A leader without any followers is just somebody doing something nobody is interested in helping them with. In stating the aforementioned, you could define a leader as someone who provides instructions then watch other people carry the tasks out. Truly there has to be more to a leader than being able to delegate duties. A leader has to have the bigger picture in mind while providing instructions. Sharing this big picture and instilling in those who are being given the responsibility to bring the picture into reality a sense of ownership is a skill a leader must possess. Levell Crump also known in the music industry as David Banner, showed these qualities when he helped raised millions of dollars to help his state of Mississippi in rebuilding his own and other’s lives as hurricane Katrina victims. (Ricci)
A leader is no better or more important than those that are under his or her leadership. Crump has demonstrated this while being very hands on in providing aid to those most affected by hurricane Katrina. During his National Black Caucus of the Mississippi State Legislature Visionary Award acceptance speech before 200 high school students, Crump asks those in commercial media who criticize his word usage in his music, “…where were you after Hurricane Katrina when I was handing out boxes? Where were you when I was passing out my own personal shoes? When I went to the coast the day after Katrina struck I was standing next to dead children floating in the water. Where were you?” (Knight)
There is more to say about a leader’s “fruit” than what commercial media portrays. Crump was not the only industry recognized entertainer who literally gave the shirt off his back to help rebuild cities destroyed by Katrina. Major networks broadcasted the aid provided by Brad Pitt, the actor who plays the Tyler Duncan character in the movie “Fight Club”, which happens to be, rated “R” for disturbing and graphic depiction of violent anti-social behavior, sexuality, and language closely relative to what Crump, the former President of Southern University’s Student Government Association, writes in his lyrics. (IMDb.com, Inc.) As a leader, Crump recognizes the hypocrisy but maintains his stance on his career choices as a means to being able to provide help during times of natural disasters as astronomical as hurricane Katrina. This demonstrated coolness is a valuable “fruit” a leader must have built into his or her heart’s core so as to not distract them from what is really important – meeting the goals of their vision.
Crump, as a philanthropist demonstrates as well that a caring attitude is a deeply embedded characteristic in a leader. Team members are not always in the mood to follow the leader. A caring attitude will pull dedication to the forefront of those being lead to bring about the same productivity level as they would have if they were having a fantastic day. Across the nation, many African-American communities were in disarray with our government for its follow-up in providing aid to the lowest economically situated cities hit hardest by Katrina to the point where former President Bush admitted our government’s failure. (Longley) As a music producer of platinum hits, meaning Crump has created songs that have sold over a million copies; he could have easily sent a team of people to do what he, as a leader, envisioned what needed to be done. Crump’s caring attitude pulled his dedication to his neighborhood and those closer to the coast where Katrina made the most damage.
Crump flew to the Gulf Coast the day after Katrina hit, cancelling all shows, interviews, music store visits and maybe even other important meetings regularly done by music executives in his position amidst the releasing of an internationally distributed product, namely his latest album, which was something even the leader of the United States at the time, former President George W. Bush, cannot claim to have done. During the second class lecture in St. Edwards University’s spring 2009 Non-Profit Management course with Barry Silverberg, students were presented with a presentation containing an excerpt from Warren Bennis’s book “On Becoming A Leader” displaying the differences between managers and leaders by stating, “The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing”. (Bennis)
It is a good thing for leaders in the hip hop music community to consist of successful executives like Crump. His philanthropist influence reaches far past how much his hits are played on commercial radio. Crump states that artists should, “…get some knowledge into your head about the business…” (Knight) Not many music industry leaders are making that clear to young people watching hip hop entertainers becoming financially independent. Crump’s maintaining of a 3.98 GPA throughout high school to then earning of a degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge with only a year’s worth of credits to complete before obtaining his doctorates, his talk is backed up by his walk, clearly evident in every way he demonstrates his leadership capabilities. (Ricci)
In conclusion, a leader must understand those whom he or she has chosen to be a part of the team. Knowing the capabilities and assigning tasks accordingly brings about the needed work to reach the leader’s goals. From being founder of Heal the Hood, the charitable organization recognized by the National Black Caucus, that helped displaced victims of hurricane Katrina, to being a platinum selling musician, Crump personifies having the understanding of building a team that works well in reaching the goals he visualizes as evident when he testified before Congress during a hearing on African American Media Stereotypes. (National Cable Satellite Corporation) Crump is only one of many who could have been chosen as leaders to be analyzed in this piece. Crump, unlike the others considered, has the amazing capability to remain true to himself, his faults, his defeats and his losses. He has shared his weaknesses more openly with the world than he has his strengths and that made him a true leader worth analyzing.
Works Cited
Bennis, Warren. "On Becoming A Leader (pg.45) as cited in --." Namus, Burt. Visionary Leadership, Creating A Compelling Sense of Direction For Your Organization. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1992. 10-11.
IMDb.com, Inc. Fight Club (1999). 1999. 27 January 2008
Knight, Kandis. Interview: David Banner. 18 July 2007. 27 January 2008
Longley, Robert. Bush Acknowledges Government's Katrina Failures. 26 August 2006. 28 January 2008
National Cable Satellite Corporation. C-SPAN Video Library - African American Media Stereotypes Congressional Hearing. 25 September 2007. 28 January 2009
Ricci, Peter. www.rappagesmagazine.com. November 2007. 27 January 2009
