Enstrumental’s Fall 2011 Line

Drew over at Enstrumental is “Making You Uncomfortably Comfortable” with his new Fall line. Five new shirts, each with their own powerful statement–but with a hip-hop twist. He’s never failed you before so hit the jump to check out what he’s got in stock and read the meanings behind them.

Follow Enstrumental here, and make your purchase here.

A. THE REVENGE OF EMMETT TILL

Another Enstrumental + Hebru Brantley collaboration!!

“I represent Eastern knowledge, but I will contradict that …” – KRS-One “Drop It Heavy”

Revenge is like the sweetest joy …

Emmett Louis “Bobo” Till was murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman … Yeah, um, ok.

Several nights later, the woman’s husband Roy and his half-brother J. W. Milam, arrived at Till’s great-uncle’s house where they took Till, transported him to a barn, beat him and gouged out one of his eyes, before shooting him through the head and disposing of his body in the Tallahatchie River weighting it with a 70-pound (32 kg) cotton gin fan tied around his neck with barbed wire. His body was discovered and retrieved from the river three days later.

Till was returned to Chicago and his mother insisted on a public funeral service with an open casket to show the world the brutality of the killing.

Bryant and Milam were acquitted of Till’s kidnapping and murder. Protected by double jeopardy, Bryant and Milam struck a deal with Look magazine in 1956 to tell their story to for between $3,600 and $4,000. Neither of them thought of themselves as guilty or that they had done anything wrong.

Bullsh*t.

While there never will be justice for Emmett, Enstrumental will always dream for Revenge!!

B. GET OFF THE BANDWAGON

Don’t wait for someone or group of persons to like/approve of something before you can like/approve it. That makes you a follower. If it’s dope, it’s dope. You don’t need a cosign. If you like and/or approve of a product/person/situation, another person’s confirmation is not a prerequisite to your authorization. Seriously, do you really need a celebrity” or other figure of “importance” to provide their stamp of favor before you decide its “cool??”

Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re saying to yourself, “I walk to the beat of my own drum … Stop the madness … just Jump off.

C. JAKE THE SNAKE

While some question and debate over who actually killed MLK or who killed JFK, there is no argument over who deliberately killed Fred Hampton. It was the Chicago Police Department (CPD). No conspiracy theory. Just the truth.

Peep the story …

The FBI, along with the CPD decided to set up an arms raid on Hampton’s Chicago apartment. With the help of FBI informant William O’Neal, they set up a team organized for a pre-dawn raid armed with a warrant for illegal weapons. On the night of 12/03/69, O’Neal slipped the powerful barbiturate sleep agent, Secobarbitol into a drink that was consumed by Hampton during the dinner in order to sedate Hampton so that he would not awaken during the subsequent raid. Hampton fell asleep in mid-sentence talking to his mother on the telephone.

At 4:00 a.m., the heavily armed police team arrived at the site, (2237 W. Monroe, Chicago, IL)At 4:45, they stormed in the apartment.

Mark Clark, sitting in the front room of the apartment with a shotgun in his lap, was on security duty. He was killed instantly after firing off a single round, which was later determined to be a reflexive reaction in his death convulsions after being shot by the raiding team; this was the only shot the Panthers fired.

Automatic gunfire then converged at the head of the bedroom where Hampton slept, unable to wake up as a result of the barbiturates that the FBI infiltrator had slipped into his drink. He was lying on a mattress in the bedroom with his pregnant girlfriend. Two officers found him wounded in the shoulder. Two shots were heard, which it was later discovered were fired point blank in Hampton’s head. Hampton’s body was dragged into the doorway of the bedroom and left in a pool of blood.

The next day, the police said they shot because Fred Hampton and the Black Panthers shot at them. The officers were praised for there bravery. Evidence later revealed that this was not true at all. All of the shots fired came into the house (from CPD) … No bravery, just evil.

D. SCENARIO

“Rawr, Rawr, like a dungeon dragon …” – Busta Rhymes

In 1992, A Tribe Called Quest along with the Leaders of the New School released arguably what was one of hip hop’s greatest posse cuts. While most remember the song from an energetic verse from Busta Rhymes (this song might have been his breakout moment), Q-Tip’s line in this song also penetrated the subconscious…

“So Don’t Violate Or You Get Violated”

While most embrace (better yet, front like we do) Peace, Enstrumental fully believes in the principle of retributive justice. All I ever had … Redemption Song.

Watch yourself.

E. MUSIC AFFECTS THE YOUTH

“Hey little kids, don’t follow these dopes …” – Slick Rick – “Hey Young World”

Sure, there are many things that can affect the mental and/or physical disposition of a person. Throughout history, music has been used to express a range of emotions, as well as to influence, educate, and inspire, etc … While most might deny or minimize the impact of music on one’s character, the evidence speaks for itself. Music inspires revolutions, makes you think you’re someone you’re not, makes you want to have sex, to try that drug, to sell that drug, to dance, to laugh, to cry, to fight, to love, to hate, to find religion, to question religion, to lie, to steal, to cheat, to win, to respect, to disrespect … Need I proceed.

So does music get all blame? No. Some of the blame? Yes. Today, the plethora and unfortunate abundance of lame, nugatory, unproductive, tomfoolery, “minstrel show,” musical expression has dominated and “dumbed down” the masses … in particular, the most impressionable citizens of society, the youth.

When it rains, it pours. Things are getting out of control.
Stakes are high, let’s get a hold.

“Shorties get the game with no instructions to assembling …” – Common – “The Food”