While appearing as a speaker at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas last week, rapper Snoop Dogg spoke on the impact Ronald Reagan had on his community, during the time the former president spent in office.
The Long Beach, California lyricist spoke directly on “Reaganomics,” stating that the economic program Reagan introduced in the 1980s did away with after-school programs, and eventually contributed to guns and drugs being brought into the community.
“When Reaganomics kicked in, certain things were taken away, after-school programs and things of that nature,” Snoop Dogg said, according to InFlexWeTrust.com. “Guns and drugs were shipped into the neighborhood. So it was a shift of having fun and playing football to selling drugs and shooting at each other. To me it was a system that was designed, because when the Reaganomics era began, that’s when this began.”
He then explained that prior to the introduction of Reaganomics, there were no issues in the community. According to Snoop, things were “beautiful,” neighbors were more willing to help one another, and the government did its part.
“Early in the ’70s and toward the latter part of the ’70s everything was beautiful because we had ways to have fun and communicate, and those who were underprivileged, the low economic side of life, the government would provide for us, which helped us get by. It was a society and we all needed it and we all had it and we all helped each other,” he said.
Snoop also uploaded the following video to Instagram over the weekend. In the 15-second long video, a cartoon version of the rapper speaks directly to Ronald Reagan about having brought “guns and drugs to the hood.”
For additional Snoop Dogg coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
Chuck D has been saying that 25 years
Truth!
Reagan isn’t the turning point, the turning point (or if you ask me two turning points) was Kennedy/LBJ and Nixon. The first turning point was for sure LBJ’s failed Warfare/Welfare State stimulus economics (the Vietnam War, the Great Society, the failed War on Poverty, Bush-like tax cuts) and ridiculous mission to the Moon in the 60’s, all of it record deficit spending. All this culminated in the early 70’s with an international run on the Dollar. This led to the second turning point being Nixon taking away gold conversion of the Dollar, related to the run, price fixing through Executive Orders, and miserable stagflation in the 70’s. All of this was very detrimental to all Americans, but mostly the lower classes, and therefore disproportionately blacks. Nixon also kicked off the War on Drugs which is proven to be severely racially slanted enforcement (see the ACLU pamphlet ‘Race and the War on Drugs’).
Both Carter and Reagan largely are get blamed for the aftermath of this, unfairly. Both Carter and Reagan inherited a crazy mess from their predecessors. Although to their discredit, it is true that the Carter and Reagan continued much of the failed, unjust policies. Reagan for example was involved with both stepping up the War on Drugs and financing drug dealers (e.g. Iran Contra). Before Civil Rights in the 60’s, there was a strong, up-and-coming black middle class, which was the source from which the Civil Rights movement drew strength. After this, Johnson declared a War on Poverty in the 60’s and drafted black men unwillingly to go die in Vietnam, along with wasted billions. And Nixon declared a War on Drugs in the 70’s. Eventually the result was the black community for the next few decades under economic attack by the anti-capitalist Welfare State and Warfare State, and under physical attack by the Police State.
Lots of gems mentioned in your post. They hate when we have knowledge of this kind. Keep spreadin the truth. Shalom.
Dudes coming back from the war to nothing. can’t get jobs and just leads to life of crime and drug habits they picked up from wars overseas.
Who cares what Snoop thinks about politics. You know he didn’t actually read anything because he’s not smart or sober enough to do it. He’s the R-Kelly of hip hop and loosing his mind from doing drugs and he’s going share his deep knowledge on politics because one of his drugged up peers told him about it.
After hearing your racist comments on TV tonite you are nothing but a racist slob who needs to go and crawl in the darkest deepest
hole outside the U.S. and live with the slime you associate with.
look, another rapper trying to blame gang violence on politicians.
Iran Contra..look it up !
Yeah, the Nicaraguan Contra but you’re right
It is a fact that the Government played a huge part in flooding urban ghettos with drugs. This lead to violence, drug addiction, poverty, incarceration,lack of education, division etc etc
The plan worked unfortunately. But I believe its not too late to recover our communities.
I see Snoop’s point about a “rise” of guns and gangs during the Reagan era. I think many socioeconomic problems were already rooted in black communities prior to Reagan. However, the Reagan era seems to have been the time when violence between police, street gangs, and blacks in general was on the rise.
sounds like he should be thanking Reagan since all the money hes made has been rapping about shooting guns and being in a gang…
If you’re sitting down at a table and I put 10 rifles in front of you, who is to blame for you picking one up and pulling the trigger?
If I put a crack rock in front of you, who is to blame for you lighting it up and smoking it?
These are both choices the consumer makes, not the supplier. Quit passing the buck and own up to the fact that people in your own communities chose to destroy them.
I liked you til you spewed this this crap …Dog. Get your Brothers and Sisters together and put All of your money i nto after school programs, and into busting up the gangs and pushers(that I bet you would find are African American) that are destroying those people and neighborhoods. Maybe preach/spew a little of this ;
Proverbs 24:30-34 “I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”
You lost me …dog, sorry, your channel is off.