Message

I have nothing but respect for our young people and what they're doing

My thing is, we adults did not stand strong and on our square

To bring our young people through this process

I know, I was the young person that had to fend for himself in the streets of New York

I know what happened, with our young people

I say: Look, I ain't mad at you

Know no matter what I hear, I know that you are moving through a process

Because they are attempting to destroy the community, so they're using you

They are buying you out, but we as adults, get to buy them back

I'm ready to compete with anybody for our young people's minds

And what we have to is change the paradigm of how we're interacting with them

Deal with them from a heartfelt place where they can understand

You see, because whether you realize it or not, it's you they're shooting in the streets

You, young brothers, they're the ones that are being shot

And so with this entertainment or with this music

Maybe I don't like what I hear, maybe that I don't like some of the words that I hear, maybe I don't like the direction

But I think they're doing a pretty good job, considering that we, as men, the adult men

Did not cover that when we should've covered that

And protected them when we should've protected them

And brought them up that so when we see an artist acting in a most inappropriate way

Where is the father in this?

Where is that male mentor that can be there?

We, as black men, must take on the responsibility

As the honorable Elijah Muhammad told Malcolm, is that a nation is only as strong as its weakest family

And we have got to create nations

We have to create relationships between the African man and the African woman that creates a viable nation