[kj] OT: Gangsta rap = ploy to populate private prisons for $?

[bongo]

yeah i saw that last week... took the time to read it, interesting and
plausible . . .



"due to a lack of trained trumpeters, the end of the world has been
postponed indefinitely..."


On Tue, Apr 16, 2013 at 6:02 PM, Brendan Quinn <bq at soundgardener.co.nz>wrote:


> Had this forwarded to me by my mate at work…won’t be news to some, but

> thought some of you might like it. It’s about a supposed plan to promote

> gangsta rap in order to generate $ from private prisons. Conspiracy theory

> stuff for sure.****

>

>

>

>

> Hello,

>

> After more than 20 years, I've finally decided to tell the world what I

> witnessed in 1991, which I believe was one of the biggest turning point in

> popular music, and ultimately American society. I have struggled for a long

> time weighing the pros and cons of making this story public as I was

> reluctant to implicate the individuals who were present that day. So I've

> simply decided to leave out names and all the details that may risk my

> personal well being and that of those who were, like me, dragged into

> something they weren't ready for.

>

> 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.

>

> Quickly after the meeting began, one of my industry colleagues (who shall

> remain nameless like everyone else) thanked us for attending. He then gave

> the floor to a man who only introduced himself by first name and gave no

> further details about his personal background. I think he was the owner of

> the residence but it was never confirmed. He briefly praised all of us for

> the success we had achieved in our industry and congratulated us for being

> selected as part of this small group of “decision makers”. At this point I

> begin to feel slightly uncomfortable at the strangeness of this gathering.

> 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. Our job

> would be to help make this happen by marketing music which promotes

> criminal behavior, rap being the music of choice. He assured us that this

> would be a great situation for us because rap music was becoming an

> increasingly profitable market for our companies, and as employee, we’d

> also be able to buy personal stocks in these prisons. Immediately, silence

> came over the room. You could have heard a pin drop. I remember looking

> around to make sure I wasn't dreaming and saw half of the people with

> dropped jaws. My daze was interrupted when someone shouted, “Is this a

> f****** joke?” At this point things became chaotic. Two of the men who were

> part of the “unfamiliar” group grabbed the man who shouted out and

> attempted to remove him from the house. A few of us, myself included, tried

> to intervene. One of them pulled out a gun and we all backed off. They

> separated us from the crowd and all four of us were escorted outside. My

> industry colleague who had opened the meeting earlier hurried out to meet

> us and reminded us that we had signed agreement and would suffer the

> consequences of speaking about this publicly or even with those who

> attended the meeting. I asked him why he was involved with something this

> corrupt and he replied that it was bigger than the music business and

> nothing we’d want to challenge without risking consequences. We all

> protested and as he walked back into the house I remember word for word the

> last thing he said, “It’s out of my hands now. Remember you signed an

> agreement.” He then closed the door behind him. The men rushed us to our

> cars and actually watched until we drove off.

>

> A million things were going through my mind as I drove away and I

> eventually decided to pull over and park on a side street in order to

> collect my thoughts. I replayed everything in my mind repeatedly and it all

> seemed very surreal to me. I was angry with myself for not having taken a

> more active role in questioning what had been presented to us. I'd like to

> believe the shock of it all is what suspended my better nature. After what

> seemed like an eternity, I was able to calm myself enough to make it home.

> I didn't talk or call anyone that night. The next day back at the office, I

> was visibly out of it but blamed it on being under the weather. No one else

> in my department had been invited to the meeting and I felt a sense of

> guilt for not being able to share what I had witnessed. I thought about

> contacting the 3 others who wear kicked out of the house but I didn't

> remember their names and thought that tracking them down would probably

> bring unwanted attention. I considered speaking out publicly at the risk of

> losing my job but I realized I’d probably be jeopardizing more than my job

> and I wasn't willing to risk anything happening to my family. I thought

> about those men with guns and wondered who they were? I had been told that

> this was bigger than the music business and all I could do was let my

> imagination run free. There were no answers and no one to talk to. I tried

> to do a little bit of research on private prisons but didn’t uncover

> anything about the music business’ involvement. However, the information I

> did find confirmed how dangerous this prison business really was. Days

> turned into weeks and weeks into months. Eventually, it was as if the

> meeting had never taken place. It all seemed surreal. I became more

> reclusive and stopped going to any industry events unless professionally

> obligated to do so. On two occasions, I found myself attending the same

> function as my former colleague. Both times, our eyes met but nothing more

> was exchanged.

>

> As the months passed, rap music had definitely changed direction. I was

> never a fan of it but even I could tell the difference. Rap acts that

> talked about politics or harmless fun were quickly fading away as gangster

> rap started dominating the airwaves. Only a few months had passed since the

> meeting but I suspect that the ideas presented that day had been

> successfully implemented. It was as if the order has been given to all

> major label executives. The music was climbing the charts and most

> companies when more than happy to capitalize on it. Each one was churning

> out their very own gangster rap acts on an assembly line. Everyone bought

> into it, consumers included. Violence and drug use became a central theme

> in most rap music. I spoke to a few of my peers in the industry to get

> their opinions on the new trend but was told repeatedly that it was all

> about supply and demand. Sadly many of them even expressed that the music

> reinforced their prejudice of minorities.

>

> I officially quit the music business in 1993 but my heart had already left

> months before. I broke ties with the majority of my peers and removed

> myself from this thing I had once loved. I took some time off, returned to

> Europe for a few years, settled out of state, and lived a “quiet” life away

> from the world of entertainment. As the years passed, I managed to keep my

> secret, fearful of sharing it with the wrong person but also a little

> ashamed of not having had the balls to blow the whistle. But as rap got

> worse, my guilt grew. Fortunately, in the late 90’s, having the internet as

> a resource which wasn't at my disposal in the early days made it easier for

> me to investigate what is now labeled the prison industrial complex. Now

> that I have a greater understanding of how private prisons operate, things

> make much more sense than they ever have. I see how the criminalization of

> rap music played a big part in promoting racial stereotypes and misguided

> so many impressionable young minds into adopting these glorified criminal

> behaviors which often lead to incarceration. Twenty years of guilt is a

> heavy load to carry but the least I can do now is to share my story, hoping

> that fans of rap music realize how they’ve been used for the past 2

> decades. Although I plan on remaining anonymous for obvious reasons, my

> goal now is to get this information out to as many people as possible.

> Please help me spread the word. Hopefully, others who attended the meeting

> back in 1991 will be inspired by this and tell their own stories. Most

> importantly, if only one life has been touched by my story, I pray it makes

> the weight of my guilt a little more tolerable.

>

> Thank you.

>

> Sent from my iPhone

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