|
Attention all MC's, DJ's and people who participate in hiphop culture - It has come to my attention that 3rd Rail is asking people to boycott my records after I dissed the hell out him at my show in Chicago. I also thoroughly explained why I dissed him. I even called 3rd Rail on his show and explained it again after I heard his homeboys were all trying to figure it out. I didn't leave room for misinterpretation. I said, if you don't talk about me, I won't talk about you. Simple, ... right? Now he's spreading lies about me and asking people to not play my shit. Once a bitch, ... right? Now I have to defend myself again. Before anyone starts taking sides, you need the facts. Back in November, 3rd Rail wrote a letter on his website talking about Fuck Kweli, fuck Hi-Tek, ... Reflection Eternal is wack. Before you judge what I had to say in response to that letter, you should get a copy of it. I'm not really into the Internet like that, but I'm sure y'all can find it somewhere. Here are the facts: 1) Me and Hi-Tek did 3rd Rail and V-Funk's show last year. They showed us mad love, we had fun, it was all good. I do hundreds of radio shows that I don't remember, but I remember this one. 2) I came back to Chicago as a surprise guest on the Lyricist lounge tour that Mos Def headlined. I wasn't even billed to be there and I performed for 15 minutes. Apparently, Rawkus called 3rd Rail that day and asked him if I could do the show that same night, but they didn't offer him tickets to the show (Lyricist Lounge). Even though he has a radio show Sunday nights and could not have gone anyway, he was personally offended that Rawkus overlooked his invitation. He didn't ask for a ticket, he was just upset that he didn't get one. In response, he decides to retaliate by saying I can't come on his radio show. I was looking forward to coming on the show and knew nothing about his ticket woes, which really have nothing to do with me. To say I can't come on the show because of that is a bitch move, ... period. But whatever. So anyway, the day I come back into Chicago for the Okayplayer show, my Rawkus rep calls 3rd Rail at the last minute to set up an in-store at the store he worked at. Problem was, they forgot to tell me about it until the last minute. I had already done 2 in-stores that day, I was tired, and it was getting close to showtime. When I heard people were waiting though, I was on my way. Then I hear that it was 3rd Rail's store. Not two months earlier 3rd Rail said I couldn't do his radio show because he didn't get tickets to a show I wasn't even on the bill for. I'm thinkin', "I'm about to go out of my way for his in-store? Fuck That!" I turned the car around, said fuck 3rd Rail, took a nap and rocked my show with the Roots, Slum Village, Bahamadia, dead prez, Flo, the Jazzys, Jag and all the real fans who don't bitch and moan about the humanity of their artists. For all the fans who were at the in-store ... I'm sorry, but shit happens. Schedules conflict, people give out false info. If you take that kind of shit personal, that's your issue. I never agreed to do that in-store, Rawkus set that up. And if it's a choice between doing an in-store and getting enough rest so that I can rock properly, I gotta take care of myself. If I don't rock, ya'll don't buy the records, and there is no in-store. Now, I definitely said fuck 3rd Rail to myself, but I would never cast a public judgment on somebody. If I think he's a dick, it's not my job to try to make you think that. Obviously, he sees shit differently. Without EVER having a conversation with me about it, he decided to get back at me by writing about me on his website. The same way he did about What What and BadSeed (brooklyn MCs) when they canceled a show in Chicago because Seed was sick. Him and V-Funk dissed my record, said they are not playing my shit, and wrote fuck Kweli, fuck Hi-Tek, all over this ticket and in-store business. People said I should not have dissed 3rd Rail on stage, but it was only in response to him dissing me on his website. Which is more public? This letter from V-Funk and 3rd Rail, this public display of assumption, ignorance and hate, is why I dissed 3rd Rail. That was some sensitive little bitch shit. Nigga sounding like a crying little girl because he can't get tickets, so he takes it out on me? Hi Tek really don't have anything to do with this, but he said fuck Hi Tek too? Hi Tek has the right to smack the shit out of him. 3rd Rail made a conscious decision to put himself out there, so I called him on it. His boys is mad at me because they have a bitch in they crew. Who is he to say that I don't care about my fans because I didn't come to his in-store? Fuck 3rd Rail! What kind of man acts like that? A bitch ass nigga! After I read that shit, I found out he was mad at Bahamadia for not getting him tickets for our show. You see ya'll this is something he does. He feels like since he plays our records, that we should be more grateful and be getting him into shows. When I come to Chicago, I have mad names on my guestlist ... MY PEOPLES NAMES. I don't know 3rd Rail like that. Y'all see a pattern with this guy? For those of you that like and respect 3rd Rail, I'm sorry, but I call 'em like I see 'em. He's a bitch, no ifs ands or butts. Who is he to assume why I didn't make that in-store? I don't make records for 3rd Rail, I make them for myself and I share them with the world. The hard reality is, as a DJ, you don't owe me shit. As an MC, I don't owe you shit. If you play my record, I appreciate it. You don't have to play it. Out of the thousands of DJ's, why does 3rd Rail think he is special? What's wrong with him? Fan, artists, MC, DJ, whatever, if I want to see a show, I buy a ticket and I go. I took what he said about me personal. I did not respond over the Internet, I came to his city and responded on stage in front of his people. Contrary to what you may have read, if you were there, you know I still rocked that motherfucker. Chicago was live as usual and they gave it up for the truth. That night, when he gave his half ass one sided version of the story on his radio show, and his boys were makin idle, laughable threats, I called his show and told him why I thought he was a bitch. He couldn't really respond because I was dealing with facts and he was dealing with assumptions and his own insecurities about his place in hip-hop. If you don't believe me, get a tape of his show from that night and listen to how I told him about himself for almost an hour on his own show. It's ridiculous that I'm still responding to this, because my reasons have been very clear. Just because you are on the Internet does no give you the right to cast judgments on people. He did that. I checked him. These are the facts, it has nothing to do with hip-hop, it has to do with respect. I never told anyone to not do his show, I never said don't buy his mix tapes. He had a communication problem with someone at Rawkus and decides to put fuck Kweli and Hi-Tek on the Internet? This is the second time he's tried to get folks to boycott my music. He is trying to take food out of my babies mouths. NOW we have beef! If y'all wanna boycott me because I ain't make the fucking in-store and because Rawkus neglected 3rd Rail when they made their guestlist for some show, go ahead. But that makes you more of a bitch than he is, and real men know that this is a business, not to be taken personally. Telling people that I don't care about my fans and telling them not to buy my shit makes you my enemy. Anybody who's met me and been to my shows knows that I love and respect this culture. This will be my last response until I see 3rd Rail. One love to the real. Death to the Fake. Talib Kweli P.S. Somebody would boycott his punk ass if it was worth it, but it's not. He's fucking himself up.
|