Jasiri X Flips Biggie’s
‘10 Crack Commandments’
to the
‘10 Frisk Commandments’
The creator of “This Week in Blackness” Elon James White and rapper Jasiri X have teamed up to flip Biggie Smalls’ “10 Crack Commandments” to the “10 Frisk Commandments.” Jasiri X says the song goes out to people of color in places like New York, Pittsburgh and the Bay Area “who get harassed just walking down the street.”
“Make no sudden moves, don’t you know these bad boys use violence to silence,” Jasiri Z says in the video directed by White.
White told Colorlines.com that he often jokes about how his knowledge of what to do when he’s stopped by police officers all stems from Jay Z’s “99 Problems.” He explains how the partnership with Jasiri X came about:
A few weeks ago at Netroots Nation I was hanging out with Jasiri X and it hit me. I run up to Jasiri and say “Dude! You should flip Biggie Smalls “10 Crack Commandments!” Make the #10FriskCommandments! What to do when you’re stopped and frisked!” Jasiri thought for a moment and said “That could work.” I was so excited about the idea of it and how great Jasiri is as an artist I offered to direct and shoot the video in Brooklyn on the spot. He brings this issue to light with such passion and clarity that I was glad to be apart of the project. And lets be honest. his verses are FIRE.”
Out of 685,724 NYPD stop-and-frisk stops reported in 2011, 87% percent of those stopped were black or Latino, and nine out of ten persons stopped were not arrested, nor did they receive summonses.
