Scott LaRock has been on my mind a lot recently because of the anniversary of his passing (which I hate to be reminded of for anyone) and because I have been trying to corral D-Nice to appear on the Combat Jack Show.
As everyone brings to light how bad the 1980s were for people living in the center city we almost glamorize the drug business which was shredding any remnants of the Black comm-unity. The small achievements of the civil rights movements and the Black realization(power) were being voided and nullified because Black folks still needed the government to keep the new deals in place.
As a social worker Scott LaRock was at ground zero for the new depression and trust me that the 1980s were a depression for the inner city. Television was the invention that made people think poverty had a laugh track Good Times and Welcome Back Kotter made us desensitized to being disenfranchised and undeserved. Scott LaRock saw first hand the recidivism which routinely brought people back to the shelters.
Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac have a better narrative for a Vh-1 movie or better still a feature film because their murders perpetuate the trope that there is a fratricidal war amongst African Americans. Scott LaRock’s death is the bellwether that the American dream is really a nightmare for Blacks. An educated man and an active entrepreneur and community activist cannot escape the violence that a drug-fueled society creates.
Scott LaRock is Hip-Hop’s first martyr. His death made me see the path of self-destruction that I was on and I made an about face at that point. I let Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy be my guides to understanding the world outside of my New York City confines. As big as this city is it was incredibly insular to hiding the politricks that put crack in the community in the first place.
The 1980s was an incredible time for my enlightenment but it was also a turbulent time for many African Americans as the government systematically widened the chasm between the class with information and the masses being given disinformation. It was also a trying time for the people who would be the collateral damage of this undisclosed class warfare. If you want to remember the impact of Biggie and ‘Pac then you must also consider the man who had to be removed for Hip-Hop to easily go pop.
Rest In Power Scott LaRock
