Rap music and the prison industrial complex

[Dumbass McBootarse]

http://www.hiphopisread.com/2012/04/...music.html?m=1

Between the late 80's and early 90’s, I was what you may call a “decision maker” with one of the more established company in the music industry. I came from Europe in the early 80’s and quickly established myself in the business. The industry was different back then. Since technology and media weren’t accessible to people like they are today, the industry had more control over the public and had the means to influence them anyway it wanted. This may explain why in early 1991, I was invited to attend a closed door meeting with a small group of music business insiders to discuss rap music’s new direction. Little did I know that we would be asked to participate in one of the most unethical and destructive business practice I’ve ever seen.

The meeting was held at a private residence on the outskirts of Los Angeles. I remember about 25 to 30 people being there, most of them familiar faces. Speaking to those I knew, we joked about the theme of the meeting as many of us did not care for rap music and failed to see the purpose of being invited to a private gathering to discuss its future. Among the attendees was a small group of unfamiliar faces who stayed to themselves and made no attempt to socialize beyond their circle. Based on their behavior and formal appearances, they didn't seem to be in our industry. Our casual chatter was interrupted when we were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement preventing us from publicly discussing the information presented during the meeting. Needless to say, this intrigued and in some cases disturbed many of us. The agreement was only a page long but very clear on the matter and consequences which stated that violating the terms would result in job termination. We asked several people what this meeting was about and the reason for such secrecy but couldn't find anyone who had answers for us. A few people refused to sign and walked out. No one stopped them. I was tempted to follow but curiosity got the best of me. A man who was part of the “unfamiliar” group collected the agreements from us.

At which point it gets... fucking strange.

...The subject quickly changed as the speaker went on to tell us that the respective companies we represented had invested in a very profitable industry which could become even more rewarding with our active involvement. He explained that the companies we work for had invested millions into the building of privately owned prisons and that our positions of influence in the music industry would actually impact the profitability of these investments. I remember many of us in the group immediately looking at each other in confusion. At the time, I didn’t know what a private prison was but I wasn't the only one. Sure enough, someone asked what these prisons were and what any of this had to do with us. We were told that these prisons were built by privately owned companies who received funding from the government based on the number of inmates. The more inmates, the more money the government would pay these prisons. It was also made clear to us that since these prisons are privately owned, as they become publicly traded, we’d be able to buy shares. Most of us were taken back by this. Again, a couple of people asked what this had to do with us. At this point, my industry colleague who had first opened the meeting took the floor again and answered our questions. He told us that since our employers had become silent investors in this prison business, it was now in their interest to make sure that these prisons remained filled.

The rest of it is at the link. tldr: Music Industry bigshots turned to gangster rap to increase inmate population by glorifying criminal behaviours so they could get a lot of money from their investment in private prisons.

It's a bad sign I'm willing to consider this as something that actually happened.

[UngorEatStefan]

lol

[DannoHung]

Meh, anonymous letter alleging a massive conspiracy? Call me when names, dates, places, and documents turn up.

[Arctyc]

Yeah... guys pulling guns after using a confidentiality agreement as assurance of non-disclosure?

So many bullshit alarms. So many.

[Enforka]

I really think this is true guys. If you look at some Jay-Z music videos, he alludes to the Illuminati pretty frequently. This just confirms those theories. Fortunately, once Obama starts up his secret FEMA death camps (21 December 2012, date of Mayan apocalypse) Tupac and Biggie are gonna come back from their secret underwater fortress, initating the final conflict for America's ghetto, the Tupaclypse.

[Sprint]

People always overestimate the ability of large organizations to carry out complex conspiracies without leaks.

One of the funniest things about reading "Enemies" is watching J. Edgar Hoover convince otherwise rational men that there were hundreds of thousands or millions of heavily armed Soviet agents already in place in the US

[Qamarman]

It could be possible. Big corporations are capable of lots of terrible things. I would assume both Rap and prison could be pretty profitable in itself.

[UngorEatStefan]

Originally Posted by Dumbass McBootarse

http://www.hiphopisread.com/2012/04/...music.html?m=1




It's a bad sign I'm willing to consider this as something that actually happened.

It is a bad sign because it would mean you are in fact an idiot.

[MasterFidget]

So much bullshit.

[Peregrine]

Well, it explains why Straight Outta Compton was such a big hit, certainly.

[Vaal]

Originally Posted by Enforka

Tupaclypse.

Nicely done.

Also, people don't need the help of a secret conspiracy to glorify the criminal lifestyle. Unless these guys went back in time to invent true crime novels, gangster movies and politics too.

[Ben Wyatt: Human Disaster]

Why bother putting insidious suggestions into rap music when most police departments are already doing a better job than you ever could?

[Captain Robau]

Why annonymous? The Bilderbergs are going to shoot him?

[Miles Standoffish]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

Well, it explains why Straight Outta Compton was such a big hit, certainly.

hey that's my phrase

[Golfing with Gandhi]

The thing is that on one level this is totally believable. I don't doubt for a minute this kind of decision gets made. but there's no way it happened like this. people would have been vetted so hard prior that nobody would have even been invited to the meeting if there was a chance they'd take offense.

I'm pretty sure this writer just hates rap music and feels the need to justify its popularity somehow....

[Peregrine]

Originally Posted by Miles Standoffish

hey that's my phrase

That's my stealing Mahtar's catch phrase story.

Well, see ya.

[Enforka]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

That's my stealing Mahtar's catch phrase story.

Well, see ya.

amazing, amazing.

[medivh]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

That's my stealing Mahtar's catch phrase story.

Well, see ya.

Pretty close to Nick's amazing tl;dr post.