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Z-Trip in Kuwait: Dry Country, Dry Eye :: Reminiscing upon his performance in Kuwait, Z-Trip reexamines his view on the troops he was sent to entertain

By Z-Trip   Photography by Aaron Farley

05/19/08 :: URB 153

In early March of this year, I performed on an army base in Kuwait for our troops. The show was put together by, and broadcast live on, MySpace.com. The other acts on the bill were Disturbed, The Pussycat Dolls, Jessica Simpson and Filter. The show was hosted by Carlos Mencia and Metal Sanaz.

This was, without a doubt, the strangest event I’ve ever been asked to perform at. I’m not saying that in a bad way—I just never thought in a million years that someone would ask me to do something quite like this. I’m no supporter of the war or the fucker who put us there. In fact, I’ve been extremely vocal about my feelings on this issue and I’ve tried to express my views through my music. So you could imagine when I got the call, I was like, “Me? Are you sure about this?”

Growing up on the kind music and culture I did—the majority of it having a heavy dose of anti–establishment to it—I wasn’t sure how I’d fit into the line-up. How would the music I play—influenced by Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, Jello Biafra and The Last Poets—help me out in front of 5,000 soldiers, Jessica Simpson and The Pussy Cat Dolls? I mulled this over for a week before realizing I needed some guidance. First, I spoke with Chuck D. He helped me put things into perspective, reminding me not to over think it, that I needed to focus on bringing a show to these soldiers, not a political forum. He also mentioned that James Brown went to Vietnam back in the day, which I found comforting. I spoke with Shepard Fairey next, and like Chuck, he thought my doing this would be a good thing. He also shot an email off to Hennry Rollins on my behalf. I wasn’t aware that Henry has been over there before to perform for the troops three times. I felt like his reply nailed it:

“You will find that the troops are often apolitical. Their job is don't get killed. They don't always have much to say about policy, they don't make it, they just take orders.

Having a beef with a soldier about the war is like having a beef with a cop about the law. They're not the ones making the policy. The Army doesn't start the war, never have. They take orders and that's it. You want to argue about the war? Talk to Cheney. It's Haliburton's war, the troops are just fighting in it.

Also, you never have to ever mention the war. No one there will really give a damn about your opinion as they are living it and you're visiting it. You get to leave and they stay.”

Once I read that, it all fell into place. I’d been so caught up in my everyday life that I never really stopped to think about these people and their being away from home. I’d been so caught up in dissing the administration that I forgot about the men and women doing the work and the struggles that they go through. Leaving their families for over a year at a time (some of them on their third and fourth tours). Top that off with having the possibility of getting killed hanging over your head? That shit sucks. I was so caught up in my own world that I completely overlooked the whole point of going over there. “How was I going to be perceived? How was I going to hold back my views? How was I going to fit in?” This wasn’t about me at all. This was about doing something good for them. These people have the hardest jobs out there. This was about supporting them, not by just putting a sticker on my car and using an empty slogan. It was about me doing something about it by going over there and bringing them a piece of home.

The concert was to be held on a transit camp, just 10 miles from the Iraqi border. The last stop before heading into Iraq or Afghanistan. This could be, for some, the last concert they would ever see. Shit, if nothing else, I felt obligated to rep the music. Imagine being a hip-hop head going off to war, with the last concert you ever saw being Jessica Simpson.

I rode on the plane with Disturbed, Filter and Carlos Mencia (all very cool people). We got there two days early to set up and to spend some time with the troops. The Pussycat Dolls and Jessica Simpson showed up the day before the show. I didn’t really get to spend much time with them and, from my perspective, it seemed like they were there more for the exposure than anything else. The Pussycat Dolls even showed up with bodyguards. I mean, seriously, who the fuck needs a bodyguard on a fucking ARMY base!?


For photos and video of Z-Trip's time on the base, click here

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