Letters to the Editor - December 13 2006

Online responses to last week’s issue, which featured “BMF: Hip-hop’s shadowy empire” by Mara Shalhoup.

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Wow!

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This story just knocked me out. This is the kind of reporting (and writing) we’ve been waiting for in the ATL. But do we have to wait until next week for more? Give it to us now! ‘Else I’ll send my blog posse over to CL to lip-flap you all into compliance. Astonishing reporting. I cannot wait for the book, movie, etc. Do you think they’ll ever invite bloggers to any of their parties, though? Buckhead southern ladies just love champagne.

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-- SpaceyG

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BMF

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I don’t care what happened on the illegal end of the whole organization, them boys had Atlanta POPPIN!!!

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-- Angelina

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wow!!

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The first word that comes to mind upon completion of this first of the three articles is “enlightening.” thank you so much for bringing this shadowy story to light for the masses and i can’t wait to devour the next portion!!

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-- Amanda

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CRAP!!

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Now I can finally make sense of all these damn shootings in and around the area. Good to know. Just like a black dude to push tons of coke then put his face on the cover of his damn magazine.

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-- SATaLyte

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Damnn

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Demetrius :O even the name is godlike!

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-- JJ

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BMF: Hip-Hop’s Shadowy Empire

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The layout and premise of this story is extremely weak. The writer, Mara Shalhoup, lacks consistency and flow, which fragments the storyline, rendering the reader to wonder if this story is written from mere rumor or hair salon chatter. It appeals not to the intellect of the content, and wavers between a remedial reader and illiterate nomad. Simply put, it reads like a jigsaw puzzle still sitting on the shelf. Needless to say, I will not be indulging in Parts II and III.

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-- CaliGirl310

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Writing holds your attention...

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And the story took me somewhere I’ve not been before. But, I’m saddened that almost all of the sources for this story are magazines, police reports and other stories! I see the writer did talk to at least a couple of first-hand people, but only the safe ones?

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-- El Pelon

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Remember When?

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Remember a time when rap was fun. When it mixed soulfully with R&B or got down with some good hard rock? Well it doesn’t anymore. Rap music is full of nothing but dumb-ass thugs now. It’s a shame. So why is it cool to be a “gangsta” nowadays? Because magazines like this one and others help to glorify the lifestyle. So now even more innocent kids grow up thinking it’s cool to be a pimp, join the lifestyle, get that hit record, then die over something stupid. Then their poor old grandma gets rich off their posthumous sorry-asses garage recordings. It’s NOT cool, and there aren’t a damned one of them that respect anyone... Not even themselves. Stupid thugs! You wanna be tough toting around those guns and driving those Hummers... Join the F*cking Army.

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-- Anony Mouse

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4real life sh*t

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Hip-hop stuff, real people stuff, easy to read about but it ain’t easy to live. BM’s about a lot of stuff, some ya like, some ya don’t. Truth is we all do what we have to do OR we all end up doing what someone else wants us to do!! Bottom line is ... if I am for real for it, then I live for it and if I live for it, then mf I die for it.

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-- jimi4real

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bmf

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BMF HAD ALL THE BIG STATES ON LOCK... I DON’T SEE WHERE THE PROBLEM WAS. IT WASN’T LIKE THEY WERE MESSING WITH PEOPLE. THEM BOYZ WAS JUST DOING IT BIG. YOU CAN’T HATE THE PLAYA HATE THE GAME... THAT’S ALL I CAN SAY... BIG UP TO BIG MEECH...

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-- Assata

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It’s Crazy

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You say they wasn’t messing with people!? Yeah drugs don’t mess with people, they do much worse. Anyway it goes to show that lifestyle of getting money illegally may last for a while but the end is a disaster. They had the money the cars the women, i hope they enjoyed it while they could

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-- 850

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Hip-Hop Nights = Buckhead RIP

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Those “hip-hop nights” made a lot of money, but the club owners traded short-term cash for what ultimately caused the death of Buckhead...THUG VIOLENCE. Now Midtown is all we have left and that shit is lame. Don’t even mention underground.

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-- BR

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Incredible....

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Finally, Creative Loafing publishes a story that I can get into. One that does justice to its reputation as an alternative magazine. Great fuckin’ article! I can’t wait for part 2.

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-- Jeff

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Proof in the pudding...

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See what the thug lifestyle does... A third of the posters can not spell. I guess proper English is a thing of the past. Thugs are stupid!

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-- Shem

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Come on

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I mean truth be told everything that was written in this story has been written already. It’s cool for those that don’t know but the family BMF is far from gone. They just had to change it up, as far as the reporter who wrote this. Why don’t you write Meech a letter and get the real story from his mouth its not hard to write someone who is locked up maybe he can give you a phone interview. You are writing about what brings a family down hearsay, and what was already written by others like Ethan Brown who wrote shit about the Surpreme team from Queens. All I have to say is Meech is a man with a vision that can still be done but in a new light. They are making a mockery of this man, cause the shit they putting out is way bigger than one man. It’s bigger than just him and his brother. The family that prays together stays together.

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-- Los