Bay Area rapper Equipto confronted San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee about the city’s gentrification and rising economic disparity. In a video uploaded to his Twitter account, the artist born Ilych Sato is seen calling Lee “a disgrace to Asians.”
“You could make a change,” Equipto says. “You have no heart, man. The people that built this city, you’re getting them all kicked out of here, man. That’s some cold shit. You’re a part of it, and I know you are. I know you’re linked to mobsters and things like that. You need to have some heart. You’re a disgrace to Asians, man. We can make a change. You’re kicking people out. You’re kicking the people that built this city out of here.”
Mayor Ed Lee was accused of taking bribes from Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow, a notorious Chinatown gang leader, but was cleared of wrongdoing in August. Chow’s lawyer told SFGate that he believes the prosecutor went easy on Mayor Lee.
Reports of San Francisco’s ballooning economic inequality have become commonplace and mirror that taking place in cities across America. The Silicon Valley tech explosion has caused prime real estate throughout San Francisco to skyrocket in price, forcing thousands of residents to move out of the city in search of affordable housing.
In the HBO documentary, San Francisco 2.0, former Labor Secretary, Robert Reich says cities like San Francisco are “becoming gated communities.”
“San Francisco is a microcosm for what is happening not only in the United States, but all over the world,” he says. “I’m worried about a city that is becoming uniformly wealthy, out of reach and out of touch.”
In 2005, Equipto released Horns & Halos, collaborative project with Andre Nickatina. He also runs Bay Area label Solidarity Records.
Following the confrontation, Equipto took to Twitter and explained that he’s not trying to be political. He’s trying to do what’s right. Watch the full video below:
I just wanted to tell Mayor Lee something.. pic.twitter.com/e5aCjtSqLq
— Equipto (@EQUIPTO) October 7, 2015
This is a true soldier. Not like you spineless Zombies
My russian family came 100 years ago, were skilled and helped rebuild the City. We have remodeled twice since then. I still have my home but you didnt build nothing for me so speak for yourself and what you built.
He speaks the truth tho. SF was a community built by immigrants, and deep;y rooted in it’s in culture. Now it’s a homogenized city and nerd central, pushin out all the people who lived there for generations.
Fuck Equipto. Here’s the real. My homegirl used to be in a relationship with him until he tried to verbally and physically abuse her. He’s an ex-wannabe pimp who used to try to run with a few real pimps like the legendary Goldie (R.I.P.). She still thinks he talented but knows he’s a truly contradictory scum bag. He’s an opportunist that thought that his career would blossom after the split from Andre Nickatina, which never actually happened. He even recorded a diss song to Andre Nickatina that he is too scared to ever release. He used to talk about his group mate Big Shawn and complain about his body odor a lot and how he was embarrased to be around him. He also has a friend named Fred F.D.O.G. who he blames for putting a damper on the relationship of him and his wanna-be caterer Eliza, who is actually a great cook but a helpless groupie. His career spans over a long period of time but just never took off like a lot of people who he has collaborated with. He used to make fun of a few of his Asian friends like Mint Rock saying that he was off beat whenever he rapped, even though he’s Asian himself. Even though he tries to act important, he’s struggled to get his music heard. It even got so bad that he used to live in his recording studio with meager plumbing (Hyde Street Studios). He turned his back on one of his best friends Big Kwanz, a decision that he regrets until this day. I guess that he never made it because of the bad karma that he has produced. One of his best friends to date is an off beat rapper that killed his own best friend. This guy is not loyal at all but he keeps people around him to protect him from the shitty outbursts that he tends to produce at times. Being able to put out a lot of songs doesn’t mean that you’re great. Being true makes you great. And, if you pay close attention to the video, he did all of it just to get attention regardless of how real people think he is. I hope this boosts your shitty career because performing in front of 20-30 people a show will not keep you in SF.
why did he split with Nickatina?
Who ever u are STFU N GROW UP
And if you pillow talking with the women that are screwing you
Just know that she gon tell another nigga when she through with
you.***
@smooth you better not be spilling your own secrets to the chick though, that’s a man private discussion with a girl he was dating at the time that you spilling on here … and you call yourself *classy*?? FOH
If you are a representitive of the Bay Area then you know we came up with the phrase “playa hater” You a sucka bruh that’s something that if you feel all this and know all this you handle in person not online pimp. You are throwing rocks from a user name. Did E break that chicks hands so she can’t type herself? Or anyone else you mentioned for that matter or are you just that bitter you want to take away from the actual positive action he took telling the truth to try to shine some light on yourself? These are questions a hater needs to ask himself. If I was Quip I’d find you and fk you up. San Francisco is way too expensive. Not just SF but the entire Bay Area. People lived here worked their asses off and now gotta move. 5000 for a 1 bedroom apartment…. If you ain’t got nothing like that to add stfu.
Typical male pigs. You would want him to find out who I am so he can beat up on another girl? You need to go massage his dick since you’re stroking his ego. That’s my homegirl and we’re more like sisters. And yes I feel some type of way for the way that he treated her. He’s a pig. And if you agree with him hitting women which obviously you do, then you’re a pig too. Some guys are just gross.
People like to talk a lot but how many speak truth to power? That’s when applause are due… Good one E! SF is for sale to the highest bidder unless…
Equipto raps for a lot of people at his shows and is far from irrelevant … I know cause I through a couple shows and I been to a few … He speaks for a lot of people who feel the same way … and is a good friend of mine !! So fuck you if u didn’t like what he said most of yall ain’t living where we living ! #hadtobesaid …If I see Ed lee Ima be cussin at him and his weak ass body guards !!
Insain415
I back the sister on here for saying it how it is with his Equipto and his “hippy mob” crew is known in the bay area outside of his groupie base as verbally and physically abusing woman he dates. We are scared to say anything, obviously because we don’t want to get abused or hit by his partners. This is known fact that this man and his comrades are anything but “examples” for black pride, they are criminals themselves. They are all known on the streets as being pimps, cons, dealers and most have criminal records themselves. The music and “Black Power” is one side of the story. It’s great for them to be involved, but the faces? You have to ask yourself how he knows about Ed Lee’s “mob ties”, if he isn’t involved in some way or another. It’s funny how up until recently, neither Equipto and everyone he is bringing to this “protests”, ever really showed up. All we ever see of them is when there is media opportunity (a protest coming up, an opportunity for them to get press or make music to gain press off it) I think allowing abusive criminals like them to represent these movements is really not a good idea, it takes away from the sincerity of the matters at hand when hypocrites hit the stage. I think any reasonable person can agree the SFDP is in the wrong in many ways, but protesting for the sake of publicity (check out the “movements” they are poorly organized and thrown together) and those big settlement checks the families of these victims. Not saying they don’t “deserve” it but when there’s small numbers like this, a bunch of chaos and little facts being conveyed, we can ALL say Equipto and his partners have “mobb” motives to get the man back. To be frank, I’d rather hear more from the actual revolutionaries and people who are involved in these battles more on a day-to-day. We barely see them amongst the people (local rappers, agenda seeking activists) needing to get in front of the camera, or share their post on social media.
If you are able to get on a platform and be herd, then why not do it? People have to know the truth for positive change to happen. It takes balance of those behind the scenes and in the forefront to progress in a positive way. Why hate on Equipto for using his popularity in SF and elsewhere to be herd? This seems like exactly what he should do and others in positions of leadership and influence should do it more often. Stand for something or fall for everything. Too much hate in the damn world, why do people have to keep adding to it? And to this chick talking bad on his name on all of these discussions if you are stuck worrying about other peoples personal issues and living in the past progression will not happen for you. Focus on a bigger cause, this isn’t doing it. Peace!