Emcee Ankh Amen Ra is not a household name. He doesn’t have his own brand of sports drink; nor will you see him creating a new dance craze on BET. He doesn’t have his own clothing line, nor is he trying to sell a new brand of liquor.

What he does have, however, is passion.

That passion manifested itself in a song called “Darfur,” which addressed the issues in the ailing region of Western Sudan. The song, which can be heard at HipHopDX's Audio Section [click here], takes Hip Hop back to its political and social roots.

Sure enough, Ankh Amen Ra was influenced by N.W.A., Public Enemy and Eric B. & Rakim. It is then no surprise that he was serious enough about the matter at hand to pull over on shoulder of the highway during icy conditions to chop it up with HipHopDX to bring attention to the world’s greatest humanitarian crisis – and what Hip Hop can do about it. Click here to read HipHopDX's first feature on the tragedy [click here].

HipHopDX: What made you aware of the crisis in Darfur?
Ankh Amen Ra: I’d say around 2004, I saw a newscast about the conflict going on in Western Sudan. At the time, the conflict wasn’t full blown, and I never would’ve imagined it would be as severe is it is now.

DX: And you didn’t think it would escalate to its current state?
AAR: I didn’t think that it would escalate to the point where it is now however, in light of history and the not-so distant atrocities that we have witnessed over time,I guess – why wouldn’t another massive slaughter of innocent people adding to humankind’s shameful list of genocides, slavery and mass killings be possible, especially after what recently occurred in Rawanda? You’d always think that at some point, some government entity or the people would say, “We’re going to put an end to this type of slaughter of human beings.” But here we are, in 2008, and over 200,000 people have been murdered, and over a million displaced from their homes.

It’s a stain on mankind, in general. It’s a shame that we’ve allowed it to go on as far as it has. But I think that the younger generation has said “it’s incumbent upon us to bring attention to such a tragic situation – regardless of whether it’s in Sudan or another part of the world. I think the semantics of whether or not something is genocide as declared by international governmental entities is not what we should be focused on. The focus should be on the immediate halting of such violence. When there are massive killings of people, it’s time to step up and say, “We will not allow this to go on. We will not allow this to go on, regardless of where genocide, or the like, surfaces on the face of the Earth.”

DX: Was there a specific moment that made you decide that you needed to record the song “Darfur?”
AAR: For a while, I said to myself, “I need to address this.” When I first heard the appalling [death tolls and other] numbers in Darfur…it touched my conscience and I wanted to do the situation justice in some way. So I knew for a while I was going to address this, but I needed the music to effectively pull it out of me. It was came to a point where the time was right to write and record the song.

DX: In the intro to “Darfur,” you mention that the “powers that be” allow the genocide to continue. While this is certainly a legitimate statement, isn’t it also important to take a look at why the Hip Hop community has emphasized this issue so little?
AAR: Absolutely. And that’s why I made the song. Ideally, the Hip Hop community should utilize its power and strength to bring an end to the genocide and other injustices all over the world. However, that’s not really the case. I will say, though, that there have been a number of hip hop-oriented events that bring attention to the crisis in Darfur, but we could do much, much more.

When I said that the “powers that be” allow [genocide] to continue, I was speaking more in terms of how the masses can be conditioned to turn a blind eye to that type of tragedy – from a historical standpoint. Because, you know, when people look back at slavery, you think to yourself, “How in the world could people allow that kind of torture of human beings to go on for such a long period of time?” It’s just a situation where people are often times apathetic about tragedies that are staring them right in the face. Then, in retrospect, the masses unanimously say, “Oh God, what a horrible thing that went on back then.”

DX: What responses have people given you about the song? Have you gotten any negative feedback?
AAR: I can honestly say that the responses have been overwhelmingly positive, and that they have motivated me to make sure that I continue to use my music to speak to very serious issues. I went on quite a few sites that put the song up and I actually read the comments, and for the most part the comments inspired me to continue with my direction.

A lot of people have said, “someone finally addressed Darfur,” but I have to step up and say that I wasn’t the first to address it in Hip Hop. The first time I heard it was Mr. Lif on the song “Brothaz.” I don’t believe he dedicated the entire song to it, but he had a verse that addressed the issue very well.

DX: Hip Hop often pigeonholes its artists, unfortunately. Are you worried that people may start seeing you as “the Darfur guy?”
AAR: [Laughing] I’m not concerned at all. I’m positive that my music will speak for itself. I hope “Darfur” opens the door and helps grab a lot of people’s attention; but once you open that door up, the listener will see the depth of my artistry – that’s only the tip of the iceberg. I intend to show and prove that by continuing to generate powerful music that’s at the same level or exceeds the standard that I set for myself with “Darfur.” So no, I’m not concerned with being labeled “the Darfur guy.” [In fact], if I had to be known for one song, I’d have no problem being known for “Darfur,” because that song is so important and it addresses such a relevant issue.

DX: Recently, Method Man was asked about Nas’ choice for his next album’s title – Nigger. In response, he said this: “Nas knows what he's doing. He's a smart brother. He keeps his name in the game. Last year, when he put out Hip Hop Is Dead, I was being interviewed; everybody was asking me what I thought about his album. ... I think it's too much emphasis on just the word. I know a word worse than 'nigger': ‘Darfur.’ Real talk. I'd like to see Reverend Al take a walk out there. Let's stop focusing on the wrong shit.” Do you think that the media surrounding Hip Hop, and music as a whole sensationalizes certain topics, like Nas’ album title, to the point where there’s no room for discussion of topics as important as Darfur?
AAR: Well, I think that what Nas is doing is very proactive and intelligent from a marketing standpoint, and more importantly, it brings attention to serious issues. I think that as long as the spotlight is on Hip Hop and the Hip Hop generation, we can use that platform – that we may have garnered through sensationalism to speak to relevant issues. Of course, I haven’t heard Nas’ album, but I feel he’s going to address that word and several other issues in a thoughtful manner – and that’s what’s great about Hip Hop music! With our culture, we get your attention and we pull you into our world. We can bring a perspective that you may not have realized.

At the same time, when has the media acknowledged Hip Hop for the good it can do? Hip Hop has traditionally been the demon of the media – why would we expect the mass media to acknowledge the good things that we use Hip Hop for? I can understand why media outlets choose to focus on negativity; certain powerful individuals don’t want to see Hip Hop artists and the hip hop generation use the power that it has to really organize and address issues in a way that only the most charismatic of politicians could do. We would have power in the political process; we would have power economically; we would basically have full control of all of the potential that hip hop has! And that’s a very dangerous thing. So certain media outlets just focus on the negativity or what they perceive to be negative.

I would love to see the Hip Hop community stand as a united front against genocide and other injustices. But we’re not even that united amongst ourselves! Take a look at all the beef that goes on in Hip Hop and all the tearing each other down. In an ideal world, we’d stand as a unified front, but there’s too much bickering and beefing to reach our full potential.

DX: Can you describe the Darfur project that you’ve been planning?
AAR: When I recorded “Darfur,” I sat back and thought, “This is a really powerful song. This is a really powerful project.” Then I thought, “It doesn’t have to stop here.” What it really needs is a visual. I wanted to make a video that really captures the pain and anguish that I tried to communicate in my song.

My thought was initially to go to Eastern Chad (West African Country bordering Sudan, which currently houses hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees); so I started organizing people, and then I contacted an organization called Africare. Basically, the director of the organization told me that due to the situation in Chad, it would be almost impossible to get clearance to get there – even more so with a camera. He helped me rethink my plan…we decided to gather authentic footage from the crisis in Darfur and Eastern Chad to create a montage with some performance shoots in order to maintain the effect I was looking for.

Right now, I’m in the process of getting a dedicated director who could help me make this video. It will probably be a straight-to-Youtube video – I just need a director that understands that understands my vision and passion, and would help us create something that would possibly increase awareness about the issue on the Internet.

DX: Obviously, this issue is deeply rooted, dating back to years of oppression if you consider how European colonization affected Sudan; with so much history behind it, what is do you feel is the core of the problem today, and what can Hip Hop do to address it?
AAR: I think it’s the lack of unity on the continent of Africa. I’ll even go so far as to say the lack of unity among people of African descent is the core of a lot of our problems. I think that if you look at the situation in Darfur, people will tell you that it’s black vs. Arabs, or that it’s based on ethnic divisions – the bottom line is, the tribalism contributes enormously to the lack of unity. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be proud of our specific ethnic background, but there comes a point where you say, “We’re gonna put the tribalism aside for a common goal, and we’re not going to allow it to propel us to the point where we’ll kill each other.”

Now, you mentioned colonization, and I think that’s a very important point – but I’m not going to blame everything on the Europeans. However, I’m will just say that colonization facilitated and more than significantly contributed to the division of Africa.

DX: What is the most important thing the “average” person can do to help?
AAR: Raise awareness in his or her community – however they feel they can bring more attention to the issue. Talking to people at work, your neighbors, going door-to-door – we have to put this issue on people’s radar, and they have to feel that this is something that needs to stop immediately. Helping raise awareness in your close circle is really the way to make this issue resonate in the hearts and minds of the international community.

I would also like to personally call upon the hip hop community to peacefully assemble as a unified front on the steps of the United Nations and demand that the United Nations Security Council fulfill the promises of UN Resolution 1769, which effectively created the UNAMID Force, an international force consisting of African Union and European Union troops, responsible for establishing security in the war torn region.

In fact, due to the recent attempted coup of the Chadian government by allegedly Sudanese government supported rebels, the situation in that region is deteriorating rapidly as the Chadian prime minister has apparently called for the immediate removal of all Darfur refuges from the his country. Therefore, we must act now!