New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton speaks to WCBS Newsradio in wake of a shooting that took place during rapper T.I.‘s show at New York’s Irving Plaza last night.
Atlanta Black Star reported that three people were wounded and one was killed in the concert shooting. Gunshots went off before the Atlanta MC took the stage at the New York venue. In his interview today, NYPD Commissioner Bratton said that rap artists glorify violence and they are the cause of the shooting. Here is his full statement:
The crazy world of the so-called rap artists who are basically thugs that are basically celebrating the violence that they’ve lived all their lives — unfortunately, that violence oftentimes manifests itself during their performances, and that’s exactly what happened last evening…
This world has not reformed. It’s unfortunate, the backgrounds that a lot of these young people that are significant artists in that world, if you will… they continue hanging out with the same people they hung out with when they came out of that world of desperation, poverty, and crime…
The music unfortunately oftentimes celebrates violence, celebrates degradation of women, celebrates the drug culture. And it’s unfortunate that, as they get fame and fortune, that some of them are just not able to get out of the life, if you will.
