BET's "Cousin Jeff" Johnson: Hip Hop Traitor???
BETs "Cousin Jeff" Johnson of Rap City and Jeff Johnson Chronicles fame recently signed on to represent Ohio Gubernatorial candidate Kenneth Blackwell, who some suspect of helping George W. Bush steal the 2004 presidential election. The question remains however, if the television stars new role as Blackwells campaign advocate to young and urban voters is worth the cost.
Since his endorsement Johnson, who owns a political consulting firm called Truth to Power, has been praised by a few who see his support of the Republican politician as a power move, and bashed by many more who are confused and upset by his latest alliance.
Blackwell, currently Ohios Secretary of State, has been under an umbrella of suspicion after several well-documented voting irregularities occurred in Ohio during the 2004 presidential election which affected mostly poor and minority voters. At the time of the election, Blackwell was also serving as co-chair of the Ohio Committee to Re-Elect George Bush. Due to the incessant rumors and outright accusations of his involvement in handing Bush the election, today he continues to be vilified by many Democrats as nothing short of a black devil.
Johnson, known to over 65 million BET viewers as Big Tiggers Cousin Jeff, actually hates the moniker BET execs gave him to explain his presence in "tha basement and prefers to be called just Jeff. When asked why he carried the name he detested for so long, Johnson offered an insight into a philosophy that may explain his support of Blackwell. Me not liking the name wasnt worth not being able to do the commentary, said Johnson. You fight the battles that need to be fought.
In this HipHopDX exclusive interview, Johnson talks local Ohio politricks, national partisan agendas, and why, come hell or high water, hes staying in Blackwells corner.
People are saying that [Blackwells] not good for Black people despite the fact that he is Black. Can you give me a few reasons why Black people should get behind Blackwell? Whats he done for Black folks?
Jeff: Well first I would say, lets begin to base the discussion on fact versus demagoguery. Within states there are bi-partisan commissions that are ultimately responsible for determining whether or not charges are brought up on individuals and or parties for the role that they played within potential or alleged voter suppression. If this evidence is so glaring, then why has that not happened? Now these arent republican controlled bodies, these are bipartisan bodies. We been saying that Blackwell is the demon of voter disenfranchisement and he has the democrats under Jedi mind control so that they are not gonna bring up charges even if the evidence is so overwhelmingly against him that everybody knows hes the devil. That to me is just unsophisticated analysis. In many of these counties where there werent enough voting machines, where ballots were miscounted, there were democratic chairs of election commissions. I think its important to remove partisanship for a moment to say that in Ohio there was a breakdown that ultimately affected people who wanted to cast their vote and for some reason it wasnt able to be done. Both parties are ultimately complicit in not doing everything they could do to make sure that that took place.
That being saidwith Strickland [Blackwells opponent in the race] I see visionary rhetoric and with Blackwell I see strategy. I hear Strickland saying he wants to support public education, but I dont hear him saying how. I hear him talking about economic development but I dont hear him saying how. I hear him talking about supporting black people, not necessarily within his agenda, but within some of his speeches, but he never showed what his agenda for black people is, nor does he have a record of hiring black people, nor does he have a record of encouraging black business, nor does he have a record of utilizing black contractors within the offices hes held. Blackwell on the flip side, even as a conservative -- somebody who supports vouchers, which Ive never been a fan of -- I believe his 65 percent plan is a step in the right direction for public schoolsa strategy that says we need to begin reforming public schools in a way where 65 % of every dollar follows the student. We dont see that in many other urban school centers. And if you did not know, Cleveland again was labeled the poorest city in the country. So weve got one of the poorest cities in the country, one of the worst public school systems in the country, and we need to begin having real conversations and strategies about reform and thats what Im seeing from Blackwells 65 % plan. As it relates to economic stimulus packages, and increasing jobs, hes hired on average 40 percent people of color on his own staff and with the state of Ohio in the positions that hes served in, from 27 to 42 percent of all the contracts that hes utilized state funds for have been with black firms, so this is not rhetoric that hes serving, this is substantiated fact
Are you personally confident according to your own research that hes innocent of any misconduct in the 2004 presidential election?
Jeff: Im personally confident thatI believe that if Im gonna be engaged in the system, I have to have a level of faith in the system. With that, I have to believe that democrats hate Blackwell enough that if there was evidence...they would put it on Front Street.
What do you think about Rep. John Conyers investigative report [on the irregularities] that democratic staffers compiled in 2005? They found that there were massive and unprecedented voter irregularities and anomalies in Ohio. In many cases these irregularities were caused by intentional misconduct and illegal behavior, much of it involving Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell.?
Jeff: Again, if that was legitimately the case, why hasnt anyone done anything with that so called evidence?
What led you to getting involved with his campaign?
Jeff: Well Ohios my home state...Im in the process now of trying to build a leadership foundation here. Not only did I grow up here and have family here but I still have roots here. Ive worked for the NAACP, I worked for the hip hop political summit, I worked for some other organizations in DC and all of that has been on a non partisan level so I have not endorsed candidates. this was the first time, so this was a rough decision for me because I felt like, one, I wanted to be involved with this race because its my home state [and] because its an important race, two, I attempted to engage the Strickland campaign and got little to no response. I submitted a proposal to the Strickland campaign and did not get a response. The problem for me was that, not only did we not get a response, but they just did not effectively bring in folks to engage the black community in a substantive way. Secondly, I asked to receive an agenda for the black community and I never got one. On the flipside, Blackwell sat down with me in a one on one meeting for two hours.
So does this mean in your mind that Blackwell is interested specifically in the Hip Hop generation, or do you think that he sees you as a way to capture a margin of the swing vote?
Jeff: Both. Blackwells not stupid, so he understands who I am within the context of this community. But I think to say that Blackwell doesnt care about Black people because hes conservative is a misnomer. Blackwell has children who are part of the Hip Hop generation. To say that Blackwell doesnt care about the generation of people who are his children is also an indictment that I am not prepared to make.
Accusations of selling out have been hurled against you in this Blackwell debacle, but selling out usually implies being on a payroll. The fact that Blackwell is not paying you takes the financial motivation out. So whats in this for you, either personally or professionally in relation to Truth to Power?
Jeff: First and foremostin the face of the financial reality that Im dealing with as a result of this endorsement I find it unbelievablyits a comedic tragedy. This has been a financial risk for me.
How?
Jeff: Wellleft wing contracts that I had, I no longer have because they are in direct opposition to Blackwellbecause as you have just said, Blackwell is the representation of disenfranchisement. So the financial piece, because I dont want to walk around your question is, there is no immediate financial benefit for me. I have a consulting company that does political consulting. At the end of the day I want to be able to get business from both sides of the aisle, based on candidates who I believe are gonna do what they say.
That will probably manifest itself in a greater sense after this election, because I will no longer be seen as a pawn for the left. I will be viewed as an independent because I have supported people on the left and supported people on the right andI havent said this to anybody else before so Im gonna tell you first. Its an exclusive! Were gonna be launching, myself and some other people, the week of congressional black caucus, an urban progressive agenda designed as a simple tool for those who agree with the agenda to use as a litmus to assess those running for office, and hold accountable those in elected office. The goal is to provide this as a model and if people dont agree with this agenda then create their own but Im tired of us acquiescing to the republicans or the democrats based on an agenda thats not reflective of us. We need to be actively engaged in the creation of an agenda that speaks to the needs that we have, and then use that to judge candidates who are running for office and those who are in office. What we will then do is begin to create an urban progressive report card to rate candidates and elected officials based on this agenda. Weve gotta [change] the way we do this thing, and one of the biggest reasons honestly I supported Blackwell was because he was the polarizing figure that needed to be supported to send a message to democrats that you can no longer take the black vote for granted and get away with it.
Speaking of an agenda, why not build off of the agenda being put together by the NHHPC (National Political Hip Hop Convention)?
Im with the National Hip Hop Political Convention, but I dont think that its an either or proposition, this ain't checkers. This is chess and so why should we as a community wait for one person to do something? Lets create multiple models that may not look totally the same but have intersections so that hopefully they may catch the pawn, but dont capture the bishop, but if they get the bishop they dont get the rook, but if they get the rook we got our queenat the end of the day all of these things might look different but the goal is to capture the king.
You can watch Jeff every Wednesday on rap city, and visit him online at jeffsnation.com. Cherryl Aldave is a freelance Hip Hop scribe based in North Carolina. Questions relating to the research used in this article? Visit her website heavymentalist.com forher contact info.
Since his endorsement Johnson, who owns a political consulting firm called Truth to Power, has been praised by a few who see his support of the Republican politician as a power move, and bashed by many more who are confused and upset by his latest alliance.
Blackwell, currently Ohios Secretary of State, has been under an umbrella of suspicion after several well-documented voting irregularities occurred in Ohio during the 2004 presidential election which affected mostly poor and minority voters. At the time of the election, Blackwell was also serving as co-chair of the Ohio Committee to Re-Elect George Bush. Due to the incessant rumors and outright accusations of his involvement in handing Bush the election, today he continues to be vilified by many Democrats as nothing short of a black devil.
Johnson, known to over 65 million BET viewers as Big Tiggers Cousin Jeff, actually hates the moniker BET execs gave him to explain his presence in "tha basement and prefers to be called just Jeff. When asked why he carried the name he detested for so long, Johnson offered an insight into a philosophy that may explain his support of Blackwell. Me not liking the name wasnt worth not being able to do the commentary, said Johnson. You fight the battles that need to be fought.
In this HipHopDX exclusive interview, Johnson talks local Ohio politricks, national partisan agendas, and why, come hell or high water, hes staying in Blackwells corner.
People are saying that [Blackwells] not good for Black people despite the fact that he is Black. Can you give me a few reasons why Black people should get behind Blackwell? Whats he done for Black folks?
Jeff: Well first I would say, lets begin to base the discussion on fact versus demagoguery. Within states there are bi-partisan commissions that are ultimately responsible for determining whether or not charges are brought up on individuals and or parties for the role that they played within potential or alleged voter suppression. If this evidence is so glaring, then why has that not happened? Now these arent republican controlled bodies, these are bipartisan bodies. We been saying that Blackwell is the demon of voter disenfranchisement and he has the democrats under Jedi mind control so that they are not gonna bring up charges even if the evidence is so overwhelmingly against him that everybody knows hes the devil. That to me is just unsophisticated analysis. In many of these counties where there werent enough voting machines, where ballots were miscounted, there were democratic chairs of election commissions. I think its important to remove partisanship for a moment to say that in Ohio there was a breakdown that ultimately affected people who wanted to cast their vote and for some reason it wasnt able to be done. Both parties are ultimately complicit in not doing everything they could do to make sure that that took place.
That being saidwith Strickland [Blackwells opponent in the race] I see visionary rhetoric and with Blackwell I see strategy. I hear Strickland saying he wants to support public education, but I dont hear him saying how. I hear him talking about economic development but I dont hear him saying how. I hear him talking about supporting black people, not necessarily within his agenda, but within some of his speeches, but he never showed what his agenda for black people is, nor does he have a record of hiring black people, nor does he have a record of encouraging black business, nor does he have a record of utilizing black contractors within the offices hes held. Blackwell on the flip side, even as a conservative -- somebody who supports vouchers, which Ive never been a fan of -- I believe his 65 percent plan is a step in the right direction for public schoolsa strategy that says we need to begin reforming public schools in a way where 65 % of every dollar follows the student. We dont see that in many other urban school centers. And if you did not know, Cleveland again was labeled the poorest city in the country. So weve got one of the poorest cities in the country, one of the worst public school systems in the country, and we need to begin having real conversations and strategies about reform and thats what Im seeing from Blackwells 65 % plan. As it relates to economic stimulus packages, and increasing jobs, hes hired on average 40 percent people of color on his own staff and with the state of Ohio in the positions that hes served in, from 27 to 42 percent of all the contracts that hes utilized state funds for have been with black firms, so this is not rhetoric that hes serving, this is substantiated fact
Are you personally confident according to your own research that hes innocent of any misconduct in the 2004 presidential election?
Jeff: Im personally confident thatI believe that if Im gonna be engaged in the system, I have to have a level of faith in the system. With that, I have to believe that democrats hate Blackwell enough that if there was evidence...they would put it on Front Street.
What do you think about Rep. John Conyers investigative report [on the irregularities] that democratic staffers compiled in 2005? They found that there were massive and unprecedented voter irregularities and anomalies in Ohio. In many cases these irregularities were caused by intentional misconduct and illegal behavior, much of it involving Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell.?
Jeff: Again, if that was legitimately the case, why hasnt anyone done anything with that so called evidence?
What led you to getting involved with his campaign?
Jeff: Well Ohios my home state...Im in the process now of trying to build a leadership foundation here. Not only did I grow up here and have family here but I still have roots here. Ive worked for the NAACP, I worked for the hip hop political summit, I worked for some other organizations in DC and all of that has been on a non partisan level so I have not endorsed candidates. this was the first time, so this was a rough decision for me because I felt like, one, I wanted to be involved with this race because its my home state [and] because its an important race, two, I attempted to engage the Strickland campaign and got little to no response. I submitted a proposal to the Strickland campaign and did not get a response. The problem for me was that, not only did we not get a response, but they just did not effectively bring in folks to engage the black community in a substantive way. Secondly, I asked to receive an agenda for the black community and I never got one. On the flipside, Blackwell sat down with me in a one on one meeting for two hours.
So does this mean in your mind that Blackwell is interested specifically in the Hip Hop generation, or do you think that he sees you as a way to capture a margin of the swing vote?
Jeff: Both. Blackwells not stupid, so he understands who I am within the context of this community. But I think to say that Blackwell doesnt care about Black people because hes conservative is a misnomer. Blackwell has children who are part of the Hip Hop generation. To say that Blackwell doesnt care about the generation of people who are his children is also an indictment that I am not prepared to make.
Accusations of selling out have been hurled against you in this Blackwell debacle, but selling out usually implies being on a payroll. The fact that Blackwell is not paying you takes the financial motivation out. So whats in this for you, either personally or professionally in relation to Truth to Power?
Jeff: First and foremostin the face of the financial reality that Im dealing with as a result of this endorsement I find it unbelievablyits a comedic tragedy. This has been a financial risk for me.
How?
Jeff: Wellleft wing contracts that I had, I no longer have because they are in direct opposition to Blackwellbecause as you have just said, Blackwell is the representation of disenfranchisement. So the financial piece, because I dont want to walk around your question is, there is no immediate financial benefit for me. I have a consulting company that does political consulting. At the end of the day I want to be able to get business from both sides of the aisle, based on candidates who I believe are gonna do what they say.
That will probably manifest itself in a greater sense after this election, because I will no longer be seen as a pawn for the left. I will be viewed as an independent because I have supported people on the left and supported people on the right andI havent said this to anybody else before so Im gonna tell you first. Its an exclusive! Were gonna be launching, myself and some other people, the week of congressional black caucus, an urban progressive agenda designed as a simple tool for those who agree with the agenda to use as a litmus to assess those running for office, and hold accountable those in elected office. The goal is to provide this as a model and if people dont agree with this agenda then create their own but Im tired of us acquiescing to the republicans or the democrats based on an agenda thats not reflective of us. We need to be actively engaged in the creation of an agenda that speaks to the needs that we have, and then use that to judge candidates who are running for office and those who are in office. What we will then do is begin to create an urban progressive report card to rate candidates and elected officials based on this agenda. Weve gotta [change] the way we do this thing, and one of the biggest reasons honestly I supported Blackwell was because he was the polarizing figure that needed to be supported to send a message to democrats that you can no longer take the black vote for granted and get away with it.
Speaking of an agenda, why not build off of the agenda being put together by the NHHPC (National Political Hip Hop Convention)?
Im with the National Hip Hop Political Convention, but I dont think that its an either or proposition, this ain't checkers. This is chess and so why should we as a community wait for one person to do something? Lets create multiple models that may not look totally the same but have intersections so that hopefully they may catch the pawn, but dont capture the bishop, but if they get the bishop they dont get the rook, but if they get the rook we got our queenat the end of the day all of these things might look different but the goal is to capture the king.
You can watch Jeff every Wednesday on rap city, and visit him online at jeffsnation.com. Cherryl Aldave is a freelance Hip Hop scribe based in North Carolina. Questions relating to the research used in this article? Visit her website heavymentalist.com forher contact info.
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