Alicia Keys Says Gangsta Rap Was A Conspiracy Against Black People

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Site Last Updated: 5:54 PM EDT, July 23, 2008	Make BallerStatus Your Homepage

Published: Monday - April 14, 2008
Words by Allen Starbury

Alicia Keys (Photo: Getty Images)

Alicia Keys has definitely grown as an artist over the years, and the people have noticed. Her latest album, As I Am, has sold over 3 million copies and was one of the best-selling of last year.

However, she's become a little more political as of late. In a recent interview with Blender magazine, which hits newsstands on Tuesday (April 15), she's gone conspiracy theorist.

During the interesting interview, the singer went outside her regular genre of R&B to talk about gangsta rap, saying the subgenre "was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. 'Gangsta rap' didn't exist."

As of late, Keys has been catching up on her reading, revealing she's read several Black Panther autobiographies recently, and now wears a gold AK-47 pendant around her neck "to symbolize strength, power and killing 'em dead."

We're not sure how long Alicia's been on this kick, but her mother can even see her daughter wearing a chain like that. "She wears what? That doesn't sound like Alicia," the singer's mom tells the magazine, according to the Associated Press.

In addition to her theory that the government created "gangsta rap," she also explained how the deaths of Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. were contributed to by the government as well.

She claims that the East-West feud was fueled "by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing."

Alicia's new outlook will also be present in her future music as well. She says that she now plans to write more political songs, saying that if black leaders "had the outlets our musicians have today, it'd be global. I have to figure out a way to do it myself."

The entire interview will be published in Blender's May issue.

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COMMENTS (27)

Cleaver Says:
Thursday - July 17, 2008 at 11:33pm

Damn...Malone and I are on the same wavelength. I thought I knew everybody that was up on DnS...They are the future. Besides, Gangsta rap is played out...Either be a "gangsta" or rap...conflict of interests

Malone Says:
Wednesday - April 23, 2008 at 6:38pm

I'm black & i don't think the white man is "out to get me", but that gangsta rap thing is messin up the young kids' heads tho..If ya'll really want real hiphop music yall would google: "DNS gum" DNS -those cats r creating a new direction for hiphop...

darkswan Says:
Tuesday - April 15, 2008 at 2:05pm

most youth listen to what thier fed by MTV. MTV is owned by Viacom. Among Viacoms board of directors are Viacom's board is made up of guys like William Cohen - CFR Vincent Erazo - a previous director of the Halliburton Joseph Califano, Jr - CFR You think that they dont have an agenda for their media? I'm not saying that NWA was formed by the govt, but I dont think they mind the negative reflection one bit and in fact cause and encourage it. Enjoy your mush music, wonder no t why its given a stage to the kids.

SMH Says:
Tuesday - April 15, 2008 at 10:51am

E.C said best. "We're (consumers0 are responsible for gangsta rap. Period.

SMH Says:
Tuesday - April 15, 2008 at 10:46am

oh this nothing. she started smoking. that's all. that's the effect of smoking that stuff. I suppose the gov made white people do metal music too and they killed a great leader Kurt Cobain, by getting him on coke.

michelle Says:
Tuesday - April 15, 2008 at 9:17am

What exactly did she mean by "to stop another great black leader from existing?" Is she comparing Biggie and Tupac to "great black leaders" like, MLK? Please...

Doc H Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 7:14pm

Yea of course its true, havnt you heard about how the whiteman took Cube an Eazy hostage, forced them to to create NWA, then made them sell tapes in the street cuz they couldnt get radio play..Yea its all true, i saw the tape of the CIA beatin down orlando anderson in the hotel, then they gave him a gun an said go shoot pac...o yea, plus the whiteman made pacman jones do get involved in all those strip club shootings...You no what else the whiteman did...The whiteman is the one whos buys Alicia keys cds so she can sell 3 million records...lol But im white so what do i no

The Pharaoh Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 1:48pm

Ms Keys is right on point in what she's saying! It's ignorant to think the Gov doesn't have any control over the music industry!! I'm sure some of you have heard the saying We're not free, we're only licensed! Don't nothing go down in the industry unless the gov is okay with it! We're talking about a multi-billion dollar industry fueled by negative porayal & streotypes of black people! Gangster Rap was a fusion of our rap culture & what was actually happening in the streets! They put the money in place to promote artist talkin' that shit!! Meanwhile some of those cats, never held a gun until the video shoot! The gov may not created it, but they allowed it to grow & expand! The best war waged is one where you don't use your own ammo! The gov puts the guns on the streets along with the drugs. Nothing goes down without the govt knowing about it! Any of you think that she's crazy, y'all need to wake up!!!

azul Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 1:14pm

thiz been going for long time before black people there where natives not indians that got the same ol white bull shit,no black pathers but kkk still put it all togther

Lil Suave Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 1:04pm

Look all im saying is look at all the people in the industry when it first started. Now all of them either were gang affiliated, had friends that were or grew up in areas where there was gang activity. So when you hear stories of violence, and drug deals, this stuff was actually going on already rap didnt cause the community to fight and kill this was already happening due to the spread of blood/crips, poverty, and due to the cocaine trade.

Lil Suave Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 1:03pm

The governement could never take control of the whole music industry, what do u think they had a sit down with dre, jmj,simmons,krs and said look niggers bad talk your community glorify drug dealing and killing so it will spread. No they did not and to even suggest something like that is disrespectful to the artist themselves. Rap came from stories of the artist things they or their peers lived through. She is definitely wrong about pac and big and has aboslutely no idea what went on. Sorry I like alicia shes fine but its a pretty ignorant statement and im just gona pretend i didnt hear her say it.

E.C. Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 12:32am

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW. ALICIA WANTS TO PORTRAY FORMER BLACK PANTHER/COLLEGE PROFESSOR ANGELA DAVIS IN A MOTION PICTURE FILM. THEY WERE BOTH (ALICIA & ANGELA)BORN UNDER THE AQUARIUS SIGN AND LIKE ALICIA NOW, ANGELA WAS THICK, SEXY AND SOWHAT MUSCALINE WITH AN HIGHLY INTELLIGENT NATURE. SHOULD MAKE AN INTERESTING FILM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH SO-CALLED GANGSTA RAP. CONSUMERS LIKE MYSELF DID. TO ME HIP-HOP/RAP/GANGSTA ARTISTS PUT OUT SOME OF IT'S BEST MUSIC IN THE 1990'S

Real Nigga Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 12:23am

Eazy E was a house nigga getting paid from the fat white man. So I'm not suprised... And I love Alicia Keys. She's starting to seem more and more like a rider for her people to me. Go LeLe!

Real Nigga Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 12:22am

I agree and Eazy Z was a

Blaq Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 12:17am

I agree with her wholeheartedly... The gov and media fueled the fire beyond control. Lil Suave, to call her a cunt is outta line. Mutha%&#@$%'s like urself that take everything for face value irk me. U probably (if u have heard of it) prolly think that the Tuskegee Experiment wasn't government sanctioned also, huh? What about King, Kennedy, X??? Think that the gov had nothing to do with them??? What about the crack epidemic, Iran-Contra, COINTELPRO... Do ur knowledge before u catagorize a queen as a cunt based upon statements that very well may be true and historically can be backed.

Lil Suave Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 12:05am

Alicia Keys is a stupid cunt. First off Rap not just gangsta rap sprung off from hip-hop and r&b. The spread of the bloods/crips violence due the cocaine trade turned rap into gangsta rap. Just as blues was sprung from all the slavery and hard times our people went through rap came from an era of drugs and violence in our community. The style was born during that time period during the crack epidemic the turf wars... so what do u think they are going to talk about? What are they talking about today? Its not the same so its really stupid I cant believe she would be that ignorant to make a statement like that. She will not be leading our community anytime soon. Now Pac and Big both of them were killed due to suprise suprise money ... a music/drug deal that went bad. No government involvement unless u want to trace it all the way back to the government is bringing in cocaine and heroine then yes it was their fault alicia.

tokyo Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 11:47am

iknow this is off the subject but does anyone know or heard what happened to static major? (the guy fromlil wayne's lollipop video. I'm just curious the guy just started getting noticed.

WTF Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 10:49am

DAM SHE DONE LOST HER MIND. DAM SHAME BECAUSE I THOUGH SHE WAS NORMAL I GUESS SUCESS CAN MAKE YOU CRAZY.

Anthony Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 9:50am

This article can't possibly be real can it?

jbone malone Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 8:40am

correction** *didn't create**

jbone malone Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 8:37am

The Gov' did create gansta rap as a conspiracy but they are sure glad ignorant MF's like you are influenced enough to not think twice about killing each other because "that's gangsta". Time for everyone to go back and listen to Jeru's "Aint the Devil Happy" lyrics. But you wont listen, because your head is still f**ked up on Soldier Boys "hot" lyrics..... The Devil is happy.

Will Luchesa Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 8:30am

Unfortunately, the comments are true. I worked at the governments Bureau of Gangsta Rap during the 1990's until its foreclosure after the deaths of Biggie and Tupac. The whole east coast vs. west coast conflict was created by former Pres. Bill Clinton in a blatent attempt to murder future black leaders...DAMN!!! how did she know?

PJinLA Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 8:11am

If I here one more "because I'm black" EXCUSE......

Lucius Beach Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 7:50am

I cannot believe someone such as Alicia Keys would do a flip like this. Government creating gangsta rap? Whatever. I like her music but this is the most ignorant statement I have ever heard her make. Tupac and Biggie were not Government conspiracies. Thats rediculous also. We'll see where she leads us in this craziness

lol Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 6:10am

alicia keys is sexy but she is dumb azz fuk gangsta rap is entertainment dumb bitch

j. edgar Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 6:04am

actually she's 100% correct. you gots served, homey!

Willi the Don Says:
Monday - April 14, 2008 at 5:43am

Her music is O.K. but Her opinions in this^^are fucked up!The Govermment created Gangsta Rap?shut the fuck up.....