T.I. found himself embroiled in controversy this week after firing back at YouTube personality and former gang member Charleston White for saying he would "Trayvon Martin" the Hustle Gang CEO's 18-year-old son King. As Tip explained in a recent interview with AllHipHop, he wasn't bothered by White's words as much as he was disappointed by the lack of community support.
"That’s hurtful because anytime there’s ever a righteous cause, anytime there’s ever some injustice done to the community, anytime I’m able to show up and support a righteous cause through a foundation, I’m always there," he said. "Whether I’m donating money, whether I’m donating time, whether I’m offering insight, hope, love, support, hospitality—anything I can do, I’m always there. My family has always been there for 20 years."
T.I. has found some allies in people such as civil rights activist Shaun King and film director Deon Taylor, who both have condemned White's words on Instagram.
"When we see clown energy and ignorance (funny or not) ! we have to stomp it out and not allow it to keep manifesting in our community’s," Taylor wrote in part. "Social media and no leadership is the combination that is going to destroy us ! Everything ain’t funny…. And we seem to be the only ethic group that think - us killing us ! Or us playing with our lives and family lives - at anytime can be a joke!"
King echoed Taylor's sentiments in an Instagram post of his own, which read partly: "Leave people’s kids alone. You’ve crossed a damn red line when you start attacking people’s kids. Period. You run the risk now of causing some serious trouble for yourself and for others. It’s a line you don’t cross, a code. The Internet has people so hungry for fame and attention that they will do ANYTHING to get it. It’s shameful. And it’s dangerous. For everybody. "
He concluded: "Social media companies need to ban people for making death threats and targeting and harassing people’s kids. This ain’t free speech."
As for T.I., he's encouraging everyone to do the right thing when it comes to harmful rhetoric.
"It has to start somewhere," he said. "It has to start with someone who has standards, morals and principles. The internet celebrates the worst in people. It rewards the worst in people, so people abandon their morals and principles because they know they can be celebrated and get notoriety that goes against humanity.
“It starts with the fundamental foundation of people who stand up and say we ain’t going for that. The buck stops here. Anybody who support me, that’s what I’m on and if you support that, don’t ever contact, call or reach out to me. I’m watching.”
