Charleston White, YouTube screenshot
Controversial YouTube personality Charleston White often calls out hip-hop artists, and recently, he spoke on how pro-death and demonic lyrics have been taken over the genre.
White, a former teenage gang leader who reinvented himself after serving jail time, gained popularity from his online attacks on various hip-hop artists such as Soulja Boy and on violence within the hip-hop community. White, who often faces backlash for his statements and beliefs, is the founder and CEO of Helping Young People Excel (HYPE), an organization dedicated to educating teens and helping steer them away from turning to crime, The Sun reported.
During interviews earlier this year that were posted on the YouTube channel Say Cheese, White honed in on “evil” that he says is plaguing hip-hop. He declared, “I hate rappers; they always talk about killing” and not “enough about God.” They “promote nothing violence and killing,” he decried. One of the few artists he did have praise for was Lil Baby.
In one of his most controversial interviews, he declared he was happy about the death of artist King Von.
The Chicago hip-hop artist was one of three men who were fatally shot on Nov. 6, 2020, outside a downtown Atlanta nightclub following an argument between two groups of men. Von, 26, was shot in the parking lot of the Monaco Hookah Lounge.
In his interview, White praised Timothy Leeks (also known as Lul Tim), who was arrested and charged with the murder of Von. According to White, Leeks was doing God’s work in “eliminating” Von, “a demon.”
White explained that the late Von, himself, said bragged he was a demon. He said Von’s lyrics, especially those in his song “Demon,” promote violence and demonic actions.
White, reportedly a former Crip gang member from Texas, also expressed the same dislike of King Von in an interview with DJ Akademiks on his podcast. White said that King Von’s death was not “unfortunate” because he was a “demon.”
“King Von was known to be a killer,” White told Akademiks, Hot New Hip Hop reported. “A man who killed Black people. A man who was accused of killing a Black girl … He’s celebrated, right? You got celebrities who take pictures in front of his mural. What about his victim’s family? … Why don’t y’all ever speak for them?”
White seemed to be referring to the 2014 shooting, in which Von was arrested in connection to the death of Malcolm Stuckey and the injury of two other men. Charges against Von were dropped in 2017 due to a lack of evidence.
“Fuck that idol! That idol is a demon! A self-proclaimed demon!” White exclaimed. “N***a, I don’t ride with demons. When did Black people start riding with demons, homie? We got grandmothers who pray, mothers who say, ‘Son, bless your food before you eat it.’ So I’m looking at this, and everybody is siding with King Von.”
He continued the same rant against Von in the interview that was posted on “Eat Cheese.”
He also said he was happy artists Young Thug and Gunna were arrested on RICO charges.
“Good for the district attorney in Atlanta” for taking Young Thug off the streets. White said Young Thug and other artists who promote violence should be made an example of. He also said lyrics that discuss crimes should be used to prosecute.
Young Thug, was arrested on May 9 in the city’s well-heeled Buckhead area, along with fellow rapper Gunna and other associates, for alleged gang activity as part of a 52-count RICO indictment.
RICO — the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act — is a federal law that allows for prosecution and civil penalties for racketeering activity. It was originally used in the 1970s to prosecute the Mafia and others involved in ongoing organized crime.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she has made it a priority to target gangs, and pointed out that more than 75 percent of violent crimes in Fulton County are connected with street gangs. About 90 percent of the city of Atlanta is in Fulton County.
Charleston White, YouTube screenshot, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmdFirPq5zA
