End Economic Exploitation of the HIP-HOP Community and Culture of Corporate America
The Black consumer market is worth over $700 Billion dollars annually to US corporations. Hip-Hop in particular provides billions in consumer sales of everything from electronic equipment, cell phones, automobiles, apparel, fast food, soft drinks, movies, records and sneakers.Hip-Hop culture is raped by Madison Avenue to peddle the products that we buy. These corporations take our dollars and create wealth for themselves and their shareholders, while unemployment, failing schools, poverty and crime are what we reap.The Black and Hip-Hop communit receive little in exchange. These companies do not do business with us or advertise over Black radio to talk to us. They do not hire us or train us. We are not among their corporate executives nor on their Boards of Directors. Except for our culture, talent and dollars we do not matter.We must stop this rip-off of our dollars, our culture, our talent. We demand our fair share. We must get paid, our communities, our people must share in the profits we create. This economic colonialism must end.Footlocker and the sneaker companies make over $20 Billion dollars from our communities and give little back. Footlocker with sales of $4.9 Billion in 2003 only gave $4 million to charity in the last five years. Our young athletes need more than free sneakers. Our youngsters need a good education, scholarships and opportunities.Nike doesn’t advertise on Black radio, Reebok is using Rappers to raid our culture and get our dollars. Addidas made more money than Run DMC from “Walk This Way,†while the Hip-Hop community got nothing. This has got to stop.Join with us, the Universal Hip Hop Federation and Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc, Kurtis Blow, Chuck D, Cool Clyde and others to put an end to the hustle. Just like economic sanctions and boycotts helped end apartheid in South Africa, we can use the same tactics to end economic and cultural exploitation for our people in America.Like “Sly Stone†said, it’s time to STAND!
