Jun 2, 2008 9:00 pm US/Eastern
Bill Cosby: A State Of Emergency
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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Bill Cosby is behind new rap album hitting the market next month called "A State of Emergency."
CBS
A new rap album will hit the market next month called "A State of Emergency" and entertainer and comedian Bill Cosby is behind it.
The Philadelphia native is tired, like so many others, of the violence that has not only taken lives, but destroyed the lives of those left behind.
Ukee Washington sat down with Dr. Cosby to talk about this soon-to-be-released project and he told Ukee first things first.
"I'm not rapping," said Cosby.
But these young men are! It's the brainchild of Dr. William H. Cosby and friends: friends who came to him and said we want to do "clean lyrics."
"I don't like the word clean, what I like is what you're not going to do. You're not going to curse, you're not going to put women down, you're not going to put the glory of the gun somewhere and you're not going to put a whole lot of violence up front like that's the thing that will cleanse you and make you feel better," explained Cosby.
Cosby is on a mission, especially on the streets of Philadelphia. He wants to get to the young people first, long before trouble has a chance to beat them down.
"The key word is why? Why? And we use their vernacular, why it's gotta be this way? Why it's gotta be like that," said Cosby.
And why is this long time entertainer and comedian taking this type of stand now?
"A fellow said to me, 'Where were you back when Martin and Paul Robeson and Harry Belefonte', and I said to the guy, 'Cause I don't want to have to defend who I am and my philosophy.' So why now? And I said, 'Murder. Murder."
It's happening all too often. It's devastating, it's heartbreaking and it's been discussed that even some parents fear their children.
"And what I'm seeing Ukee is not necessarily the fear, but it's just that the person gave up.
A lot of parents don't want to take that time to take time and that's when things begin to fall apart," reasoned Cosby.
And listening to this CD and believing in it, Cosby hopes is a way to build things back up, with a solid education being the foundation for success. And for those who are searching and those who may have done time, he says they need to come to Philadelphia Community College where through funding, the options are far better than a deadly alternative.
"You can become a mechanic, what kind of mechanic? Air-conditioning? Listen, think about that. You can charge 75 dollars just for showing up , not having the parts and saying you'll be back! That's a lot of money! You can learn how to fix telephones at 28 dollars an hour, you can learn to do this, and guess what? No bullet holes!" exclaimed Cosby.
In 1997, his son Ennis was shot and killed during a robbery attempt on the side of a freeway in Los Angeles. Life in prison without parole for the trigger man. Ennis aspired to become a teacher after overcoming dyslexia.
The day he graduated Morehouse College in Atlanta was a day Cosby will never forget.
"And they called the name Ennis William Cosby, and Ukee I broke, and my daughters looked at me, they'd never seen that. My wife didn't know what to do."
"Ennis's murder is chilling. His murder was senseless. But I'm not yelling for Ennis, I'm yelling for the saving of those with so much potential. In the morgue, and then how much potential in the one who pulled the trigger."
There's only one way to find out and that is if it never has a chance to happen. We are in "A State of Emergency."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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