Props out to my man D-Nice as he drops a nice gem of a Hip Hop True Story. This one features Pharaohe Monch talking about the making of the classic song ‘Oh No’ featuring Nate Dogg and Mos Def.. Check out D-Nice TV for more episodes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDd4MP4akQA
Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner
Have things changed much since 1965? For many of us not really..Here’s a brief run down of the Watts Riots courtesy of Wikipedia.. One thing we should keep in mind is the tyrannical rule of LAPD Chief William Parker. His policy was to bring in southern cops to patrol the streets of LA specifically to contain Black residents and let them know the police were in charge. He also had a policy of having his officers engage every Black male they came across at a young age so they would have fear of the police instilled in them..
August 11, 1965, in Watts, a neighborhood in Los Angeles Lee Minikus, a California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer, pulled over Marquette Frye, who Minikus believed was intoxicated because of his observed erratic driving. Frye failed to pass sobriety tests, including walking in a straight line and touching his nose, and was arrested soon after. Minikus refused to let Frye’s brother, Ronald, drive the car home, and radioed for it to be impounded. As events escalated, a crowd of onlookers steadily grew from dozens to hundreds.[1] The mob became violent, throwing rocks and other objects while shouting at the police officers. A struggle ensued shortly resulting in the arrest of Marquette and Ronald Frye, as well as their mother.
Burning buildings during the riots.
Though the riots began in August, there had previously been a buildup of racial tension in the area. The riots that began on August 11 resulted from an amalgamation of such events in Watts, and the arrest of three Frye family members broke the tension as violence spilled onto the streets of Watts for four days.
Watts suffered from various forms and degrees of damage from the residents’ looting and vandalism that seriously threatened the security of the city. Some participants chose to intensify the level of violence by starting physical fights with police, blocking the firemen of the Los Angeles Fire Department from their safety duties, or even beating white motorists. Others joined the riot by breaking into stores, stealing whatever they could, and some setting the stores themselves on fire.[2]
LAPD Police Chief William Parker also fueled the radicalized tension that already threatened to combust, by publicly labeling the people he saw involved in the riots as “monkeys in the zoo”.[2] Overall, an estimated $40 million in damage was caused as almost 1,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Most of the physical damage was confined to white-owned businesses that were said to have caused resentment in the neighborhood due to perceived unfairness. Homes were not attacked, although some caught fire due to proximity to other fires
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbElAfALWbM
Here is the Kool Herc Story from the movie The History of Rap. Widely know as the Father of Hip Hop, Kool DJ Herc was the catalyst to a whole new movement called Hip Hop. The History of Rap Movie was Written and Produced by Kurtis Blow Walker. Co-Produced by Grandmaster Flash, DJ Hollywood and Lovebug Starksi. Directed by Tommy Sowards. Edited by Jochen Hasmanis and Kurtis Blow Walker. For your very own promo copy of the film email us at kbkrushgroove@aol.com.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIRc8YNzYS4
DJ Kool Herc
Below are several other interviews and documentaries snippets that celebrate Hip Hop’s History.. Here’s one from the late Malcolm McCalren
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhisX4mVoDI
We caught up w/ Cindy Campbell who we consider to be the first lady of Hip Hop. We talked to her about the work she’s done on behalf of her brother Hip Hop pioneer DJ Kool Herc. We talk to her about what took place August 11 1973 at 1520 Sedgwick Ave which was home to the first Hip Hop party.
Cindy explains that the party started out as a fundraiser for her to get some school clothes. She talked about how they actually had Old E 800 and Colt 45 being sold there and how it was a 25 cent for women and 50 cent for guys.. They made 500 bucks
She also explained how she herself brought slow jam records for her brother to spin..
Cindy also talks about other deals she’s done for her brother including how she talked Harry belafonte into making sure Herc’s character was positive in the movie Beat Street.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SMVGLEr6nA
Here’s our 2005 landmark Breakdown FM interview we did with Kool Herc. He gives a brilliant history lesson on the early days of this culture..
http://www.swift.fm/mrdaveyd/song/56812/ pt1
Click HERE to listen to pt of our interview w/ Kool Herc
He gave us an indepth run down of Hip Hop in the early days. He speaks about the early party scene and talks about how he and sister Cindy made history when they threw a back to school party at 1520 Sedgwick Ave in the Bronx.
He talks about how he used to be a grafitti artist and how his sister had his back and sheilded him from the wrath of his strict father who would’ve whupped that butt if he knew his son was defacing New York City property.
Kool Herc also lets us know that Hip Hop did not start in the South Bronx as is often erroneously reported. Herc never lived in the South Bronx, he lived in the West bronx which is a totally different area.
In this interview Kool Herc talks about his Jamaican background. He talks about how he grew up in the same township as Bob Marley and he explains how and why Jamaican culture is an important root within Hip Hop.
http://www.swift.fm/mrdaveyd/song/56817/pt2
Click HERE to listen to pt2 of Kool Herc
We continue our interview with Hip Hop’s Father-DJ Kool Herc. Here in part 2 he breaks down which legendary rappers would be on his all-time dream team.. One of the more interesting choices is Pebbly-Poo who was down with Masterdon and one of Hip Hop’s first dominating female figures. Herc also explained how Pebbly-Poo was so dope that he made her a part of the Herculoids.
Herc really goes into depth about the Sugar Hill Gang and the controversy surrounding group member Big Bank Hank. He talks about how Hank lived in the same neighborhood with him and that he tried not to get involved with the beef Grand Master Caz had with him over the rhymes Hank bit…
So lots of folks have been talking about Naomi Campbell appearing at the Hague and giving testimony about Blood Diamond and former Liberian Despot Charles Taylor which was contradicted by actress Mia Farrow. Naomi because of her reputation has been the butt of lots of jokes with folks saying she’s looked crazy on the stand to Mia better watch out before she gets a phone thrown to her head courtesy of a pissed off Naomi.
With all that being said, I figured we should take a closer look as to why Naomi appeared at the Hague at all. Thats big business and from what we’ve come to understand it wasn’t trip she wanted to make due to the both the seriousness of the situation and the reputation of Charles Taylor.
What’s at stake and where can you get some more info, because once this all dies down, the horrors said to be unearthed by Charles Taylor will be unknown.. First and foremost here’s a website that can keep you updated on the trial.. http://www.charlestaylortrial.org/
Second here’s a bit of background about the Hague which is the international court where those who committed war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
Here’s abit of background to get you started..
http://www.rnw.nl/international-justice/article/charles-taylor-trial-its-all-about-destroy-him-0
Former warlord Charles Taylor protested his innocence on Tuesday during his first day of testimony at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague.
“I, Charles Ghankay Taylor, am not guilty of all these charges. Not even a minute part of these charges. This whole case is about ‘Let’s get Taylor. Destroy him, bring him down.’ Haven’t they had their pound of flesh yet? I am not guilty of all these charges.”
Addressing the Court’s four judges, the former Liberian president looked relaxed and confident, barely pausing or hesitating as he took the court through a potted history of 20th-century West African politics. At one point, Presiding Judge Richard Lussick asked him to slow down to allow the court stenographer to keep up.
Sierra Leone
Mr Taylor is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Although he never set foot in Sierra Leone until his 2006 arrest, the prosecution alleges that he supported, ordered and condoned atrocities – including murder, rape, amputations, sexual slavery and the use of child soldiers – committed by Revolutionary United Front rebels during the country’s civil war.
During the prosecutorial phase of the trial, Chief Prosecutor Stephen Rapp alleged that Taylor provided the RUF with weapons in exchange for ‘mayonnaise jars’ filled with diamonds.
“There’s not one person who speaks the truth who can say I, Charles Ghankay Taylor dealt with the RUF, taking diamonds for arms. Never, ever. Whether it’s mayonnaise jars, or coffee jars, or whatever jars. It’s a lie, it’s a diabolical lie. Never.”
Arming the RUF
He admitted to providing ‘small amounts’ of weapons and ammunition to the RUF between August 1991 and May 1992, so that they would help Mr Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia secure the country’s borders against attacks. But he said it would have been impossible for him to exercise control over the events in Sierra Leone.
Taylor also admitted to negotiating with RUF rebels after being elected to Liberia’s presidency in 1997, but only at the request of other African heads of state who were trying to bring an end to Sierra Leone’s bloody civil war, he said.
“Upon being elected, jokingly, my colleagues said to me, we have a problem continuing in Sierra Leone and you are an old rebel so you know how to deal with rebels….So I laughed and said, I’m no longer a rebel but I can do what I can to help so I was placed on the committee…to help bring peace to Sierra Leone.”
Taylor’s testimony is expected to continue for at least another six weeks.
He has been held by the court since 2006 after being arrested in Nigeria where he had spent three years in enforced exile.
Trial in The Hague
The trial is being conducted by the UN-backed Sierra Leone Tribunal in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown but Taylor’s case was moved to the ICC premises in The Hague for fear that his appearance in an African courtroom could destabilise Sierra Leone and Liberia.
It’s unlikely that a verdict will be reached for at least another year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB-urTYE1zE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF21u72Q2uY&feature=related
————————-
This is the story that caught many people’s attention which then drew attention to Charles Taylor. Its the piece on his son ‘Chuckie’
http://www.rnw.nl/international-justice/article/charles-chuckie-taylor-gets-97-years-torture-us
Chuckie Taylor
“Chuckie” Taylor, the son of former Liberian warlord Charles Taylor was sentenced on Friday to 97 years in prison for mutilations and executions carried out in Liberia, in the first US prosecution for torture committed abroad.
“Chuckie” Taylor, who was born in the US as Charles McArthur Emmanuel, was convicted by a federal court in Miami for torture and conspiracy to commit torture in October last year. The son of Liberia’s former warlord Charles Taylor’s conviction marked the first use of a 1994 law allowing prosecution in the US for torture committed overseas.
Demon forces
Emmanuel was born in Boston and spent most of his life in Orlando. When his father seized power in Liberia in 1997, he moved to the west-African country and was made the head of the notorious Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU), known in Liberia as the Demon Forces, while in his early 20s.
The widely feared Demon Forces used brutal tactics to silence Taylor’s opponents. They cut a swathe of terror across Liberia from 1997 through at least 2002, when they tortured, raped and burned people alive.
Chuckie headed the camp where his forces kept prisoners in water-filled pits covered with iron bars and barbed wire. He personally brutalised seven prisoners by pressing hot irons on their flesh, shocking them and shovelling stinging ants on one naked victim who was forced into a dirt pit.
Chuckie claims to be innocent and said his torture case is a politically motivated attempt to make him pay “for being the son of Taylor.”
Charles Taylor
Chuckie’s father, Charles Taylor senior, is currently on trial at the special UN-backed court for Sierra Leone in The Hague, on war crimes charges of orchestrating violence in Sierra Leone’s bloody civil war. Emmanuel’s crimes took place between 1999 and 2002 in Liberia, with the objective to intimidate and silence his father’s opponents by any means necessary.
After years of war, Liberia has not tried cases involving serious crimes and no international tribunal is mandated to prosecute past crimes in Liberia. Even Charles Taylor is merely accused of crimes in neighbouring Sierra Leone. Chuckie’s case is the first criminal case dealing with Liberia’s brutal past.
Dealing with Liberia’s haunting past
Liberia is recovering from years of conflict that saw horrific human rights violations. Arbitrary killings, use of child soldiers, rape and sexual violence, separation of families and looting and destruction of properties have scarred the west-African country. Out of a population of 3 million, an estimated 300,000 Liberians were killed, with as many as 1.5 million displaced.
The only mechanism in place to confront these dark pages of Liberia’s past, is a a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The TRC, which is currently wrapping up its work, investigates the gross human rights abuses committed after the country descended into violence in 1979.
Most Liberians welcomed the TRC when it started public hearings on Liberia’s fractious past in January 2008. Many thought it was the best opportunity for Liberians to come to terms with the massacres, rapes and torture which are still haunting them. But instead, the TRC leaves many Liberians frustrated as the hearings are often the arena in which denial resonates loudest.
Click HERE to Listen to Episode #27 of Breakdown FM on All Day Play
This week we come at you with lots of flavas that will hopefully inspire and keep your spirits uplifted. We kick things off with a classic cut called Jesse Jackson that we remixed with his historic 1984 speech at the Democratic Convention in San Francisco. That sets the tone as we follow up with a nice mixture of soulful songs that recapture a by gone era when music had rich meaning and underscored the activities in various social justice movements. As an added bonus we expand your palettes by introducing you some dope Hip Hop from Latin America.
Stand out cuts include: ‘Nema To Sabes’ by Pescozada Y Juaquin, ‘Jingo’ by Santana which we remixed with vocals from freedom fighter H. Rap Brown..We have an incredible remake of the classic ‘Transeurope Express by Senor Coconut Sun Conjunto and ‘Everyday People’ by Afrika Bambaataa….Enjoy and pass along
http://www.alldayplay.fm/episodes/episode-27-7
PART 1 PLAYLIST:
01-DJ Q-Bert ‘Jesse Jackson’ (Davey D Remix)
02-Jackson 5 ‘Body language’
03-Afrika Bambaataa ‘Everyday People’
04-Pescozada Y Juaquin ‘Nema To Sabes’
05-Ahmad Jamal ‘Rodney King’
06-Santana ‘Jingo’ (H.Rap brown remix)
07-James Brown ‘When the Saints Go marching In’
08-Afrika Bambaataa ‘Boingo Rock’ (Bernice King remx)
09-Azeem ‘Latin’s Revenge’
10-Tom Guerrero ‘1966’
11-Curumin ‘Dancando No Excuses’
12-Senor Coconut Sun Conjunto ‘Transeurope Express’
13-DJ Q-Bert ‘Alright’ (davey D remix)
14-Theme from Phenomen‘
15-Pleasure ‘Lets Dance’
16-AM– You are the One’ (MLK remx)
PART 2 PLAYLIST:
01- The Police Song
02-Rico Pabon ‘My people’
03-Maria Isa ‘Die Not Kill’ (dedicated to Lolita lebron)
04-YoYo Ibwing
05-Olmeca ‘Duro’
06-MIA w/ Afrikan Boy ‘Hussell’
07-J-Boogie w/ Lyrics Born & Aima the Dreama ‘Revolution’
08-Apakalips ‘peace’
09-Anita Tijoux ‘La Nueva Condana’
10-Pesconzada Y Jouquin Santos ‘Si Samos Guanoncoz
11-Public Enemy ‘House of the Rising Son’
12-Zion I w/ Brother Ali ‘ Caged Bird
13-Zion I Caged Bird pt2
14-J Ross Panelli ‘Hey There Sister’
15-Pharycde ‘Passing me By rmx’
16-Michael Franti ‘Hey World’
Chaka Mkali aka I Self Divine
In response to Google and Verizon’s “policy framework” unveiled today, MoveOn.Org Civic Action, Credo Action, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, ColorofChange.org and Free Press, all members of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition, issued the following joint statement:
“The Google-Verizon pact isn’t just as bad as we feared — it’s much worse. They are attacking the Internet while claiming to preserve it. Google users won’t be fooled.
“They are promising Net Neutrality only for a certain part of the Internet, one that they’ll likely stop investing in. But they are also paving the way for a new ‘Internet’ via fiber and wireless phones where Net Neutrality will not apply and corporations can pick and choose which sites people can easily view on their phones or any other Internet device using these networks.
“It would open the door to outright blocking of applications, just as Comcast did with BitTorrent, or the blocking of content, just as Verizon did with text messages from NARAL Pro-choice America. It would divide the information superhighway, creating new private fast lanes for the big players while leaving the little guy stranded on a winding dirt road.
“Worse still, this pact would turn the Federal Communications Commission into a toothless watchdog, left fruitlessly chasing complaints and unable to make rules of its own.
“This is not real Net Neutrality. And this pact would harm the millions of Americans who have pleaded with our leaders in Washington to defend the free and open Internet. President Obama, Congress and the FCC should reject this deal, restore the authority of the agency that’s supposed to protect Internet users, and safeguard Net Neutrality once and for all.”
Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Free Press does not support or oppose any candidate for public office. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications. Learn more at www.freepress.net
Click to See Eva Mendes Sex Tape
First it was Pamela Anderson then Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and then Lawrence Fishbourne‘s daughter Montana. All of them have released scandalous sex tapes which arguably have made or significantly enhanced their careers. We won’t even talk about stars like Hallie Berry and Sharon Stone who have gone nude in order to blow up and be more marketable.
The latest in Hollywood to add to this long list of actresses willing to push the envelope is Eva Mendes. She claimed she was tired of people trying to sneak pictures of her topless or in a compromised position and then making thousands of dollars by selling them. She decided to do her own sex tape and like Montana Fishbourne go above-board and sell it and market it herself. It’s all about being in control and enjoy sex tapes on your own terms.
Eva unlike her predecessors has managed to keep her sex tape classy and at times even humourous while showing us why she is one of the most searched actresses on the internet.
So last week when we first got word about Google and Verizon cutting a deal to sidestep Net Neutrality protections, Google issued a statement saying everyone got it wrong and they weren’t doing nothing of a sort..You’ll can check out their statements HERE.
We come to find out that they were lying. That’s not a good look at all.. Here’s the deal the two companies crafted. Now as you read this statement here’s what you need to pay attention to: First, everything we ever needed and wanted with respect to Net Neutrality protections is in place for a PC or wired device.. But as more and more communities in particular communities of color are moving onto wireless and mobile spheres, all those protections are out the window…That is not a good look..
People who like to scream about regulations are 1-Not looking at this as a utility and 2-Don’t care that prices are likely to go up significantly unless you decide to scale back on doing what many of us have grown accustomed in terms of usage. When AT&T dropped their unlimited data plan, that was the first warning shot. Watching videos and and all that are not clogging up no one’s band width. That’s the story they tell to an unknowing public with the end game being to nickle and dime us for every little thing. The incentive is not just to make money, but to keep larger media corporations ahead of the all the little guys who are catching up and in many cases surpassing them.
From here on out this is gonna be a PR war with crazy Tea Party types yelling they hate socialism and communism with no true understanding of what those two words mean and how they apply to making sure we all have equal platforms to speak.. The ones yelling the loudest are usually shields for the telecoms deliberately trying to cause confusion.They are also corporate mouthpieces who work for media outlets who want to remain on top.
On the other hand, because Google is such a giant and has scared us half to death by hinting they might dead Net Neutrality, this ‘compromise’ which is NOT good now looks good when you consider how gully they could’ve gotten. Keep in mind they still can..
Our best bet is to yell loud and clear to our reps that you want Net Neutrality.. Please sign Al Franken’ s petition and don’t take no shorts on this issue. Don’t let Net Neutrality get compromised away they way we did public options in health care. There’s a reason these large telecoms have spent over a billion dollars in lobbying money. Lastly don’t be falling for the BS about we don’t need Net Neutrality that some Civil Rights org or leader like Jesse Jackson pushes. They sadly aligned themselves with the telecoms for a hefty fee.
Here’s Al Franken’s petition
http://www.alfranken.com/index.php/splash/netneutrality
-Davey D-
http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2010/08/joint-policy-proposal-for-open-internet.html
Posted by Alan Davidson, Google director of public policy and Tom Tauke, Verizon executive vice president of public affairs, policy, and communications
The original architects of the Internet got the big things right. By making the network open, they enabled the greatest exchange of ideas in history. By making the Internet scalable, they enabled explosive innovation in the infrastructure.
It is imperative that we find ways to protect the future openness of the Internet and encourage the rapid deployment of broadband. Verizon and Google are pleased to discuss the principled compromise our companies have developed over the last year concerning the thorny issue of “network neutrality.”
In October, our two companies issued a shared statement of principles on network neutrality. A few months later we submitted a joint filing to the FCC, and in an April joint op-ed our CEOs discussed their common interest in an open Internet. Since that time, we have listened to all sides of the debate, engaged in good faith with policy makers in multiple venues, and challenged each other to craft a balanced policy framework. We have been guided by the two main goals:
1. Users should choose what content, applications, or devices they use, since openness has been central to the explosive innovation that has made the Internet a transformative medium.
2. America must continue to encourage both investment and innovation to support the underlying broadband infrastructure; it is imperative for our global competitiveness.
Today our CEOs will announce a proposal that we hope will make a constructive contribution to the dialogue. Our joint proposal takes the form of a suggested legislative framework for consideration by lawmakers, and is laid out here. Below we discuss the seven key elements:
First, both companies have long been proponents of the FCC’s current wireline broadband openness principles, which ensure that consumers have access to all legal content on the Internet, and can use what applications, services, and devices they choose. The enforceability of those principles was called into serious question by the recent Comcast court decision. Our proposal would now make those principles fully enforceable at the FCC.
Second, we agree that in addition to these existing principles there should be a new, enforceable prohibition against discriminatory practices. This means that for the first time, wireline broadband providers would not be able to discriminate against or prioritize lawful Internet content, applications or services in a way that causes harm to users or competition.
Importantly, this new nondiscrimination principle includes a presumption against prioritization of Internet traffic – including paid prioritization. So, in addition to not blocking or degrading of Internet content and applications, wireline broadband providers also could not favor particular Internet traffic over other traffic.
Third, it’s important that the consumer be fully informed about their Internet experiences. Our proposal would create enforceable transparency rules, for both wireline and wireless services. Broadband providers would be required to give consumers clear, understandable information about the services they offer and their capabilities. Broadband providers would also provide to application and content providers information about network management practices and any other information they need to ensure that they can reach consumers.
Fourth, because of the confusion about the FCC’s authority following the Comcast court decision, our proposal spells out the FCC’s role and authority in the broadband space. In addition to creating enforceable consumer protection and nondiscrimination standards that go beyond the FCC’s preexisting consumer safeguards, the proposal also provides for a new enforcement mechanism for the FCC to use. Specifically, the FCC would enforce these openness policies on a case-by-case basis, using a complaint-driven process. The FCC could move swiftly to stop a practice that violates these safeguards, and it could impose a penalty of up to $2 million on bad actors.
Fifth, we want the broadband infrastructure to be a platform for innovation. Therefore, our proposal would allow broadband providers to offer additional, differentiated online services, in addition to the Internet access and video services (such as Verizon’s FIOS TV) offered today. This means that broadband providers can work with other players to develop new services. It is too soon to predict how these new services will develop, but examples might include health care monitoring, the smart grid, advanced educational services, or new entertainment and gaming options. Our proposal also includes safeguards to ensure that such online services must be distinguishable from traditional broadband Internet access services and are not designed to circumvent the rules. The FCC would also monitor the development of these services to make sure they don’t interfere with the continued development of Internet access services.
Sixth, we both recognize that wireless broadband is different from the traditional wireline world, in part because the mobile marketplace is more competitive and changing rapidly. In recognition of the still-nascent nature of the wireless broadband marketplace, under this proposal we would not now apply most of the wireline principles to wireless, except for the transparency requirement. In addition, the Government Accountability Office would be required to report to Congress annually on developments in the wireless broadband marketplace, and whether or not current policies are working to protect consumers.
Seventh, and finally, we strongly believe that it is in the national interest for all Americans to have broadband access to the Internet. Therefore, we support reform of the Federal Universal Service Fund, so that it is focused on deploying broadband in areas where it is not now available.
We believe this policy framework properly empowers consumers and gives the FCC a role carefully tailored for the new world of broadband, while also allowing broadband providers the flexibility to manage their networks and provide new types of online services.
Ultimately, we think this proposal provides the certainty that allows both web startups to bring their novel ideas to users, and broadband providers to invest in their networks.
Crafting a compromise proposal has not been an easy process, and we have certainly had our differences along the way. But what has kept us moving forward is our mutual interest in a healthy and growing Internet that can continue to be a laboratory for innovation. As policy makers continue to formulate the rules of the road, we hope that other stakeholders will join with us in providing constructive ideas for an open Internet policy that puts consumers in charge and enhances America’s leadership in the broadband world. We stand ready to work with the Congress, the FCC and all interested parties to do just that.
By now everyone has heard the big news about singer/humanitarian Wyclef Jean running for President of Haiti. It’s got everyone talking including many within the Hip Hop generation. For them the thought of a Hip Hop artist of Wyclef’s stature becoming President of Haiti on the heels of Barack Obama becoming president of the United States is beyond exciting. People are already speculating what it would be like to have the pair as Presidents sit down and interact. People have already started talking about theme songs and perhaps new national anthems that Clef might pen. Others who have come to know about Haiti primarily through the songs, videos, stories and activism put forth by Clef, feel that him becoming President or even running is exactly what this impoverished nation needs. They feel Wyclef’s presence will put the country on the map in a good way and allow it to be seen in a new light.
Needless to say, when we let our imaginations run wild, the possibilities of what Haiti can become with Wyclef at the helm are endless. Here’s what Pittsburgh based Professor and artists Kimberely Ellis aka artist Dr Goddess penned in her essay ‘If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) where she lays out ten reason why Wyclef should run for President. Here’s a couple of them:
I have read and heard the criticism about Wyclef running and, while some of it is most certainly valid, like @FreedomTweet’s insistence that Haiti needs experienced leadership and can’t afford a gaffe at the Presidency, I am not sure that experience, alone, is necessary and it seems as though something more along the lines of a miracle is needed for Haiti. Divine intervention. I believe that, having seen these dead bodies and the extent of the destruction in Haiti up close and personal, Wycelf’s spirit was shaken to its core, his humanity was touched in a manner unparalleled and he feels “called” to do something much bigger than bringing in $10 million into Haiti via his foundation, Yele Haiti. I have no proof. It’s simply what I believe. There’s a reason why Wyclef was crying on television and that level of shamelessness in a hypermasculine culture is only brought about through divine intervention.
Professor Kimberley Ellis aka Dr Goddess believes that the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti has profoundly moved Wyclef and inspired him to a embrace a 'higher calling' of service for his country
Dr Goddess also raises up the question of what it would be like to have both Wyclef and Obama as president at the same time. These are two men who have captured the imagination of urban America’s Hip Hop generation.
It will be interesting to see what it will be like if Wyclef is the President of Haiti while Barack Obama is the President of the United States. After all, the U.S. offered temporary status swiftly, and humanely, I might add, after the earthquake. These are new and trying times. They are also times for new possibilities. I have read criticism that Bill Clinton wants to turn Haiti into a new colony (as if, in its tremendous poverty and need, it isn’t already), working in factories and engaging in tourism. Well, if I recall correctly, that’s exactly what drew Americans (especially African Americans during the Great Migration) to the North. We came for new opportunities, to work in factories, to have jobs and to make new dreams. Let the Haitian people grow and if they want those jobs, let them take them. Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with working in factories and it’s 99% better than what they have now—which is next to nothing! As for the tourism, Royal Caribbean was still docking on Haitian water during the immediate post-earthquake period but how much of that revenue was shared and how much made it into Port-Au-Prince? We must stop fooling ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with tourism, as long as we have more fairness and opportunity for the Haitian people.
Dr Goddess’s essay emphatically speaks of new possibilities. She speaks of Hope and reflects a mindset that many feel which is ‘Haiti needs to be shaken up’. It needs new blood, new infrastructure, new everything. The real question is as follows: Is Wyclef Jean allowing his own imagination to go wild? Is he dreaming about ways to forge a bold, new and ambitious path for Haiti that allows for her true independence or is he gonna be a shining front man for US political and corporate backed interests which keeps Haiti stagnant as it has in the past?
Actor Sean Penn went in on Wyclef during an interview w/ CNN. He said Wyclef has been MIA for the past 6 months
This was a question raised last night (Aug 5 2010) by actor Sean Penn who has been doing humanitarian work in Haiti ever since the recovery from last year’s devastating earthquake kicked in. Penn who appeared on CNN was diplomatic but firm questioned Wyclef’s motives and expressed concern that larger corporate forces that are opportunistic and would come in on the back Wyclef and not treat Haiti right.
Penn went further in and said he was suspicious of Wyclef because as he’s been MIA in Haiti for the past 6 months. He noted that Clef has an important voice that is needed in term of asking the hard questions that many on the ground are asking around the issue of money, contracts for rebuilding etc. Penn also pointed out that when Wyclef has shown up in Haiti he’s come on some elitist, bling bling status complete with entourage and fancy cars in tow which was glaring and borderline obscene in the face of extreme poverty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6UK8lf6o3c
Many who are fans of Wyclef and saw him as the face of Haiti’s relief efforts were taken back by Penn’s remarks and immediately saw him as a straight up hater. Many heard Penn and were immediately reminded about the harsh and what many considered, unfair and racially motivated attacks launched at Wyclef and his Yele Foundation.Wyclef was accused of taking money and using it for his personal expenses.
Many saw the attacks against Wyclef as outlandish especially when they recalled how larger so-called respected relief organizations like the Red Cross were ‘out to lunch’ and had questionable activities during Hurricane Katrina. Many wanted to know why the attacks on Yele while other larger relief organization who collected millions more yet still haven’t delivered what they collected were untouched. Many circled the wagon around Wyclef to oppose the perceived racism.
However, those who have been working in Haiti and following her politics long before the earthquake could immediately relate to Penn’s criticisms. The political connection and motives of the Wyclef have been under scrutiny for a long time. He’s been criticized for supporting the US backed coup that overthrow the popular President Jean Betrand Aristide and banned Haiti’s largest political party the Lavalas who will not be allowed in the upcoming elections that Wyclef is running in. This is major. For some it would be the equivalent to banning the the African National Congress from South Africa’s elections in the fight against Apartheid.
Here’s what the Black Agenda Report had noted in their February 2010 article..Haiti, Katrina and Why I Won’t Give to Haiti Through the Red Cross
Corporate media manufacture “celebrities” all the time, people who are famous for being well known. We know more about the lives, tatoos and and personal business of celebrities than we know about the public affairs in our own cities and towns and school boards. Haitian musician Wyclef Jean used his celebrity, and the earthquake, to raise millions for his own Haitian charity.
We make no judgment on the allegations that its bookkeeping may be irregular. But it’s worth noting that Wyclef Jean has family ties to the group of gangsters and thugs that the Clinton-era CIA installed in office when it removed Haiti’s elected president, Jean-Betrand Aristide from office in the 1990s. Wyclef Jean has repeated the contemptible lie all over black radio that Aristide skipped the country with $900 million stolen from Haitians. We understand where this comes from. Wyclef’s uncle was the Washington DC representative of the short-lived 1990s un-elected gangster government of Haiti. He runs a right wing rag of a Haitian newspaper dedicated to spreading outrageous and self-serving falsehoods against Lavalas, the only Haitian party capable of winning free elections in that unhappy country.If Wyclef will lie about that, we wonder what else he’d lie about, and why we should trust him with our money.
Wyclef's uncle Ambassador Raymond Joseph
Concerns about Wyclef’s political leanings and family ties were brought up in 2004 where it was noted that he and his people were in lock step with the Bush policies on Haiti which included to overthrow President Aristide. Here’s what was written in 2004 by Haiti Information Project in their article It’s not All About That! Wyclef Jean is fronting in Haiti.
Peacemaker?
With all the aura of a superstar aside, Wyclef’s assertions that he can now play the role of “peacemaker” in Haiti might conjure illusions of a Nobel Peace prize in his mind but it does little to match the current reality on the ground. If he really wanted to bring to peace to Haiti he would start by checking the unlicensed hatred his own family bears towards the majority political party of the ousted president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Actually, he was quite lucky that Lavalas militants did not remember his own statements before he recently entered the pro-Aristide slum for a photo opportunity. Many in Lavalas promise this won’t happen again.
Wyclef’s uncle is Raymond Joseph, the highest-ranking official abroad representing the U.S.-installed government in Haiti. He is the un-elected government’s representative in Washington. Wyclef’s uncle, who he has often praised, is responsible for fomenting outrageous lies about Aristide and members the Lavalas political party that has contributed to the current climate of witch-hunts, arbitrary arrests and murders in Haiti today. Wyclef’s uncle is also the co-publisher of Haiti Observateur, a right-wing rag that has been an apologist for the killers in the Haitian military going back as far as the brutal coup against Aristide in 1991.
On October 26th Haitan police entered the pro-Aristide slum of Fort Nationale and summarily executed 13 young men. Wyclef said nothing. On October 28th the Haitian police executed five young men, babies really, in the pro-Aristide slum of Bel Air. Wyclef said nothing. If Wyclef really wants to be part of Haiti’s political dialogue he would acknowledge these facts. Unfortunately, Wyclef is fronting. There is nothing substantial in his offer until he proves otherwise. HIP wishes Wyclef the best for his next concert in Haiti. We all want peace in Haiti. Most of us want peace with justice.
This is the backdrop that many who have been covering Haiti for a long time have come to understand about Wyclef. The concern is if he’s running for President does he bring this team of people with him? While many of us here in the states have come to like Wyclef and would probably see him as a strong and even outspoken ally in terms of some left leaning US politics, how does that translate over to politics in Haiti? Most of us are enamored with personalities but are we equally enamored with issues? Are we only listening to the Wyclef narrative or are there other more popular perspectives being ignored? Wyclef hasn’t been asked some of those hard questions yet around his politics.
In 2004 we caught up with Wyclef at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. There he spoke at Russell Simmon‘s Hip Hop Summit in Roxbury where he encouraged young people to get out and vote. We caught up with Wyclef backstage to get his perspective on things including his feelings on President Aristide who was ousted. Wyclef said he wasn’t down with Aristide and that he “was for the people”. That was sharp contradiction because the majority of the people elected Aristide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPwRJB-1pFE
Pras won't be endorsing his cousin Wyclef. He's backing another popular musician turned politician who is running for President
Does Wyclef have a strong vision for Haiti? Does he even stand a chance in winning? Will his popularity as a singer translate to political popularity? Its interesting to note that Wyclef’s cousin and former bandmate Pras has stepped out to say he will not be voting for Wyclef. He doesn’t think he’s qualified. Ironically Pras is supporting another musician/activist named Michel Martelly who is better known as Sweet Mickey who according to some Haiti activists also has right leaning politics in terms of him opposing Aristide. One might ask how all that will play out in the upcoming election.
Will leave off with what Clef said in this recent Wall Street Journal article
Why did you decide that Haiti would be best served by you running?
Well, my whole country, my whole life since I was a kid, the country has had political turmoil. The reason why is that there’s never been one person who can unite all parties and get them to work together. And Haiti has a history of coup d’états. And after Jan. 12, I felt there would be a new beginning and the international would be more involved, America would be more involved, and I call myself more connected. I’m someone who can connect the parties together and basically be a leader for the youth for what they’ve been crying for for years. If you have a population that can’t read and write that’s been around 200 years and the majority of the population is a youth population, it’s basically modern slavery. And for me to just sit back, and if you’ve watched my career, I’ve been singing about this my entire life, not just the Haitian cause whether it’s Tibet or human rights, the idea is to not just shame but to turn it into policy and to really engage in another manner. I always say that Wyclef Jean is not running for the presidency of Haiti, I’m being drafted by the people of Haiti.