The Nickotine Tape

With my debut LP "Lanigiro" right around the corner, I figured now was the perfect time for me to reintroduce myself. So here's a collection of early freestyles and songs from back in the day. Really gives you a sense of the progress, so it's worth checking out. Download "The Nickotine Tape" here! http://www.mediafire.com/file/jy1bar1gu13kk23/The+Nickotine+Tape.zip

An Open Letter to the Trump Administration

Good day to you all. I write this letter to you today a deeply concerned black American. As I'm sure you all are aware (or perhaps not), this nation is currently more divided than it has been in a long time. Hate speech abounds on social media and there is no shortage of racially motivated crimes being committed; one would swear we were back in the 1940s. Let me be clear, I do not hate anyone based on the color of their skin. I understand and respect that we are all humans fighting the brave battle of existence on this earth; however, I will always fight for African-Americans first and foremost. That being said, I'd like to express my discontent at the way this administration has been handling certain issues regarding our community.

At this very moment, there are more than a dozen young black girls missing in Washington, D.C., some of whom have been missing for quite some time now. I'm curious as to why my brothers and sisters had to flood social media with this appalling news before mainstream media outlets deemed it worthy of reporting. Though I am grateful that this issue is finally being brought to light, I can't help but wonder why the recent kidnap of Elizabeth Thomas by her high school teacher has become national news while these missing girls in D.C. have been effectively pushed to the background. Don't get me wrong, I pray for Elizabeth's family and I hope she's found safe and sound. Her life is worth no less than any of the missing girls in D.C.; but at the same time, their lives are worth no less than hers. Elizabeth's kidnapping has been thoroughly documented. I've seen pictures, surveillance footage, and testimony from both her friends and those of her kidnapper broadcast on cable news; I even know Elizabeth's Instagram handle and the Twitter name of her kidnapper. However, the trail of potential evidence which could potentially lead to the return of the missing girls in D.C. remains for the most part nonexistent. I hope you all realize that these sort of occurrences send a message; it implies that black bodies are disposable. It implies that the endangerment of black lives, while unfortunate, does not constitute a national emergency in the same way the endangerment of white lives does. It would seem that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act is a much more urgent issue to you all than addressing this current epidemic of missing black girls in America. While I realize it is not the direct responsibility of the federal government to fix these situations, an acknowledgement of the issue by some member of the cabinet, as well as a detailed agenda/plan of action (posted online, perhaps) would at least let us know that you all are aware of the issue and are doing what you can to bring these girls home.

Mr. Trump, I'd like to speak directly to you for a moment. Prior to your election as president, you campaigned on the promise of "Making America Great Again." I recall your specific appeal to the black community as "what have you got to lose?" This was a valid question; after all, 8 years under a Democratic president had left many of us in the same condition as before his initial election, if not worse off. I'm sure your appeal to my community along with some of your other campaign promises succeeded in winning over a portion of African-Americans. I myself attempted to be optimistic after your victory, hoping that you'd keep at least some of the promises you made to my community. So far however, you seem less concerned with making America great than you are with silencing those who oppose you and your policies. Why is it, Mr. President, that you feel the need to get on twitter and publicly lambaste those who speak out against you? There's an adage that I base many of my decisions around that goes, "whoever angers you, controls you." That being said, whenever you get on twitter and lash out at people who have exercised their first amendment right to criticize you, you look like an incredibly weak, foolish, and ineffective leader. When you make claims of being wiretapped during the election with no proof, you look like a pathological liar. And when you get up in front of a crowd of Americans and say nothing of substance, instead opting to claim responsibility for Colin Kaepernick being blackballed by the NFL and patting yourself on the back for it, you look like an enemy of the black community. I warn you Mr. President, you are alienating yourself from the general population more and more each day. You are fostering a hostile environment for many Americans in this country, not just blacks. If you continue to behave this way, don't be surprised when even your fellow Republicans turn on you and commit to making your tenure in the White House the most difficult 4 years of your life. America is not a dictatorship. It is your responsibility to protect the rights of ALL Americans, including those who vehemently disagree with you.

I recall you posting a "New Deal for Black America" on your website, Mr. Trump. I recall reading it and liking some of the initiatives listed; but I think it's funny how more than 3 months into your presidency, I haven't heard it mentioned once by you or anyone in your cabinet, which leads me to suspect that its sole purpose was to help you gain votes. Honestly, I feel it is up to black people to solve our own problems, so you will never see me looking for sympathy or a handout. However, it often proves difficult for many of us to allot the necessary time and energy to bettering our condition between working 9-5 jobs and trying to provide for our families. Even I, as I type this, am preparing to go clock in at my job and give away precious hours of my life to a corporation that has no personal interest in the uplift of my people, save for ensuring we can continue to exist as customers. This is the tragic situation for so many of my brothers and sisters; we're all granted a finite number of hours on this earth and sadly we're forced to surrender a large portion of those hours to working jobs, toiling away day after day for minimal compensation; living "check-to-check," as we say. And the cycle continues. I believe the best way to break this cycle is to start building entrepreneurs, especially within the next generation. That being said, I hope you'll consider making entrepreneurship more prevalent in grade-school learning. If you choose not to, that's also fine; we're more than capable of teaching our children ourselves.

In closing, I am simply a concerned black man who wants better for my people. We do not need a president who is more concerned about getting the last word in a Twitter fight than he is with the welfare of the American people. This is what you signed up for, Mr. Trump. I hope you didn't think that people were going to stop slandering you once you became president. It's only going to get worse from here and it's best you learn to ignore it. I implore you, please stop embarrassing our country with your petty personal quarrels and for God's sake, start behaving like a president.

- Nick G.