Raekwon’s tech-sector reunion prompted Attorney Kenneth Montgomery to question celebrity proximity to surveillance firms and federal authority.
Raekwon returned to Palantir Technologies headquarters during Wu-Tang Clan’s farewell tour era for a reunion 16 years after his first visit.
The August meeting brought the Wu-Tang Clan rapper back together with Palantir CEO Alex Karp while reviving an unlikely relationship between a Hip-Hop heavyweight and one of America’s most powerful and controversial software corporations. Palantir posted images from the encounter with the caption “Never forget your OGs.”
Interesting.
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Raekwon first entered Palantir’s offices in August 2010 when the company was a relatively obscure private startup. He encouraged followers to learn more about the business by writing “if u don’t know bout them, google them!”
The relationship soon produced a piece of curious Hip-Hop history.
Raekwon later appeared in a BET Cypher video wearing a Palantir track jacket. The unusual fashion choice has gained new meaning as Palantir expanded into a public software and artificial intelligence giant with extensive government and defense work.
That evolution also transformed the reunion from a nostalgic photo opportunity into a heated debate.
Critics questioned what it means for a respected Black artist to publicly associate with a company that has faced intense scrutiny over its work involving military operations, intelligence agencies and even immigration enforcement.
Palantir has defended its technology and denied allegations that it is building a centralized federal surveillance system. The company said in January that it had neither proposed nor been asked to create a “master list” for monitoring American citizens. Read Palantir’s response to their critics.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has raised separate concerns about Palantir’s work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Those objections include questions about transparency, due process and the consolidation of personal information.
Respected attorney Kenneth Montgomery responded to Raekwon’s visit with a blistering Instagram statement that placed the meeting within a larger argument about entertainers, wealth and government power.
“Hip Hop today is just a vehicle for mostly Black kids&men to be cool agents for the nation state both behind the scenes & for the world to see.”
Montgomery argued that celebrity access can help make oppressive institutions appear acceptable to communities most affected by their decisions.
“Your favorite famous entertainer with a little bit or lot of money has no interest in challenging the status quo &white conservatism. They simply want their opportunity to be special & advocate for the nation state, while using their Blackness/culture as an entry way into the community to normalize oppression.”
He closed his criticism with a cutting reference to Wu-Tang Clan’s mafioso imagery.
“Believe them when they tell you they Wu Gambino lol. All for the culture right? Black excellence dancing with oligarchs.”
Whew.
The reunion may have celebrated a connection dating back to Palantir’s startup years.
It also raised some harder questions. What are those questions for you?
