In the recent song “Murder to Excellence” off Jay-Z and Kanye West’s award-winning Watch the Throne, Hova spits the line, “I arrived on the day Fred Hampton died/Uh, real niggas just multiply,” referencing how the Brooklyn titan was born on the same day in which Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton was murdered by officers during a FBI raid. While Hov intended the rhyme as a sign of respect for the costs Hampton paid for his political activity, not everyone is responding kindly.
At a recent screening of The Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 at the University of Chicago, Fred Hampton’s son Fred Hampton, Jr. responded to the Roc Nation impresario’s recent song. Referring to Jay as “Slave-Z” during a panel discussion after the screening, Hampton, Jr. said that the line was as distasteful and as it was factually inaccurate.
“Fred Hampton didn’t die; he was assassinated,” said Hampton Jr. “Saying Fred Hampton died is like the school teacher telling students that Christopher Columbus discovered America.”
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Check out the Ruby Hornet’s complete write-up on the film screening and the audience’s response to Hampton, Jr.’s comments. Neither Jay-Z nor Kanye West have responded to Hampton, Jr.’s stance on the song.
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