What does the Jena 6 really have to do with hip hop is what I’ve been wondering. I write a daily blog on SOHH and often everyday is filled with comments about the Jena 6. I cant help but wonder what it really has to do with hip hop. Sure people with a platform should speak about bigger issues than themselves. It’s part of the responsibility of having the fame, or at least it should be. But the Jena 6 is something else to me, it’s an indication of how far we are from real unity in this country and its not just because of the case, its bigger than that.

The attention drawn to something like this when there are issues out there everyday and people who are more deserving of attention is what makes me wonder. People like to latch onto a popular piece in order to seem relevant and educated but in effect they’re only furthering the thing that they say they’re fighting. Why are we so focused on race, why does everything have to be so black and white, or brown? The ignorance expressed by people who focus on one small difference between humans is not something I care about changing. If you want to hate for my color (and im white) then thats your right and I could care less if you ever want to change it. You can hate me for being white, for being a man, for not being skinny, for religion, or whatever else you might want to hate for it doesnt matter to me.

The Jena 6 will come and go and these people will all find another thing to latch onto for the moment. But the one thing that we need to fight for and that’s human rights is still right here and everywhere and no one see’s past the small differences to fight for the common humanity and thats the real problem. So while you’re out there fighting over differences Im looking at how much we’re all the same and how we can better things as humans, not just for a race, a religion, a sex or whatever other small differences we might have. The Jena 6 isnt hip hop, you’re not hip hop and your black shirt today is only seperating you from the unity you say you’re fighting for.