GATEWOOD WINS POSITIVE RAP COMPETITION DURHAM, NC - Look out T.I., Young Thug, Drake, Little Wayne, Jay Z, 50 Cent, Snoop, Nikki, Young Jock, and Youngbloodz, there is a new not-so-young kid on the block. Rev. Curtis E. Gatewood won a positive rap contest known as 2015 Rap Idol, a part of Carolina Idol which was sponsored by Vegas Don and Campaign4Change on Saturday, January 10, 2015. Shortly after winning, as Gatewood was talking and shaking hands with some of the older attendees who were more open in expressing their appreciation for his message and rap style, 12 year-old Jerrel who also attended the competition walked and briefly interrupted the circle to say, Excuse me Sir, that was the best rap I ever heard! Gatewood who had never met the young man before today said, that was more important than winning a trophy. I agreed to enter into the competition not necessarily to win any recognition or trophy, but to win young hearts, souls, and minds which are being systematically targeted for destruction, termination, and incarceration. I am willing to meet them where they are, said Gatewood. The new competition sought to expose youth and other rap-lovers to more socially conscious, moral, cultural, thought-provoking, and/or religion-based messages to offset the self-destructive, self-demeaning, self-hateful, gang-oriented, and other messages which target Black youth. Gatewood and certain other human rights activists contend derogatory messages are deliberately financed, promoted, and driven by larger music and entertainment productions and are aimed at Black youth to pour gasoline onto the flames of low self-esteem, out-of-school suspension, gang-violence, early-death, negative stereo-types, and prison enrollment. We are not niggers or niggaz - either way you say it I find it to be insulting, racially offensive, and totally unacceptable, said Gatewood who also works with the North Carolina NAACP. While Gatewood normally incorporates and blends his poetic rap lyrics within certain traditional sermons, workshops, and speeches, during the competition, he went out on a limb and put his message to the tune of the instrumental version of Lifestyle which features Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan, and Birdman and is one of the hottest rap songs today. Gatewoods message entitled Building a Lifestyle (We want Justice for Every Child), surprised his much younger competitors who expected Gatewoods age to put him at a disadvantage and leave him somewhat out of touch. Even the thoughtful and considerate Carolina Idol organizers asked Gatewood if he preferred a podium to stay behind as the younger rappers and performers were expected to have body moves, showmanship, and youth appeal that would possibly leave the older Gatewood looking out of his league. Gatewood kindly passed on all such offers and went on to leave the audience on their feet chanting Stand up, put your hands up - Dont shoot! Gatewood started by dedicating the rap to Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Travon Martin, Oscar Grant, Emmett Till, the son of Otis Lyons, and the millions of other Black people who died at the hands of injustice.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 03:09:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015