We have to stop supporting artists like Future. We need to start holding entertainers responsible for the messages they promote. This is about more than just the drug culture these new rappers are promoting. They have to understand that their words and actions inspire our youth. Those words and actions can inspire good or bad.

“Mask off” has our kids out here not just doing Molly and Percocet but celebrating and becoming immersed in the drug culture. And from my understanding Future doesn’t even do drugs nor does he seem to care as long as he’s making money.

To promote “mask off” on the red carpet at the bet awards, Future and his daughter wore $3000 diamond encrusted masks. Now everyone wants to know where he got the masks from; seems like this is going to be a new trend.

The masks they wore were very reminiscent of masks slaves were forced to wear in the early 17^th century as a form of punishment (torture). Some referred to the mask as a gag in the South and an iron muzzle in the U.K.

Olaudah Equiano, a prominent African in London, was a freed slave who supported the British movement to end the slave trade. He described the iron muzzle, giving you a sense of how horrible it must have been to wear.

“I had seen a black woman slave as I came through the house, who was cooking the dinner, and the poor creature was cruelly loaded with various kinds of iron machines; she had one particularly on her head, which locked her mouth so fast that she could scarcely speak, and could not eat or drink. I [was] much astonished and shocked at this contrivance, which I afterwards learned was called the iron muzzle.”

The iron muzzle/gag was a torture tactic used to “punish” our ancestors. We know how barbaric our treatment was; let’s not make this mask a trend.

I am constantly reminded that “common sense ain’t common.” Our youth aimlessly follow the hip hop culture, if we don’t agree with messages they’re sending we have to stop listening to, buying and promoting their music just because the beat is nice.