By james art
By Sym Posey | Birmingham Times
Prior to his performance at last week’s Magic City Classic, legendary rapper Doug E. Fresh participated in an anti-violence panel discussion at AH Parker High School in Birmingham.
The rapper talked about growing up in Harlem, New York, in the 1980s, at the height of the crack era, and asked: “How many of you know someone who used drugs and then they’re not the same? So guess what? So as much as you believe the drug is making you feel good, it’s actually destroying you,” he said.
In the early 1980s, Fresh was part of two songs, “The Show” and “La Di Da Di,” that are considered early hip-hop classics. “La Di Da Di” in particular is one of the most sampled songs in music history.
His visit to Birmingham was hosted by state Rep. Juandalynn Givan, who was joined on a panel by Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr and other law enforcement officials who offered words of encouragement to the ninth- through 12th-graders.
Fresh encouraged students to have conversations with adults who have their best interests in mind. “What you’re going to see is that you don’t know as much as you think you do. You’ll learn that no matter how smart you think you are, you’ll be shocked at how much you don’t know,” he said.
Givan said Fresh speaks to an important demographic. “He does this out of generosity from his heart,” she said. “… We have a homicide problem in the city of Birmingham. We have a problem with our youth somewhere between 15 and 18.”
During the panel discussion, Givan said, “We wanted him to come because, being from New York, he knows what it’s like to walk those mean streets. He knows what it means to rush and dodge those bullets. Most importantly, he knows what it means to just be able to fight in a way that you live to see another day.”
Carr told the students that if they commit a crime, it could mean life in prison or even the death penalty. “You can choose to participate in a crime, but you can’t choose the consequences,” he said.