“Silky Slim is in the streets making it happen.†– Talk Show Host Michael Baisden
Day in and day out, the media inundates us with stories of the violence that plagues inner city streets. They report the news as they see it, but what they don’t often focus on, are the individuals working through blood, sweat and tears to make a difference.
Arthur “Silky Slim†Reed stands in stark contrast to what the media often portrays of inner cities. He is a leader, but more importantly, a passionate soul who is making things happen – without waiting on help from the “outsideâ€. Founder of Stop the Killing, Inc., Silky Slim endeavors to save the inner cities of this country through speaking engagements and events focusing on the important task of saving our youth from themselves.
Music artist, film maker and former gang member, Silky Slim has found his voice and the vehicle by which he can reach his audience – entertainment.
Silky Slim’s award winning and critically acclaimed, “To Live and Die in AmeriKKKaâ€, was an ‘in your face’, raw documentary showing the end result of street life. He’s back with Part 2, set to release in the very near future. Silky’s latest installment in the “To Live and Die in AmeriKKKa†series features, among other celebrities, Snoop Dogg and C-Murder. 
Through his documentaries, Silky attempts to show young people that life in inner city streets is a dead end – literally. If these relevant and important films don’t shake some sense into the viewer, then we don’t know what will. The latest installment is no different in that aspect. Make sure to check out the trailer at the end of this feature.
The Heat Magazine is a strong supporter of Silky Slim and we back his efforts to save young people, at any cost. He is strong, passionate, intelligent, and he leads by example – just the sort of role model young people can respect. We recently spoke with Silky and here’s what he had to say:
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Where does your passion & love for your community come from?
SILKY SLIM: Having once lived a life of drug dealing, intimidation and crime, I used to terrorize my community. Now that I have been awakened, I’m trying to help build it up.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What advice do you have for parents, especially where troubled youth are concerned?
SILKY SLIM: Hmmm, that’s a hard one. See, there is a big problem that no one wants to admit we have. There is a group of parents that haven’t been taught properly, so it is really impossible for them to teach their children. In most cases, these children are learning the madness from the parents who don’t know any better. That’s the respectful way to put it, but if you would like me to keep it real, we have a problem with a social disease called IGNORANCE. It is the #1 Killer of black people, more than any disease ever, mainly because so many have had it transmitted through their DNA for generations. We better move on. I hate dealing with this, but the truth is the truth, so let’s just look at this for one more minute. Look at some of the people who have made big bucks out of the black community. Most have succeeded with accomplishing his or her dreams, but still suffer from IGNORANCE. Listen to what is coming from the lips of entertainers today – nothing but trash and foolishness, so millions of people are deteriorating, living a degenerate lifestyle while one or two become rich and become the mascot of the poor – but feed them nothing but death and destruction for breakfast , lunch and supper.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: When you set out on your journey to save young people & you decided to begin the documentary series, did you think you would bring as much attention to the movement as what you have been able to accomplish?
SILKY SLIM: Yes, of course. I told you and I’m telling the world, this isn’t my work. It is GOD’S. You can take it or leave it alone. I was just like so many of the young devils that are out there now. I used to love wickedness, but I was given a mission and I knew it would be what it is, because of where it came from.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: How do we get even more people involved?
SILKY SLIM: You just did. You were interested enough to do a story on what we are doing to save a generation of people, who don’t seem to think they are in DANGER.
You can reach Silky Slim via e-mail at WeShootFilmsFirst@gmail.com. Visit his websites at http://www.stopthekillinginc.org/ and http://www.toliveanddieinamerikkka.com/.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Silky Slim has undertaken what is probably one of the most difficult tasks at hand – saving our youth. We applaud & support him in those efforts & we encourage each & every one of our readers to follow Silky’s lead, by getting involved with positive efforts to help our kids. There are not nearly enough leaders, religious, political or other, who seem to be interested in helping solve the massive problems we face. It seems they are more interested in building prisons than community centers – it’s parole officers over role models. Something is wrong in this country when such is the case. Do what you can to understand the problem and then get involved in order to be a part of the solution! If you have questions on how you can do this in your community, contact Silky and certainly, if you have resources that can assist Stop the Killing, Inc.’s mission in its efforts, make this known.
