair and was
robbed in Carver Homes; or that Dem Franchise Boys went to college;
or that Jeezy has placed a 10-stackbounty on Gucci Mane’s chain?
It’s all ridiculous. These are relatively astute folks, but don’t they
know they make others think that this is how things SHOULD be?
I mean don’t they know that in the ATL for example, we have a few
problems with young’uns—even from so-called good neighborhoods—
shooting at each other? Don’t they know that they just give folks in
Congress permission to pass new legislation that will impose 10-year
minimum sentences on people convicted of gang violence and allow
the death penalty for gang murders? More specifically, it lets them
treat more juvenile gang members as adults. But I guess that
doesn’t matter. --torrance stephens