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A Florida rapper is sentenced to two years in prison for a song called 'Kill Me a Cop' that he produced as a teenager. Authorities say 20-year-old Antavio Johnson raps about killing two Lakeland, Fla., police officers in the tune, which cops found on MySpace while surfing for gang-related activity.
Johnson pleaded no contest to two counts of corruption by threat of a public servant and was sentenced to two years in prison last month. He was already in jail on a cocaine charge at the time. ...
Singing about killing a cop was not Johnson's first mistake. Pleading guilty and not hiring a lawyer were. Just ask Ice Cube and N.W.A., who sang '%#@* tha Police' as a form of police protest more than 20 years ago.
Back in 1988, N.W.A had everyone from the FBI to the Secret Service breathing down its neck and lawsuits galore. If someone could have figured out a way to charge the group with a crime, lock 'em up and throw away the key, I'm sure it would've happened.
According to the Daily Beast, Johnson was trying to make a similar lyrical protest when he wrote 'Kill Me a Cop,' about two police officers who harassed him.
The song announced: "Im'ma kill me a cop one day." It called out two specific officers by name, both of whom would be shot with a "glock" in the "dome" if they ever "get my timing wrong." The best part is not the snappy lyrics. If you Google this kid's name, you'll see that he's a self-proclaimed Christian rapper.
Anyway, did Johnson deserve a two-year sentence for some stupid lyrics he wrote as a teenager? No, of course not.
Should we be surprised that a judge would hand down such a harsh sentence? No. Not at all. To quote professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.: "This is what happens to black men in America!"
After all, there's some real irony here. This case is not about free speech and it's not about a legitimate threat to a police officer's life. It's about Johnson and the N.W.A. and Gates and countless others who have been complaining about an unfair justice system for decades. At the root of this system is institutionalized police harassment of black people.
But wait a minute, you say. Shouldn't Johnson get some punishment for making a specific threat at these cops? Yes. If you threaten a cop, there should be consequences. But two years in jail for a song that was never played on the radio? This sounds like more injustice and harassment to me.
Did we accuse John McCain of war crimes for singing "bomb, bomb Iran?"
It's not about a crime, it's about the authority and attempts to silence protest. And until something changes, people like Johnson will be rapping and singing about police harassment for decades to come.
The good news is this young man has a lawyer now and the ACLU at his back. He could get his sentence knocked down or thrown out in an appeal.
I posted the song below. Hope I don't get arrested for it.
The following video contains mature content. Viewer discretion is advised.
+ Courtroom Yawner Jailed for 6 Months
These days, there aren't many female rappers actively recording. However, throughout the late 1980s and the 1990s female rappers were all the rage on the music scene. Beyond their feminine flow and their radio radio rhyme styles, acts such as Salt-N-Pepa, Lil' Kim, Eve, YoYo and Queen Latifah have weathered many storms in the male dominated world of hip hop. From TV shows to major endorsement deals, some have even bested their male counterparts in their many career pursuits. And on the other hand, some have met career-derailing fates. BlackVoices.com invite you to take a candid look at how some of the major players are doing now, and what they were like back in the day. Check it out.
Mel B Pictures
In this photo provided by Kraft Foods, Spice Girl "Mel B" poses for a photo wearing a T-shirt she designed based on the classic pink ribbon used for breast cancer awareness, after a fashion show and launch of "Pose for the Cure" web site to help Kraft Foods raise money for the 'Susan G. Komen for the Cure' fight against breast cancer in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008. The shirt is for sale on the web site and the net proceeds will benefit the foundation. (AP Photo/Kraft Foods, Ray Stubblebine) **NO SALES**
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In this photo provided by Kraft Foods, Spice Girl "Mel B" poses for a photo wearing a T-shirt she designed based on the classic pink ribbon used for breast cancer awareness, after a fashion show and launch of "Pose for the Cure" web site to help Kraft Foods raise money for the 'Susan G. Komen for the Cure' fight against breast cancer in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008. The shirt is for sale on the web site and the net proceeds will benefit the foundation. (AP Photo/Kraft Foods, Ray Stubblebine) **NO SALES**
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In this undated image released by Oxfam Tuesday Sept. 23, 2008, British singer Mel B participates in the 'In My Name' global campaign calling for action against poverty and demanding world leaders keep their promises on millennium development goals. (AP Photo/Oxfam, HO) ** NO SALES **
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In this photo provided by Kraft Foods, Spice Girl Mel B, left, serves as the emcee at a fashion show and launch of "Pose for the Cure" web site to help Kraft Foods raise money for the 'Susan G. Komen for the Cure' fight against breast cancer in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008. Mel B wears a T-shirt she designed based on the classic pink ribbon used for breast cancer awareness. The shirt is for sale on the web site and the net proceeds will benefit the foundation. The woman at right is unidentified. (AP Photo/Kraft Foods, Ray Stubblebine) **NO SALES**
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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: TV personality and designer Khloe Kardashian and Olympic-level swimmer and model Amanda Beard (R) pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )
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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Ultimo Scottish designer lingerie brand founder Michelle Mone (L) and pop singer Melanie Brown pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )
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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown poses backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )
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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown and Olympic-level swimmer and model Amanda Beard (R) pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )
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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown and singer Aubrey O'Day (R) poses backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )
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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown, Olympic-level swimmer and model Amanda Beard, singer Aubrey O'Day and TV personality and designer Khloe Kardashian pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )
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Comments: (596)
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By: umm on 8/25/2009 5:14PM
you morons..u think this guy picked two police at random..I'm sure they have had a run in the past. Rappers dont single out any police over a simple arrest. How many years ago was this and off of myspace..lame. He already in jail and u want to hand out 2 years more time like its nothing. Poor people need lawyers.
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By: patmat on 9/01/2009 8:08AM
waaaahhhhh wahhhhhhh wahhhhhhhh poor me im black so everyone picks on me . u blacks been crying this crap for 25 years now oh your just pickin on me cuz im black hey blacky grow the f**k up dummy..
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By: hasan......... on 9/07/2009 8:20AM
to say to all the brothers that feel this way...i say to you....open up your minds and find a way to deal with this in a realistic way...this is old news...take a look back in time...we are no strangers to these kind of things...free your mind and the rest will follow...stay focused ..black people you have to wake up...from your present state of mind...rebuild your self...peace..
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By: Tyrone on 10/23/2010 5:16PM
JUST ANOTHER DEAD BY COP BLACK MAN
The family of the black Pace University football star fatally shot by white cops. Who claim he plowed into two officers believes he was "singled out" because he is black -- and is vowing not to rest until they learn the truth of what happened that fateful night. Danroy "DJ" Henry's family "feels he was singled out by the police because he's a young African-American," said Annemarie Masciarelli, the next-door neighbor and close friend of Henry's parents."We will not stop until the truth is out!" wrote parents, Danroy Sr. and Angela Henry, who hours before DJ's death had watched him play the last football game of his life in Pace University's homecoming game. Henry's killing early Sunday morning outside a Mount Pleasant bar in Westchester County occurred after the junior defensive player began driving off -- hitting several cops -- when an officer tapped on his car window as he sat parked in a fire lane with several buddies. What is being lost is::
1.Why would any person jump in front of a moving car?
2. Why would cops shoot at unarmed citizen in a car?
3. If Mr.Danroy accidentally hit two cops does that justify murder?
4. Did Mr. Danroy think the tapping on his window was for him to move his car?
5. Why did cops go against protocol which state officer can not shoot at a moving car?
6. Why is it that ones again it's a unarmed black man in a car HELLO SEAN BELL?
7. Why is the option of shooting the tires out when unarmed black people are involve off the table?
8. Why didn't cops write down the Licence plate?
NOTE: This is now the NORM in America! Unarmed black men are shot by mostly white cops! Are back to work before the body is out the hospital or in the ground! Shamefully Mr. Danroy will become just another murder by cops black man. The police will lie and say Mr.Danroy was drunk and will state the he had a record whether he does or not! To justify murdering a unarmed human being for nothing!!!! A judge or jury will find that the cops where justify. Even after many witness come forward and state that the cops LIED! Black life is seen as worthless and cops don't have to worry about losing their jobs for murdering a black child or adults!
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By: Tyrone on 10/23/2010 5:15PM
THINGS YOU CAN GET FIRE FOR IN AMERICA
Juan William was fire for stating his fear of Muslim when boarding a airplane! After 9/11 the world was told that Muslim extremist where responsible! Then the white control media started a campaign of demonizing all Muslim. Bill O'Reilly goes on the View and states that all Muslims MURDER US" on 9/11! Fox News don't even think of firing Bill O'Reilly and his statement was racist and wrong! The truth is men that happen to be Muslims participate in destroying two building and 3,000 plus Americans! Fire Immediately!!! CNN anchor and host of "Rick's List" Rick Sanchez was fired after an appearance on comedian Pete Dominick's satellite radio show, where he called Comedy Central's Jon Stewart a "bigot" and made anti-Semitic remarks. According to CBS News.com, Sanchez later backtracked in the show and tried to retract his use of the word "bigot," replacing it instead with "prejudicial." Fire Immediately!!!! Both men fire one black one Hispanic both where thought to make disrespectful statements about race or religion! Now if you are an American Police Officers you can accidentally killed a black child and be back to work before the body in the ground! Aiyana Jones was just 7 years old and was burn and shot dead by a white Detroit police officer! There was no firing nor and new bill to prevent wrongful raids or stopping raid when children are present! Amadou Diallo was a 23-year-old Guinean immigrant in New York City who was shot and killed on February 4, 1999 by four white New York City Police Department plain-clothed officers: Sean Carroll, Richard Murphy, Edward McMellon and Kenneth Boss. The four white officers fired a total of 41 rounds. The shooting took place at 1157 Wheeler Avenue in the Soundview section of The Bronx. The four white cops were part of the now-defunct Street Crimes Unit. All four white officers were acquitted at trial in Albany, New York after lying about mistaking a wallet for a gun. Diallo was unarmed at the time of the shooting, and a firestorm of controversy erupted subsequent to the event as the circumstances of the shooting prompted outrage both within and outside New York City. Issues such as police brutality, racial profiling, and contagious shooting were central to the ensuing controversy. A Florida black rapper is sentenced to two years in prison for a song called 'Kill Me a Cop' that he produced as a teenager. Authorities say 20-year-old Antavio Johnson raps about killing two Lakeland, Fla., police officers in the tune, which cops found on MySpace while surfing for gang-related activity.Two year in prison for writing a song as a teenager! But a cop can murder child while sleeping and it's TOO-BAD-SO-SAD she lived in a bad neighborhood! Juan William and Rick Sanchez didn't kill anyone...BUT ...was Fire Immediately!!!! The things in America you can get fire for!!!
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