Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed has scheduled a "Turn Up the Vote Concert" Monday night before the municipal election, featuring several local artists known for rapping about drug dealing, violence and other things in Montgomery.
Reed will be seeking reelection on Tuesday after coming under fire from his opponents for the city's ongoing issues with trash collection and rampant crime.
On Reed's Instagram, he shared the concert announcement, slated to feature several Montgomery-based artists.
One of the performers is Rubberband OG, also known as Cortez Oates, a Montgomery native. Like many of the artists performing at Reed's event, Oates has music glorifying the use of violence and drug dealing, among other things.
"Top Steppa," one of his song's lyrics read as follows:
"Two of my n****s just got killed, I been moving light (I been moving light)
But f**k that s**t, somebody gotta die tonight (F**k that s**t)
I don't know which one of you p***ies took my cousin life (Took my cousin life)
But whoever I think did it, b***h it's on sight (Brr, Bah)
They then gave the wrong n***a a bag (Yeah)
Might get a n***a killed just because I woke up mad (Yeah)"
Another song of Oates's, "Bout That Life," features a music video with several individuals, including Oates, brandishing AR-15s and "Dracos" – a Romanian pistol adaptation of the Soviet AKM, a later model of the AK-47.
"I got my young n***as with me
They gone shoot [something]
Every n****a with me gon' do [something]
Y′all n****a acting trying to prove [something]
Like you can't get put on the news or [something]
We got handguns. We got Draco′s. I'm the boss man. They shoot you when I say so."
Another artist scheduled to attend is the Montgomery-based group Deuce Komradz, again with frequent references in the music to drug activity and violence in Montgomery.
In one song, "Ridin-N-Smokin (Remix)," the group makes frequent reference to murder and drugs and makes derisive comments towards law enforcement.
"I'm gon' be the first to put one [of] them boys in hearse
If you ain't got nothin' to do with this you better disperse
‘Cuz I'm about to let this thang burst
And we lettin' them f***k n***as know that deuce komradz the worst."
It continues, "We straight up out the Gump, slim
This ain't watcha want, slim
If yo a** banging in a trunk, slim
Strapped with artillery
Yeah, that's me
It's the young-a** OG by the name of CLB
The punk-a** po-po done caught up with me
Drug trafficking that's a major felony"
Another song by the Deuce Komradz details traveling to Chicago to pick on "100 elbows" (100 lbs) of marijuana to sell down south.
Reed's opponents have frequently pointed to the increase in violent crime and lack of policing in Montgomery as a motivation for running. While Reed has typically avoided the issue and pointed to the economic opportunities pledged to the city.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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