Jackson Free Press

There are few people who I feel are truly allies to the hip-hop nation. The press condemns us, most parents hate us, and advertisers use us. But around these parts, there's one person who seems to understand our work, and respect our strength—Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes.

As my fellow Jacksonians probably know, Councilman Stokes is often maligned. We always hear about the alleged "negative" and "divisive" things that he does, but we rarely hear publicly how he champions the common man. If not for his efforts, a lot of folks would never understand the significance of rap music and the power it wields over our youth here.

Instead of blindly dismissing hip-hop as a lot of our city leaders have done, Councilman Stokes has chosen instead to try to understand what makes us tick. Some city leaders choose to rule from afar, catering only to the affluent or the powerful, but Stokes walks amongst his constituents. No problem or person is too small to get his attention. He understands how the impoverished think and, thus, he understands the essence of hip-hop. Whether you agree or not with his methods, he is what politicians are supposed to be: a voice of the people.

Few would have had the guts to give rapper David Banner the key to the city. In fact, Councilman Stokes took a lot of flack for doing just that. Few would have the foresight to name Banner as "Man of the Year" at this year's MLK Awards Banquet. I'm sure he's catching flack for that move as well. Fact is, a rapper—Banner—has done more for this city … this state … than many philanthropists or politicians in the past year. That's right … a RAPPER!

Props go out to Councilman Stokes for recognizing that power. Props for realizing that there are some rappers here and abroad who are trying to be positive influences to our kids. I've personally seen him at concerts, at the Jackson Music Awards and even at the recent Southern Hip Hop Awards. He's not afraid to network with us. That's why he gets hip-hop's respect. And that respect may lead to hip-hoppers throwing our support to him come election time.

Kamikaze is a popular Jackson-based rapper and a former journalist for the Associated Press.

SPEAK YOUR MIND: Submit "Your Turn" columns of up to 600 words, fax to 510-9019, or mail to P.O. Box 2047, Jackson, Miss., 39225. A variety of viewpoints are welcome. However, columns will be fact-checked and cannot contain personal attacks.

Previous Comments

ID

69653

Comment

None are so blind as those who will not see.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2005-02-06T00:02:24-06:00

ID

69654

Comment

You might elaborate, Ironghost. Your truism is a bit cryptic in this case; who are you directing it toward? It's unclear; could go either way.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-02-06T00:39:24-06:00

ID

69655

Comment

Well, I mean, color me cynical after living in Jackson for 35+ years, but I don't think politicans do anything out of the goodness of their heart. I don't believe Stokes is so much "Legitimizing hip hop" (How many billions does it make up in sales again?) as he's trolling for votes.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2005-02-06T12:41:59-06:00

ID

69656

Comment

Gotcha, Iron. That's a good point. I've wondered about that myself.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-02-06T12:44:02-06:00

ID

69657

Comment

Kenneth Stokes is a bum. Who is HE to give out a key to anything let alone a city. I thought he was lobbying to be the next drug kingpin not a champion of the hip hop crowd. whoever wrote this article needs to reevaluate who they just wrote about because it's clear to me they have no clue about this political criminal.

Author

Black Man

Date

2005-02-08T15:57:50-06:00