The HIV/AIDS epidemic is con sistently
PAY ATTENTI ON
overlooked in th e rap communit y. What you do n’t know can hu rt by Maurice G. G you. arland
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hen the news broke in 1995 that pioneering rapper Eric “Eazy-E” Wright had died from AIDS, it sent ripples throughout the Hip Hop and African American communities. How did a disease that was typically exclusively associated with gay white males claim the life of a seemingly invincible gangsta rapper?
“It’s not my place to tell people what they should or shouldn’t be doing, but it’s better to know and get treated than to be out here doin’ things and not knowing what’s happening. There’s a solution to every problem and if you catch things early enough it’s a lot better than if you let it go on without getting any type of treatment. I hear a lot of people say that they don’t want to know, but that’s not the way to think. A lot of things can be taken care of if they’re caught early on, and certain things that are not caught early enough can turn into more serious things. That’s just part of respecting yourself; respect your body.” – Pimp C “It puzzles me when you hear stories from fellas and girls where they talk about such-and-such getting pregnant [accidentally]. I don’t know how, in 2006, you can be having unprotected sex unless you have a loved one and you’re trying to have a baby on purpose. I don’t understand how people who we consider to be very smart people can just walk around fucking raw. I urge people to really, really, really protect themselves at all times. I see that shit on Maury Povich and fuckin’ Jerry Springer every day. If you hate the bitch and you don’t like her, what the fuck are you doing fucking her raw? And that’s the most disturbing thing I hear, cats having unprotected sex. And I happen to think there is bitches and hoes in the world, but for the most part there are intelligent women and smart sisters. As I get more and more mature, I’ve figured out that women run the world. Any revolution, the ladies fought for them. Anytime you see a nigga ready to die on death row, it’s a bunch of women outside with a candle. There are always women who’ll take on the president. They actually might be stronger than men, to be honest with you. So how these women allow these muthafuckin’ dudes to fuck ‘em raw? I have no clue. You should really, really be careful, and 100% of the time be protected. If something happens at that point, hey, there’s nothing you can do about it. But you should try your best to protect yourself. Nobody wants to talk about AIDS because everybody is scared of it. It’s the biggest fear in the world. Even if you’ve got a dude that you feel is your man and you trust him, you should still protect yourself even if you love the guy. Protect yourself because you don’t know if he is out there doing other shit.” – Fat Joe “I don’t know anybody that’s been affected [by HIV/ AIDS], but I bet I’ve ran across somebody or been associated with somebody that has it but I just didn’t know. I ain’t even scared, though. I watch myself on this road. I ain’t the type of cat to be wildin’ out, you know? You’ve gotta catch me drunk. Girls, you gotta catch me super drunk, and on top of that, you’ve gotta catch me super drunk without Adam [Favors] or my people around cause they’re gonna look out for me.” – Rich Boy
Fortunately, since Eazy-E’s death, the Hip Hop community has not lost another rapper to the deadly disease. Even though rumors surface every now and then, no rappers have revealed that they have been infected with it since Eazy’s death. But with the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that African Americans account for 47 percent of the 1 million AIDS cases in this country and the overwhelming majority of rappers being of African decent, why is Eazy’s death the only point of reference relating to AIDS and Hip Hop? Could the lack of discussion be an extension of the black community’s failure to talk about it more? “Blacks are scared to speak on AIDS because its a touchy subject,” says Bay Area rapper Mistah F.A.B. “Plus that shit take chunks out of people’s families. Anything that hurts and haunts, blacks push it to the back burner.” A headcount or witch hunt for a rapper with AIDS would do nothing but cause strife and embarrassment, leaving the epidemic in its problematic state. However, one has to ask: With so much promiscuity being presented in rap music, where is the balance? In the late eighties and early nineties, Ice Cube (“Giving Up the Nappy Dugout”), Boogie Down Productions (“Jimmy”) and even The 2 Live Crew (“Who’s Fucking Who?”) had songs warning you about the ills of being reckless. But recently there haven’t been any hits promoting the use of condoms or sexual responsibility. “Conscious rap is something that people don’t want to hear,” says Snoop Dogg, who once quipped “ain’t no pussy good enough to get burnt while I’m up in it,” about the lack of songs addressing sexual responsibility. “But we as rappers still help as much as we can. I performed at LIVE AID. We do our part and we should be commended for that instead of being pointed at.” “Rap reflects the sign of the times, and people want to party right now,” adds David Banner. “I don’t think artists are afraid to make songs about it, it just don’t make money. Anytime a
rapper tries to do something about it, it [negatively] affects his career. Something bad has to happen before America listens to us.” Sometimes it takes something bad to happen personally to make something happen. “With my music I try to keep people aware of everything that’s going on in the community from AIDS to cancer to everything that effects blacks,” says F.A.B., who lost his father to AIDS in 1992 via intravenous drug use. “The sex in music will always be relevant but it’s up to the people participating in it to take responsibility for their actions. Be adult if you’re gonna be doing adult activities.” While there have been songs like Coolio’s 1995 hit “Too Hot” and movements including the AMAA initiative in South Africa to show that Hip Hop can, and is, being used to educate listeners about the dangers of unprotected sex, they are few and far between when compared to the music that dominates the airwaves. “I think the radio and record companies have changed the climate of rap,” says Banner. “They don’t support us enough to make records like that; we got to make hit records that cater to people.” While songs aren’t the only way to reach people, a group of artists including Common, Twista and Eve are using their celebrity, partnering with corporations and organizations to spread sexual awareness. One can only hope that the trend continues to grow. “I’ve always used my power in AIDS awareness, whether it’s traveling to Africa and doing a benefit concert in South Africa or going into the shanty towns,” says Hip Hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. “I’ve gone into the actual clinics and met the people who have AIDS. You have to do as much as you can do and speak out about it as much as you can and make it something you promote. We have the power and I definitely take pride in doing as much as I can do for that cause.” Of course, it’s preposterous to say that Hip Hop causes AIDS. That and other sexually transmitted diseases were here long before the Sugar Hill Gang advised disgruntled boyfriends to “switch and take her friend.” But with eleven years passing since Eazy’s death and the disease being reported at all time highs, the dangers of sexual irresponsibility and condom use could stand to be mentioned more frequently outside of the occasional “fill up the Magnum” reference. 71