March 23, 2005 -- The tragic shooting at Red Lake High School in Minnesota on Monday was eerily similar to Dead Rabbit's song "Casa Rebel," which tells the story of three kids who
gleefully gun down their classmates.
Witnesses said that the suspect, who was unnamed at press time, was waving and grinning as he gunned down students.
Dead Rabbit immediately released a statement on his website, www.DeadRabbit.com.
"This is not what my music is about. This is not what I teach. Violence doesn't solve the issues, it clouds the issues."
Dead Rabbit, a Sacramento, CA, based rapper, released this statement on his website the night of the shooting:
"Whether or not he was inspired by my music, I still feel bad for him. I'm sure thousands of people will rally, call him a monster, etc. But these things are hollow cries to a pitch-black
sky. He was no monster. He was a boy who saw this as his only option. It is sad, but it is sadder that Americans don't realize why this is happening.
"We celebrate the brutual killing of 28 'insurgents' in Iraq, and mourn 7 dead in our own cities. Both happened Monday. We celebrate death and violence, simply because our 'enemy'
disagrees with our world view. If someone sees that, if a child is raised in a nation where violence trumps debate, how do you expect them to lash out"
Dead Rabbit's CD has been a popular bootleg CD on high school campus across America for two years, boasting over 20,000 copies distributed on word-of-mouth alone. Passed from student to
student, it is often hidden from parents but is well known by school administrators.
For more information, see www.deadrabbit.com.