Carvin Haggins is a Grammy-winning producer and songwriter who’s worked with a variety of superstars, ranging from Jill Scott to Justin Timberlake. But Haggins is also a man of God on a new mission; he’s launched his “Rage Against the Ratchet” campaign to serve as a call to action for people who have grown weary of sexually explicit and violent content played on many urban radio stations. Haggins spoke to rolling out about his agenda and why he felt the time was right to draw a line in the sand.
“Two years ago, I went to a show in Philly that was showcasing new talent. They were unsigned kids … [age] ranges from 8 or 10 up to 21 and then up to 35; and every record was ‘shake this, flip this, b—- this, h- this, murder, stab.’ So I felt like something had to change. This was unacceptable.
“I was getting ready to go to church and heard a voice, clear as a bell, saying ‘You’ve got to say something,’ So Mother’s Day Weekend was coming up and I was shooting pictures for the mother of our church. We were at a beauty salon, and a little girl was there. ‘Partition’ came on and I’m watching this little girl do this sexy sashay to this record. [Her mother] said, ‘The bus driver plays this on the radio on the way to school.’ So I decided this has to be taken care of,” he said.
“I did the video, and it was just me being upset,” Haggins explains. “I put it on Facebook and … I looked up and it had a thousand shares … in a couple of hours! Later on, it kept circulating in Facebook and peers reached out and said, ‘This is a good stance that you’re taking.’ Others said ‘radio is how you make money!’ But they don’t write my check. The only reason I get that check is because of God.
“Some radio disc jockeys called me like, ‘Dude, it’s the parents,’ and others said, ‘Why are you attacking us?’ I’m not attacking [them], I’m attacking the establishment that’s destroying our community. If you take that personally I’m sorry, but I didn’t mention you personally. But, you’re going to lose some friends and gain some friends. That’s what life is about.”
