WorldStarHipHop, the oft-criticized Hip-Hop site created by Lee “Q” O’Denant, has dominated the Internets after becoming the online hub for people of color behaving badly on video. During its rise to infamy, the extremely successful website has attracted a fair share of critics.
Joining in the criticism is Universal Zulu Nation’s Minister Of Information Quadeer “M.C. Spice” Shakur, who penned an open letter addressing the site and its controversial content.
Shakur opens up the letter congratulating O’Denant on the success of WSHH, making note that the site’s creator never finished high school. After the brief pleasantries, the letter shifts tone and takes the site to task.
From Davey D’s Hip-Hop Corner blog:
Doesn’t it bother you just a little that another Black man (that man being yourself), has “made it” out of the “ghetto”, only to display unnerving images and videos of young adults berating, belittling, and beating each other solely for the purpose of the enjoyment of who you are led to believe are “millions of Hip-Hoppers?”
Mr. O’Denant, the followers of your site are impressionable young men and women who “follow” you for a reason. As salacious as you may want your site to be, our youth are looking for answers and solutions to the many problems that plague our communities. The young people use your site as an outlet to escape the world they are living in, only to find that you place them right back at the starting point.
Shakur continues to inform O’Denant that while Hip-Hop may have led to creation of the website, there’s little in the way of the culture being represented. Further, Shakur took offense to footage of a young man being forced to strip nude then be beaten in the cold while another person poured cold water on him. Asserting that this video could count as child p-rnography, Shakur demanded the link be removed.
Shakur closed the letter by asking that the site post a disclaimer written by the Zulu Nation that declares it is not involved with promoting Hip-Hop music and culture.
Read the entire open letter by following this link.
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Photo: WSHH
