This upcoming November 18th is the 30th anniversary of one of the most grim days in history. The anniversary of the Jonestown massacres, over 900 people died that day,many of them black. The greatest single loss of American civilian life in a non-natural disaster until the incidents of the tragic day of September 11th, 2001. Jonestown was founded by Jim Jones the leader of the The Peoples Temple. The “Conspiracy Theory” is that the whole Jonestown experience was a mind experiment for inner-city or black communities, but that’s another post all together.
I’ll admit out of curiosity, I’ve done some research and on the whole event. I have yet to draw my own solid conclusions(I wonder if anybody ever will), regarding what really happened there. I will say that I feel strongly that Jim Jones did profile and exploit the hardships of many blacks and other disenfranchised people to draw them into his experiment. Basically use the struggles of poor black communities to make his movement, they funded it, they provided his security, and did most of the dirty work.
That brings me to think why would anyone want to even be mentioned in the same category with a man that did such horrible thing to a human being. Apparently Dipset’s own Jim Jones. It had me thinking how the music industry, specifically Rap/Hip Hop exploits the black community just as much as Jonestown. Using the struggles and hardships of the disenfranchised to make songs, sell records, and how much of the millions that these record companies make actually go back into the communities? Very little besides, the occasional FREE concert. So once again I ask why would Jim Jones(The Rapper) want to be associated by name with one of the most notorious cult leaders in our nations history.
I recently read a story about a message Prodigy wrote from jail, claiming Jay-Z was working for evil, and whether or not the story is 100% factual. This is clearly an instance where the association is CLEARLY evident yet people act like it doesn’t exist. Maybe it is blind ignorance but that still doesn’t make it right I know, he is aware the connotation that goes with his name. Why does he accept it? better yet why do we accept it?