A Black Teen Beats Up A White Man For Listening To Rap Music?
The following story is almost too crazy to believe. But try and stay with me here.
In Palm Bay, Florida, a 14-year-old teenager is facing assault charges after he punched a 22-year-old man for—get this—listening to rap music. The incident occurred late last week when the juvenile, Joshuah Lamb, approached the white male, David McKnight, who was listening to Gucci Mane‘s hit song, “Wasted,” on a boombox outside of his house.
“You shouldn’t be listening to rap music because you’re white,” Lamb allegedly told McKnight.
McKnight responded by telling Lamb and a group of his friends that he could listen to whatever music he wanted to listen to. Lamb responded by allegedly punching McKnight repeatedly and causing him to suffer a broken toe, a concussion, a swollen eye and even strangulation marks around his neck. The group of friends he was with also allegedly spit on McKnight and kicked him while he was down on the ground. Local authorities are now trying to decide whether or not to charge Lamb with a hate crime.
The incident calls to mind just one question: Is hip-hop hurting race relations more than it’s helping them right now?
In case if you can’t tell from my name (it’s Chris Yuscavage, shortened to “Scav” for my byline here at DrJays.com Live), I’m a white guy. And I’ll admit that I am (barely) old enough to remember a time when buying and listening to rap music—as a white guy—wasn’t exactly easy. I caught the side eyes, evil eyes, rolled eyes and wide eyes many a time during my teens for stepping foot in the rap/hip-hop aisle at The Wall or Sam Goody (sidebar: Remember those places?!). I got shut down trying to buy Gang Starr’s Moment of Truth album once, when the guy behind the register asked me, “What do you know about this type of music?” before telling me he couldn’t sell a CD with a “Parental Advisory” sticker on it to anyone under 17. I even caught flack from a lot of good black friends back then, who peppered me with questions like, “Who was the first rapper to go mainstream?” as if knowing that information somehow made it acceptable for me to listen to rap.
I took it all in stride, though, because—to be honest—I was a little green behind the ears when it came to hip-hop knowledge when I first got introduced to rap in the mid-1990s. So all those tests pushed me to find out more about hip-hop culture and forced me to develop my own opinions on it. I chalked it up as paying my dues and kept it moving. In the process, I also made some friends that I otherwise might not have made. I can thank rap music for that.
But an incident like the one that happened in Palm Bay never entered my mind. I figured that, at worst, I’d get laughed at for playing something corny or told to turn my rap music down. I never thought I’d be put in physical harm because of what I was listening to. And in 2010, it’s especially absurd that something like this would happen.
If the facts reported thus far hold up, Joshuah Lamb should face charges of committing a hate crime. What he did was unnecessary, wrong and, frankly, disgusting. This story should also be used to show that whatever semblance of Barack Obama‘s “post-racial society” you thought existed…doesn’t (as if you didn’t know that already). As far as race relations go, we’ve still (obviously!) got a long way to go. Probably more than you and I think. And when you consider that hip-hop is one of the things that’s actually helped bring different races together over the course of the last 30 years—not driven them apart—well, the Palm Bay incident sounds even worse.
As far as rap music goes, I thought we were beyond this or, at least, further along than we were back when I was growing up. I thought rap music was now free for everyone to enjoy (for better or worse!). But then this story came along. And while it’s almost too crazy to believe it happened, it did.
But now that it did, how concerned should we be?
Photo Credit: FunnyRapJams.com
[...] A Black Teen Beats Up A White Man For Listening To Rap Music?DrJays.com Live (blog)The incident calls to mind just one question: Is hip-hop hurting race relations more than it's helping them right now? In case if you can't tell from my …and more » [...]
Hell naw! Yeah im black and i’d have to say it is a hate crime, because if a black guy was listening to rock or country and a white and his friends did that sh*t to him….. Lord knows Al Sharpton would there there at the hospital with the black guy who got beat up and it would be making national news in the BLACK COMMUNITY. So yes it would definately be considered a hate crime then so why not now, just vice versa the skin color and music. The 14 year should get the highest charge for this hate crime just because we blacks are so hard on whites about this so why be any different when its the other way around.
I AGREE WITH ”OH SO NICE ” 100% ,BLACKS ARE ALWAYS TALKIN ABOUT WHITES HOW THEY ARE SO BAD WHEN IT COMES TO THINGS LIKE THIS,ITS TRULY A SAD THINGS PEOPLE CANT LISTEN TO THE MUSIC THEY WANT AND DRESS THE WAY THEY WANT !!!!
GOOD POST SCAV!!!!
[...] A Black Teen Beats Up A White Man For Listening To Rap Music?DrJays.com Live (blog)“You shouldn't be listening to rap music because you're white,” Lamb allegedly told McKnight. McKnight responded by telling Lamb and a group of his friends …Black Teen Beats Up White Man For Listening To Rap MusicStudent Operated Pressall 3 news articles » [...]
First and foremost, I do not condone what was done. I believe it should be considered a hate crime and that he should be punished to the fullest extent.
I am also SURE that he will be punished to the fullest extent. To me personally, a true sign of failure of race-relations is not by the actions that are done, but the actions that are taken following them. I have no doubt it my mine that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson will NOT be there for this case. As well am I Sure that if the case was the other way around, but why would they need to be there if it was the other way around??? Because NOTHING would be done if it was ther other way around. True I believe what he done was wrong but I also believe the punishment for the same crime should be the same nevermind the race.
so a 22 year old man got the shit kicked out of him by a 14 year old boy? the white guy should be fined for being a pussy
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HAHAHA what a pansy. Then again if he fought back he probably would’ve got his ass kicked worse. Still funny. Mainly because this dude had a soundtrack to his ass whooping. Every time “wasted” plays he’s going to be thinking about it lol.
I’d have to place this behavior, not so much with hip hop, but area wise. And I’d also like to say PARENTS NEED TO RAISE THEIR KIDS RIGHT!
I feel that hip hop/r&b has expanded but also holds back. Other nationalities grasp it in a different way than blacks do. I know white and asian people who can school most black people now in hip hop knowledge. I was part of the zulu nation in va. It was like a united nations summit in there. While in panama they listen to both hip hop from here and there. I know koreans, chinese, indians, mexicans, canadians, germans, philipino’s etc do the same thing. This is where hip hop expands.
I don’t know any other blacks that listen to any other forms of hip hop. No I’m not talking about hyphy, crump, skinny jeans, gangstah rap. I’m talking other regions, nations etc. Generally those that look at something different get frowned upon. I’m still trying to find the track where “only blacks can listen to hip hop” is? Things like this is why I know of people who listen to rap songs but still fear or dislike most black people. Because they feel so restricted on something they like. And that’s where hip hop restricts.
i had no choice…i couldnt fight back..the kid was fourteen and i wouldve knocked his head off his shoulders and gone to jail for alot lponger then him but not only that his friends wouldve killed me if i swung on him… one had a gun… nice right? so the guy that called me a pussy or pansy fuck you you know where i live its on the news bitch
The way some people treat music is rediculous. I’m black, and I buy whatever music I want, but whenever I do get cds, sometimes I still get weird looks. I like to consider myself pretty well-versed in music, so I go from everything between rap and rock (Heck, my last cd was Avenged Sevenfold’s latest album).
People take this whole music/race correlation WAY too far. Music is something meant to bring people together, not seperate and compartmentalize them. Rap especially is something that has diversified greatly, including other races (Eminem), religions (Matisyahu) and even cultures (MC Frontalot and Nerd Rap). All this shows is the ignorance that mars this country’s face doesn’t just come from whites.
This kid, and the people who ingrained the notions that blank people can only be exposed to blank media, ought to be banned from enjoying ANY media, in my opinion. Well, maybe not books.
As for the guy who was assaulted, I hope he chooses to pursue charges, and I hope this serves as an example that violence is never warranted and should carry a steep, steep price.
Well this response is for ‘theTRUTH’ Well actually Al Sharpton does usually come in the aid of those Black Hate Crimes or when a balck has been did wrong in a major way just like he did when the little girl here in Detroit got shot in her sleep when the police were raiding her families home and what did Al Sharpton have to do with that? Not a damn thing and at that he did went to her funeral and spoke at it too. So you see why i say he would pof been there. Why did he show up when this little black girl got shot in her sleep by White Police officers when her familes home was being raided? Because it was done by whites and he usually shows up in cases like this when it has to do with Whites wrong doing Blacks and it has made national news. Thought you knew about the Sharpton.
Haha He Should Have Been Pumpin Like Public Enemey Or Nas Untitled Album…not some slow party song that is in no way lyrical its like slow/fast talkin through it….but for some reason alot of peoplee like thattt so it just an opinion…Alll of the posts before me made very good points and thats dope David Mcknight is on here hahaha the one it happend to good 4u i would go to the media or somwhere to get the story out more and maybe hopefully it will raise more awareness for people to come together more and change everyone wants to be so diff this or that but we all the same and all so diff as in our opinions and views the music we like its all soundwaves in the end bouncin around everyones earss its dope though itsss hip hop!!real hip hop has so much knowledge meaning feelingg and “realness”
Im a lil white boy from New York That Spits FIre Check Me Out
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thanks for sharing…5
…5…freakishly long limbs are problematic for all opposition. Ask Brandon Vera, Matt Hamill, Matyushenko and anyone else
Ok I know that’s not david mcknight but I’ll entertain anyways.
1. It’s called self defense. You’re white getting attacked by a bunch of black kids. Cmon.
2. If they had a gun they would’ve just jacked you and then killed you.
3. It’s called blocking. Try it, it works.
4. Trust me, you wants none of this lol.
To “OH SO NICE”…
Yes, I am familiar with Al Sharpton and his ways. Maybe I didnt do a good job of getting my point across or maybe u just didnt see what I was saying.
I agree if, what happened was the other way around, as in a White teen or group of teens beating up a Black man. Al Sharpton would be there.
I also agree that with the case being the way it is, black teen beating up a white male. Al Sharpton will not be around on this case.
What I was saying is that it he would be needed if it was the other way around, because with our justUS system, if a white kid beats up a black male he will get community service and anger management.
But if a black teen beats up a white male, The teen is lucky if he doesn’t face 10 to 15 years in a max security prison in Colorado.
Al Sharpton is crooked unfair and unjust, and a publicity whore, but if he wasnt around to shine a little light on some situations, more and more blacks would be facing the death penalty for speeding tickets.
R.I.P. Sean Bell, Oscar Grant, etc…
Well said, well said! Yes Al Sharpton is a publicity whore;) and not always for the right reasons either, which is a very sad thing to the black community. Hopefully the 14 does get at least a sentence til he is 18 because if it was the other way around white ppl in general would be going nuts about this and either way black or white a sentence til the defendant is 18 will do everyone just fine. This crime was completely pointless, if he beat someone for listening to rap, what would he do if a white person had the same car as a well known rapper, same tatts as a well known a rapper, and the list could go on and on. That kid has issues to the max and should have some time in kiddie jail to think about it.
I would have let him swing and hit me twice just to make sure it was self defense… then laid that kid out cold… and invited his friends for a little knuckle love also.. and I’m 31…. as far as RAP music has nothing to do with it.. It was just a bunch of morally challenged punks that were probably raised without a dad and runs the house because no one stands up to them.. “that group of kids are saying hahahahah I kick the crap out of 22 year old..” the fact it was rap music was just the reason or the dare for that kid to start that shit..
First off LMFAO….a broken toe??? Anyways I’m white…I listen to rap, and I think that if the role was reversed than yes Al Sharpton would be screaming RAPE!!!!! all over the news….What a sad world we still live in that this type of shit still goes on…I mean really for listening to rap…I mean I could see if he free styled and was painfully wack, than yes that qualifies for an ass beating….But just bumping his radio…The black kid should have gave props not fought him…Shit is definitely a hate crime…quite pathetic, because I bet the Black kids parents are racist fucks…Sad man, I hope that black kid realizes how stupid he is!!!!
Personally I think anyone who listens to rap should be punched. Hard.