Uncle Luke's Twitter bio describes him as "hip-hop's original bad boy."
But ever since the 2 Live Crew legend stood up to fight for every American's right to free speech, he's also become a pillar of truth and honesty.
He's never been afraid to speak his mind. And after Saturday night's controversial acquittal of George Zimmerman, he's had a lot to say in 140 characters or less.
In Luke's mind, the sad reality that a young black man's killer can walk free is a sign that "nothing has changed," and having a black man in the White House doesn't seem to make any difference.
See also:
-George Zimmerman's Acquittal Shows Nothing's Changed Since Emmett Till
Live in a country where black men have been hunted down murdered from the day we got here. As you can see nothing has changed
— LUTHER R CAMPBELL (@unclelukereal1) July 14, 2013
Uncle Luke refers the people to the history books, where examples of violence against blacks with minimal legal ramifications are far too common. He has this to say in an extended tweet:
"In 1955, a young black man in Money, Mississippi, went to the store to buy some candy. Fifty-seven years later, another young black man in Sanford, Florida, did the same.Both trips led to a murder -- one of Emmett Till and the other Trayvon Martin."
Somebody said make sure you turn your clocks back 50 years before you go to sleep tonight.
— LUTHER R CAMPBELL (@unclelukereal1) July 14, 2013
Of course, not everyone is thrilled about what Uncle Luke has to say. It's hard to accept that racism is still alive and well in our own backyard, especially when we claim to be spending so many trillions of dollars fighting oppression overseas, the irony of which is not lost on the hip-cop icon.
Have you thought about how we look as a country to people around the world. We kill dictators for doing this same thing to a race of people
— LUTHER R CAMPBELL (@unclelukereal1) July 14, 2013
But Luke argues that it's not just non-blacks that get away with crimes, but that African Americans are also more harshly penalized for their own transgressions, many of which seem less severe than shooting and killing an unarmed 17 year old.
Vick go to jail for dog's getting killed in a house he owns. Plaxico go to jail for shooting himself. They keep saying it's not about Race
— LUTHER R CAMPBELL (@unclelukereal1) July 14, 2013
Luke goes on to insist that Zimmerman's lawyer should have felt guilty just for defending the man.
There was one black person happy about the out come his lawyer you can keep her to
— LUTHER R CAMPBELL (@unclelukereal1) July 14, 2013
Of course, the reality of the situation is that the law, as it is written and exists today, protects Zimmerman and his use of deadly force as a means to protect himself. Luke seems to be arguing that the law itself is unfair, and perhaps if the victim was of fairer skin, this verdict and the public outrage might've led to real change.
But that's why he's out here tweeting up a storm. He just wants to get people talking.
The major problem in this country is we do not have dialogue about race everybody's too scared to talk about it.
— LUTHER R CAMPBELL (@unclelukereal1) July 14, 2013
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