Message

I have nothing but respect for our young people and what they're doing
My thing is, we adults did not stand strong and on our square
To bring our young people through this process
I know, I was the young person that had to fend for himself in the streets of New York
I know what happened, with our young people
I say: Look, I ain't mad at you
Know no matter what I hear, I know that you are moving through a process
Because they are attempting to destroy the community, so they're using you
They are buying you out, but we as adults, get to buy them back
I'm ready to compete with anybody for our young people's minds
And what we have to is change the paradigm of how we're interacting with them
Deal with them from a heartfelt place where they can understand
You see, because whether you realize it or not, it's you they're shooting in the streets
You, young brothers, they're the ones that are being shot
And so with this entertainment or with this music
Maybe I don't like what I hear, maybe that I don't like some of the words that I hear, maybe I don't like the direction
But I think they're doing a pretty good job, considering that we, as men, the adult men
Did not cover that when we should've covered that
And protected them when we should've protected them
And brought them up that so when we see an artist acting in a most inappropriate way
Where is the father in this?
Where is that male mentor that can be there?
We, as black men, must take on the responsibility
As the honorable Elijah Muhammad told Malcolm, is that a nation is only as strong as its weakest family
And we have got to create nations
We have to create relationships between the African man and the African woman that creates a viable nation