Local Rappers Downplay Rumors Of Midwest/West Coast Rap War
Published: Thursday - July 21, 2005
Words by Eric L. Wesson
Mac Dre (Photo: Thizz Entertainment)
After being depicted as a rap war by media in the Midwest and West Coast, many area rappers have stepped forward to denounce any rumors of a Midwest/West Coast rap war brewing, despite the public comments made by community activists.
As activists spread comments urging a stop to the violence, local artists believe that the spread of such rumors can cause more trouble than intended, and further called the comments made uneducated.
"They are creating something that isn't even there and it could get someone hurt," said Darrell "The Saint" Thomas of the group, Verbal Contact, a positive Kansas City area rap group. "We are just people trying to take care of our families and these type of rumors cut us at the core of how we make our living."
Kansas City activist, Alonzo Washington, was one of many who used their influence to warn and urge the rap industry about the alleged rap war. He aired public service announcements on KPRS Hot 103 Jamz in Kansas City, as well as wrote an editorial right here on BallerStatus.com (see "Rap War Or Rumor??"), outlining the growing problem.
Although Washington has continually spoken out on the fact he wishes to stop the war before it happens, many believe he may be starting something that was never there in the first place.
"Tupac and Biggie had a beef. The media hyped it up to be a East Coast/West Coast rap war and people wound up shot and killed for no real reason," said Carl Oaks also known as Better Man, a local Oakland rapper. "We lost two legends over something that was fueled by the media and we don't want that to happen again. To publicly make the statements that [Washington] is making could cause a great big rift."
"[Washington] has nothing to support his allegations and should publicly retract those statements or present evidence to support his allegations. If he can't, he should be man enough to say he was wrong," added Roderick Battles, who manages several rappers in California.
As for the public service announcement aired on KPRS, community relations director for the station, Brooke Callowich, said "Our station does not believe that there is a rap war going on. Our position is to help stop the violence, period. The views that Mr. Washington expressed are not necessarily the views of the station."
In November of 2004, Mac Dre was gunned down while driving on the highway in Kansas City, Missouri. The slaying came just eight months after a San Diego rapper, Ramone C. Davis, was shot and killed in Kansas City, when a man tried to rob him of ten pounds of marijuana. Mac Dre's murder remains unsolved.
In May of this year, Fat Tone was found dead in his car while in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was sought after by police as a "person of interest" in Mac Dre's death. Since the killings, many in the hip-hop world believed that a Bay Area-Kansas City feud was about to ignite.
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