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Whatever Happened to P-Diddy’s Vote or Die?

July 18, 2006 By

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Whatever Happened to Vote or Die?
By Davey D

July 18 2006: I have this nagging question, that won’t go away regarding Mr. Sean ‘P-Diddy’ Combs. It’s the eve of the second annual Hip Hop Political Convention, so I’m in a political mind set and hence I keep asking myself; ‘Does anyone know what the hell happened to his Vote or Die Campaign and his organization Citizens for Change?’

I mean I already know the obvious, he shut that shit down a while back and he’s been running around throwing lavish parties, doing Making The Band’ for MTV, he was in a play Raisin of the Sun’ and now he’s gearing up for his new album in October of this year.

On the surface, most people are gonna be quick to say, ‘Dude was phony and all his ‘Vote or Die’ campaign did was help sell him a bunch of T-shirts’. Others will say he was never really serious about politics in the first place and he was on some sort of ego trip when he jumped into Hip Hop and politics arena.

Maybe it’s me, but I don’t think it’s as simple as that I remember when Diddy spoke at the Patrick Lipert Awards in February of 2004, before he started Citizen For Change or launched Vote or Die, he caught everyone by surprise when he jumped on stage to accept an award and told the packed audience he wanted to ‘Get Bush’s ass out of office’.
The crowd roared with approval and P-Diddy repeated his remarks to make sure his point was not missed.

Startled officials from the non-profit, non-partisan Rock the Vote organization who put on the event got nervous real quick and moved toward Diddy as if to hurry him up. I guess he realized that by making such an overtly partisan statement he could get RTV in trouble so he backed off just a little and tried to recast his remarks.

But then Diddy came back harder by talking about how Bush was a lousy President who failed to comfort grieving mothers who lost their sons to the War in Iraq. The crowd went nuts and Diddy restated his opening remarks about ‘Getting Bush’s ass out of office’. Nobody including myself thought we’d hear such biting remarks from Mr. Party Central aka P-Diddy directed at the president

After he left the stage I tried my best to get a copy of the remarks, but RTV held on to their copies and wouldn’t release them. Although there were a number of press outlets present including MTV, you didn’t really see or hear a lot of coverage regarding Diddy’s remarks. It wasn’t until several months later I got a tape of his speech Which you can hear here:



In the meantime Diddy went out and started his Vote or Die campaign and showed up everywhere including the couch of Oprah to extol the values of voting. When I finally caught up with him, it was at the Democratic Convention that July. He was definitely passionate but avoided talking about his remarks about Bush when I brought it up. He kept saying that he was non-partisan and hadn’t made up his mind. It was like a mantra. I figured he was just being careful because Citizen Change was a non-profit and he didn’t wanna get hemmed up the way Russell did when he campaigned to end the Rockefeller Drug Laws the year prior.

Now after the 2004 election we all know and heard the blowhard talk show pundits like MSNBC Chris Mathews who tried to take aim at Diddy and claim that the youth/ Hip Hop vote never materialized. That was in fact a lie. The goal was to get 20 million people to the polls. More than 21 million showed up marking an increase by 11% of voters between the ages 18-25.

With respect to Bush’s opponent Senator John Kerry, the only demographic to vote for him in the majority and with record numbers was the Youth/Hip Hop vote. Sadly his spineless punk ass never bothered to show any gratitude. It was the older critics of the youth vote who voted for Kerry didn’t pull their weight in the last election

But back to P-Diddy. Here’s a guy that often states that he hates to fail. If he does have an ego, it’s one that pushes him to look and sound good at all times. I can’t understand how he just slide off into the sunset without a word. Regarding his campaign. That’s not a good look. Why not continue the momentum? Was it really about selling t-shirts? Was it really about jumping on a trend? If Diddy was so passionate and so much against Bush’s politics in 2004, why wouldn’t he jump at the chance to weaken the president’s grip in these 2006 midterm elections? Forget the ‘Vote or Die’ campaign; I just wanna know why he’s been so silent about any of these issues.

Sometimes I wonder if he pissed some folks off in high places who saw him as having the potential to really wreck some political havoc and as a result he got unceremoniously got shut down. I mean it’s not like P-Diddy has always been spiffy clean. There’s had to be few times he was ‘ridin’ dirty’. It’s hard not to when you get to certain levels in the music biz. It’s hard not to when you get high up there in politics. On certain levels in both these professions people play hard and they play for keeps. Positioning, market share and power are the end games.

With that in mind, how can I not put it past folks who roll in that infamous Neocon circle of Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Pearle and the rest of the gang that have all but hijacked the government and led us to War, to sit idly by when their position is challenged.

Think about it, if you were a high-ranking political type trying to make power moves and you looked out your window and saw a guy like Diddy telling people to vote your ass out of office, you don’t think you wouldn’t dig up some dirt on him and shut him down and make him be quiet?

You don’t think you would find some sort of angle where you could literally make him an offer he couldn’t refuse? We’re talking about the music biz folks, where it’s always dirty. We’re talking politics here folks which has long been the dirtiest and grimiest business you can get into. Vote or Die had the potential to unseat some folks who many believe went out and stole a couple of elections and lied to us so we could be led us into a war for fictional reasons. In short the guys in power don’t play.

If you think this is far-fetched, look at the vicious attacks that regularly go on during campaigns. Look at the Swiss Boat ads that sunk decorated war hero John Kerry. Look at how war hero Senator John McCain got taken out by the Neo-cons in their character attacks on him. Remember this was a guy who was a Prisoner of War during Vietnam and he stayed in prison and endured all sorts of torture to save the lives of his men.

When he ran against Bush in the 2000 primaries he looked perched to maybe win the GOP nomination, but Bush’s team took him out with the vilest attacks. Nowadays John McCain has totally changed his tune and wholeheartedly supports the president after he once proudly stood against him. He must’ve gotten some ass kicking to have changed up like that.

For a boisterous guy like Diddy to suddenly go silent, one can’t but think that something went down behind the scenes. Listen to his remarks in that February before the election. Ask yourself, how do you go from saying all that to not saying anything? The silence is glaring. The absence is more than noticeable. Diddy said he wanted to get Bush’s ass out of office and apparently, somehow, someway, somebody got his ass out of politics. How did that happen?

During the recent BET Awards, Diddy showed up to the press gallery about 20 minutes after boxing promoter Don King came through and lit up the place by telling everyone why George Bush is the greatest President ever and how he’s been real good to Black people.

Politics was on everyone’s mind when Diddy came to field questions and several reporters including myself and Andreas Hale of HipHopdx.com along with a woman from another newspaper who’s name I forgot, raised our hands to ask P-Diddy the 64 thousand dollar question; ‘Where did ‘Vote or Die’ disappeared to? ‘Do you agree with Don King and think Bush is a great President for Black people?’ etc etc

In typical BET fashion, the press monitor avoided picking anyone who he thought would ‘go there’ and instead chose three people who asked Diddy simple questions like ‘what kind of outfit he was wearing and how does he like working with Yung Joc’. He answered those three or four questions and bounced with the wind.

So anyway, P-Diddy involving himself in the 2006 election or politics in general is not be all, end all. This weekend in Chicago, there will be others who are fully prepared to engage that arena and they’ll stick I through no matter what. It’s like I said 20 years from now some of us will have grand kids and they’re gonna come across a video or an old Vibe Magazine cover or read about this campaign and they gonna have a few questions. It’d be nice if we one day got a full explanation.

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Lebanon-Deconstructing the Lies-Hip Hop Speaks

July 12, 2006 By
dbanner1newparis
Lebanon-Deconstructing the Lies-Hip Hop Speaks

It’s good to see Hip Hop artists and activists alike taking a stand and offering keen insight into the situation in Lebanon. Last week we heard from Lebanese Rapper Clotaire K who is shown holding the sign.
odeo.com/audio/1528353/view

We also heard from Cali producer Fredwreck who gave an incredible breakdown of the situation. odeo.com/audio/1567601/view

During the Hip Hop Political Convention in Chicago an Amendment was put before the body regarding the Middle East Crisis. Part of what was proposed that the US follow International Law as well as its own laws with regards to how weapons provided to another country (Israel) will and WILL NOT BE used on civilian populations.
Our country’s refusal to call for a ceasefire is unbelievable especially when you keep in mind that many of the same players in Bush’s innercircle who have influence in this conflict including our Vice President Dick Cheney stood proudly and firmly AGAINST the armed struggle waged by the Nelson Mandella’s African National Congress during South Africa’s Apartheid Regime. We should also never forget that Israel’s government during that horrible time, freely sold weapons and gave that wicked white Apartheid Government nuclear capabilities. This was inspite of the worldwide economic boycott and sanctions against South Africa.
This week long time B-girl and activist Mona Ibrahim aka Dragon Lion comes through and kicks the science on this situation. Her background and understanding of this situation is deep. Some of these talk shows need to reach out to Fred, Clotaire and Mona to be a part of those roundtable discussions to offer up fresh new takes on things..
LEBANON: DECONSTRUCTING THE LIES
by Mona Ibrahim aka Dragon Lion

 

 

 

monabrownI don’t even know where to begin. So much to say. Though what Israel is
doing is absolutely horrifying, it is by no means surprising. In fact, it
is completely in line with the unjust nature in which Israel has conducted
itself since its colonialist inception. It is completely in line with the
nature of an apartheid imperialist country such as Israel. Let us not
forget Israel’s history of oppression. This is just one of many examples of
that. For those who don’t know or those who need a reminder you can check
this link, www.dying2live.com/did_you_know.htm

And to see a listing of some of the over 70 plus United Nations Security
Council Resolutions violated by Israel, the most UN resolution violations by
any country in the world, you can check this link:
www.doublestandards.org/unres.html

Now on to the media. It is torturous to listen to mainstream American media
as it is so absolutely twisted. I cannot even count the number of times
that I have heard so called “educated” commentators from various political
and social backgrounds insist, “Israel has a right to defend itself.”
Hmmmmm……let us rewind back to the so called beginning of the current
assault on Lebanon. Two Israeli soldiers are kidnapped by Hizballah and
this means Israel has the right to inflict mass punishment upon the entire
country of Lebanon? Hmmm….does not sound very rational to me. In fact,
it is a brazen violation of international law (look up Geneva Convention IV,
Article 33).

Lebanon is NOT Hizballah. Hizballah holds power in the South of Lebanon and
yet all of Lebanon is being punished for the actions of Hizballah. Two
Israeli soldiers are kidnapped and that justifies the killing of over 600
Lebanese civilians, many of them children, the destruction of Lebanon’s
civilian infrastructure, and the displacement of half a million Lebanese
people? To say this is brutally disproportionate and horrifically unjust is
a gross understatement. So how can these so called “educated” commentators
justify such blatant, austere injustice?

As Irish Labour Party President and spokesman on foreign affairs Michael D.
Higgins TD states,”The response of Israel, supported by the most powerful
country in the world [the US], is outrageous both in terms of the killing
and injuring of civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure,
which is occurring in such fashion as to even make impossible the delivery
of humanitarian relief by the United Nations and its agencies. Such
destruction is something which should not surprise the international
community. Israel has followed this policy for decades in Gaza and the
occupied territories of the West Bank. At the heart of the policy lies the
principle of collective punishment of civilians, the denial of human rights
and the destruction of a way of life. In full knowledge of this, the
European Union has remained silent, refusing to implement the human rights
clauses of its own agreement with Israel despite being called on by the
European Parliament to do so.”

I would like to now take the time to quote Israeli military leaders to
highlight their brash cowboy mentality:
Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, head of Israel’s Northern Command, said, “This affair is
between Israel and the state of Lebanon. Where to attack? Once it is
inside Lebanon, everything is legitimate — not just southern Lebanon, not
just the line of Hizballah posts.” Israel’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan
Halutz, told Israel’s Channel 10, “If the soldiers are not returned, we will
turn Lebanon’s clock back 20 years.” No further comment on this as their
very own words speak volumes…

I must say now that I personally do not believe that Hizballah is a
terrorist organization; in my eyes they are a legitimate resistance group,
but regardless of whether one believes that Hizballah is a terrorist
organization or not, there is still no justification for the destruction of
an entire country based on one group. What about the right of an oppressed
and occupied people to stand up and defend themselves? Let me say that
again because it seems the mainstream media cannot seem to grasp this very
basic human right–What about the right of an oppressed and
occupied people to stand up and defend themselves?

How many people truly know the origins of Hizballah? Hizballah was formed
in 1982 in response to Israel’s brutal invasions, yes invasions, plural, and
occupation of Lebanon. How quickly people forget. Over 20,000
Lebanese were killed during this occupation. And what about the massacres
at the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla for which the Belgian
International Courts sought to prosecute former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide as he was the
Israeli Defense Minister at the time of the Sabra/Shatilla massacres in 1982
and largely responsible for the massacres. Yet people want to
throw around the word “terrorism” so selectively. For the most part when
oppressed people (most often people of color) are defending themselves
against colonialist, occupying forces, they are almost always dubbed
“terrorists.” Yet the pernicious actions of an oppressive, colonialist,
occupying force are self defense? Even an idiot can see that this makes
no sense. It really is ridiculous yet sadly many people buy into this
egregious distortion of truth.

Another misconception I would like to address here that has been circulated
in the media is that Hizballah started this and there was no provocation
from Israel. That is the most asinine, unintelligent, overly simplistic
BULLSHIT. Israel’s partial withdrawal from Southern Lebanon in May of 2000
was not the end of its occupation of the region. Israel has continued to
violate Lebanon’s sovereignty long after 2000. Let us not forget that the
Shebaa Farms region is still occupied by Israel and many Lebanese political
prisoners still linger in Israeli jails many of whom have been denied a
trial. To this day, Israel still refuses to provide to Lebanon, through the
UN, a list of the 400,000 landmines Israel planted during its occupation of
the region.

Thus, Hizballah has very legitimate beef with Israel, meaning Israeli
military is fair game considering that it is in fact the Israeli military
facilitating Lebanon’s occupation, violation of human rights etc.
Hizballah’s attack on Israeli soldiers and kidnapping of two of those
soldiers is not a terrorist act as they were attacking military not
civilians–an occupied region kidnapping military from the occupying
force is not a terrorist act–take the time to examine international law if
you don’t believe me. Richard A. Falk, Professor Emeritus of International
Law and Practice at Princeton University and Honorary Vice President of the
the Society of American International Law said in response to Israeli
soldiers being kidnapped by Palestinians in Gaza: “An Israeli
soldier is part of the Israeli military capability, and I think given the
whole context of a belligerent occupation that has not abided by
international law, that has not followed the resolutions of the United
Nations, that has not abided by the Geneva conventions, that this has to be
viewed as an act of war and that it is in the context of what Israel
itself regards as a relationship of war. My best judgment…is that it is
not intrinsically a violation of international law. If he¹s subject to
torture or is executed while in captivity, that would be a violation
of international law. But to capture a soldier is not in itself in
violation of international law in this context.” I believe Falk’s
assessment can be extrapolated to the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by
Hizballah as Lebanon too has been a victim of Israeli occupation.

So now let’s examine the grotesque double standards perpetuated in
mainstream media. First let me make very clear that I do not advocate the
murder of innocent civilians whether by Hizballah or Israel. Now onto
hypocritical media: Hizballah bombs Israel in response to Israel’s bombing
of Lebanon and kills some innocent Israeli civilians and they are “inhumane
monsters” according to the media yet Israel kills almost 20 times that
number of Lebanese civilians and they are merely asserting their right to
defend themselves against Hizballah, a group that was formed in reaction to
Israel’s occupation and oppression of the Lebanese people. This makes no
damn sense. So why are people believing such flagrant lies spewed by an
ignorant media clearly pushing a very specific agenda.

This same double standard has historically been used by colonialist,
imperialist nations to demonize legitimate resistance movements across the
globe. Remember the Mau Mau’s in Kenya who fought against the malicious
occupation of their land by the British, the FLN in Algeria that fought the
violent French colonization of their land, Nat Turner and the Maroons who
resisted the holocaust of slavery; they too were all dubbed “terrorists”
when they were merely defending their basic human rights of self
determination, sovereignty, and freedom. The same unwarranted label of
“terrorist” has been placed on legitimate resistance groups that fought
colonialist, imperialist powers throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and
the Middle East. And look at mainstream media’s portrayal of Northern
Ireland in their struggle against the British occupation–instead of
recognizing their right to resist an occupying force, the mainstream media
dub resistance groups in Northern Ireland as “terrorists.” The list
of such audacious examples of double standards goes on and on…

Israel’s actions against Lebanon are not merely about the two kidnapped
soldiers; the kidnapping of the soldiers was a convenient trigger for them
to proceed with a strategic plan they have had in mind for a long time.
Things are not simplistic. Please take the time to read alternative forms
of media. Educate yourselves. The US and Israel love to bring up
international law when it benefits them but they throw international law out
the window in their own policies towards the rest of the world. This is
deplorable to say the least. As Irish Labour Party President Michael D.
Higgins TD wrote,
“The refusal of the US to agree to talks with Syria, or to an immediate
ceasefire, is reprehensible. Its policy in supporting the continuing loss
of life and destruction of civilian infrastructure in Lebanon by Israel as a
collective punishment of the Lebanese people for having Hizballah in their
midst is such a breach of international law as merits bringing it before the
international courts.”

But of course the US and Israeli governments, as proven by their history,
think and act as if they are above international law. And the world is
sitting idly by and allowing it. No more…WE MUST ACT…

To read all of Michael D. Higgins TD article,”Is this the Beginning of the
End of International Law?” click here: www.medialens.org/board/

In Solidarity and Struggle,

Mona Ibrahim

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Filed Under: Hip Hop Articles 2006, July '06 Articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Now that Lil Kim is Free Will She Fight For Other Prisoners?

July 1, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

Now that Lil Kim is Free Will She Fight For Other Prisoners?
by Davey D

original articles-July 05, 2006

Davey DLast week during the BET Awards, Lil Kim’s mother and brother came into the press gallery to field questions about her incarceration. They emphasized how unfair it was for her to be locked up and how the justice system is screwed up.

I think it was her brother who pointed out how all sorts of people who have committed heinous crimes do very little time, while Lil Kim got locked down for perjury. It was also pointed out how there are many who done more egregious white collar crimes and have gotten off the hook.

When the BET press monitors finally called on me, I asked them what sort of plans they or Lil Kim had to do work with prison advocacy groups now that they’ve seen first hand how jacked up the system is. Could you imagine they type of attention some one like Lil Kim could bring to the plight of political prisoners like Mumia Abu Jamal, Herman Bell or 2Pac’s father Matulu Shakur just to name a few of the many? Can you imagine the type of attention that she could bring to the plight of the legions of Black and Brown folks who routinely get railroaded by the system?

Lil Kim’s mother said she was not aware of any plans Lil Kim had in the works and they moved onto the next question. Granted things are still early and the Queen Bee is probably still recovering from her 10 month bid. However, it’s an idea that should be seriously considered. After all, her incarceration was highlighted with a BET reality TV show which netted high ratings.

Many big time celebrities ranging from comedian Kat Williams on down to celebrity gossip reporter and former MTV host Ananda Lewis have spoken out about how the system was unjust and was railroading Lil Kim. Very few of us within the community who have family and friends who have done time, would argue with the assessment. Ideally it would be nice if the spotlight to the criminal justice system doesnt start and end with Lil Kim.

Now that shes out she has a great opportunity to bring attention to those who dont have a celebratory rap career. Hopefully she wont follow in the footsteps of Martha Stewart, who talked about how unfair the system was and how she lived alongside women who were unfairly locked up, but once she left she went back to being the media diva and multi-millionaire business woman she was prior to going in.

lil_kimpoutIf Kim speaks up, she would not be alone in terms of speaking out. In the past there have been a few rappers who have done prison advocacy work including Hip Hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa who back in the early days of his career routinely took a lot of brothers who were getting out the pen and put them to work. Many of them went on the road with him as he attempted to stir them away from their troubled environments. Later on artists like Ice T and MC Hammer did similar things. One of the reasons Hammer went bankrupt was because he had employed scores of people with nice paying jobs who were fresh out the pen. This was in addition to paying for cats lawyer fees and related expenses.

Of course we cannot overlook some of Hip Hops biggest champions of prison advocacy work, The Geto Boys, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Boots of the Coup and dead prez stand out. Many people dont realize that over the years the Geto Boys along with Rap-A-Lot CEO James Prince have sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars paying for legal expenses in their attempt to get brothers out of prison. While their advocacy work hasnt been well publicized, it was and is well known by folks in power who have grown angry with the group for reaching out.

A couple of years ago I spoke with Bushwick Bill about this and he speculated that the groups willingness to underwrite legal fees and try and prove the innoncence of those railroaded into Texas jails may be one of the reasons that Rap-A-Lot found itself being aggressively investigated by the feds several years ago. Things got so heated for them that Scarface launched a song putting them on blast and naming one of the chief haters within the FBI who was pursuing them. The song was called Look Into My Eyes. Later on Congress woman Maxine Waters intervened on their behalf to help turn the tide, but not before it set off a storm of controversy that landed on the feet of former Vice President Al Gore. But as Bushwick confidently pointed out their decision to help out folks behind bars is not one they regret or would change if they could do it all over again. What the Geto Boys was doing is ideally what more artists in their position should do, especially when you consider how out of the 2.5 million people on lock down damn near half come from our community.

A couple of years ago when Suge Knight was on lockdown he actually took out ads in several magazines offering to pay lawyer fees and related expenses to help get cats out of jail. In his ad he had noted that there were way too many innocent people on lock down who needed help and he was throwing his hat into the ring.

Michael Franti has not only dedicated entire albums to addressing the Prison Industrial Complex, but for the past 8 years he has done a 9-11 Festival which includes a free concert at Golden gate Park in San Francisco which draws more then 40 thousand people. The festival started off as a way to bring attention to the plight of political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal and has since expanded in both concept and sheer number of people who show up. Over the years everyone from Digital Underground to Talib Kweli to KRS-One have all graced the stages of Frantis 9-11 festival.

The work of groups like the Coup and Dead Prezs is more then obvious and speaks for itself. Over the years Boots has not only done concerts to raise money for Prison advocacy groups, but he himself was known for doing his own political education classes to help bring people up to speed on impending legislation like Californias harsh 3 strikes law and later Prop 21-the juvenile justice bill, which allows for the incarceration of 14 year olds in adult prisons.

In the case of dead prez, their songs as well as their direct involvement and membership in organizations like the POCC (Prisoners of Conscience Committee) have set the standard for the type of work artists like Lil Kim can either support or be involved in. Both M-1 and Boots are quick to point out that they are organizers first and artists second. In fact during a recent Hip Hop conference at Stanford University, Boots noted that if Hip Hop wasnt the platform being embraced by people hood, he would be doing another genre of music, as long as he could reach the people that need him most.

Now granted Lil Kim may not be ready to do the type of work we associate with groups like dead prez or the Coup. However, it would be ideal if someone like her who has such high visibility and is now having the spotlight put on her because of her situation would consider taking things a step further by aligning herself with those who fight the prison industrial complex and criminal injustice system everyday.

what do you think?

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, July '06 Articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Internet law would hurt independent hip-hop scene

June 29, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

Internet law would hurt independent hip-hop scene
By Davey D

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/eye/14928277.htm

original article-June 29, 2006


daveyd-raider2In my June 15 column on Tupac Shakur’s legacy, I mentioned sweeping changes that soon could transform the Internet. That’s because of congressional action on the disingenuously named Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act, or COPE, which is backed by large telecommunications companies such as Verizon, AT&T and Comcast.

This bill, which passed in the House and is awaiting action in the Senate, would end what is known as “Net neutrality,” by which all sites are equally accessible to users.

Broadband operators have been prevented from charging a fee to prioritize content and services, and the little guy with something to say on a blog has been able to compete with a giant news outlet because he is just as accessible. COPE would replace Net neutrality with a two- or three-tier system in which broadband operators could charge to prioritize content and services for willing customers. Those who don’t pay for the service would become less accessible over their systems. Earlier this month, the House approved COPE by a 321-101 vote.

If the legislation becomes law, the multitiered system could have a devastating effect on the independent hip-hop scene that has emerged over the past few years, with the Bay Area and Houston leading the way. To the chagrin of major record labels, the Internet has been a boon to independent artists who publicize and distribute their songs and videos with little cost while retaining the revenue previously siphoned by the record labels for distribution services. The Internet largely leveled the playing field and eliminated the middle men.

Bay Area acts such as Hieroglyphics and Living Legends have done extremely well selling music and merchandise on the Internet, and they have used it to launch 40- and 50-city tours. Keak Da Sneak, Mistah FAB and others have garnered large international fan bases through innovative use of Web sites such as Myspace.com.

Local filmmakers and TV producers such as Sean Kennedy of Ill Trendz Productions have made names for themselves on the Net. Adisa Banjoko and other Bay Area authors have self-published and distributed their work via the Internet, while organizations like the Hip Hop Congress, led by San Jose’s Shamako Noble, established a national presence using the Web.

On the horizon is technology for increasing Web speeds up to a thousand times over today’s and allowing wide delivery of rich media.

Telecom companies have spent millions of dollars trying to persuade Congress that COPE is necessary so they can do the R&D needed to improve the Internet. Many others, however, argue the technology for super-fast Internet speeds already exists.

According to Scott Goodstein of SavetheInternet.com and Punkvoter.com, 15 countries are far ahead of the United States. In France, Web access priced at $6 per month is currently 25 times faster than top download speeds in this country, where prices average $30 a month. Some Asian countries are reportedly on the verge of introducing speeds hundreds of times faster.

Goodstein reminds us that telecom giants, which did not develop the Internet, nonetheless have received millions of taxpayer dollars to provide universal broadband access, but have yet to deliver. He describes the recent lobbying efforts to stir up support for COPE as a money grab on their behalf, plain and simple.

If the legislation goes into effect, independent artists, bloggers, activists and journalists may find themselves priced out of the kind of Internet service they have enjoyed so far.

Sen. Barbara Boxer has come out in favor of Net neutrality, while Sen. Dianne Feinstein has not announced a position, saying she wants to hear more from constituents.

I encourage everyone to call their offices, because COPE supporters are pulling out all stops to usher in their corporatist version of the Net. Both artists and hip-hop fans stand to lose the freedom they now enjoy.

An easy way to reach your senator is by going to www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/ senators_cfm.cfm.

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Hip Hop News articles, Industry news & Views, June '06 Articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , , ,

An Open Letter to Hip Hop About Net Neutrality

June 9, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

An Open Letter to Hip Hop About Net Neutrality

by Davey D

original article-June 09, 2006

daveyd-raider2Dear Folks who say they Love Hip Hop

I wish there was a way to make this issue of Net Neutrality more interesting. I wish there was a way to spice it up and make it compelling like some sort of beef within the rap industry. Maybe I should get Brad and Angelina to talk about it instead of their baby. Maybe Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton can utter a few words and force us to take more of an interest.

I wish Cam’ron spent his vast money holding press conferences, dissing punk ass Congress for taking tainted money from Verizon, SBC, and Comcast instead of going after Jay-Z. Im glad Jay-Z ignored Camron, unfortunately he remained silent as the President of Def Jam on this important issue. We’ll see what happens after Def Jam finds it difficult or too costly to send out their e-post cards alerting me and others of their latest releases

Im sorry Miss Jones on Hot 97 was so upset and enraged that she felt compelled to make headlines calling Mary J Blige a bitch for not shouting her out at last weeks Summer Jam. Its too bad that she didnt use her 3-4 hours a day of airtime in the nations largest city to call the greedy Congress people who accepted money from these corporations Bitches. There aint gonna be any shout outs if the Senate follows Congress in passing this bill. Maybe she’ll step it up when her parent company Emmis finds that folks from all over the country can no longer easily access their archived interviews on their website.

It’s too bad that many of us found this issue ‘too complicated’ and ‘too overwhelming’ and hence directed our attention to Ludacris and Ice Cube’s beef with Oprah. This is the feedback I got after stories ran on my website as well as AllHipHop.

Shyt I’m sorry Oprah was too busy telling Ed Lover that she really does love Hip Hop and that she listens to 50 Cent and his violent ass all damn day instead of alerting her millions of viewers about the issue of Net Neutrality.

Im sorry that KRS-One and others used these Internet airways to tell us about the Hip Hop Nation they want to build, but didnt issue a call to action to protect a main arm of our communication. Whether you’re a Hip Hop or Rap Lover the elimination of Net Neutrality is gonna impact you..

Here’s what’s happening folks. The house has gone passed the COPE bill and rejected proposals to insure Net Neutrality. Those who sided with the Comcast and Verizon are well aware that the ability of ordinary people to communicate to the masses is a problem because its been the only thing holding them accountable. For the last 5 years, the biggest stories about government corruption, corporate swindles, global warming and no weapons of Mass Destruction has come through Internet bloggers who were able to push an issue to the masses and force Fox, CNN and other News outlets to pay some sort of attention.

Anyone who is an activist and championed causes ranging from Election fraud and Diebold Machines, police brutality Freeing Mumia, Global warming, Media Reform and Saving the South Central Farm in LA just to name a few this is will especially hit you hard, because the Internet and its neutrality provisions have enabled many of us to counter biased mainstream media outlets get information out about particular causes all over the world.

Yesterday that ability took one step closer to coming to an end. The mantra being sung on Capitol Hill is Shut it down, Shut that shyt down and redirect traffic to a handful of places and media outlets that they can influence and control.

Like Ice Cube said ‘Laugh Now and Cry Later’, because many of us will soon be crying when we see the Internet gets parceled up and we start paying outrageous tolls for basic amenities. And speaking of which why didn’t Ice Cube talk about this issue instead of not being invited on Oprah?

Anyway your next steps should you choose is to call your Senator’s office and tell them to stand up and protect your interests. Ignoring this, waiting for others to take on your responsibility or acting like the issue will simply go away will not change this.

While many of you may shrug this off and think it doesn’t apply to you, stop and think of all the activities you do on the daily that involve the Internet. Such activities range from using phone cards which use Internet connections-(Many of y’all didn’t realize that) on down to peeping your favorite blog… Many of y’all like to surf and check out my site, AllHipHop, Sohh, HipHopGame etc.. Folks that shyt is about to change in a big, big ,big way.

You’re soon gonna be left with only being able to peep monthly issues of The Source and XXL, who neglected to address this issue. The Source bypassed this in their Media Watch column and Elliot Wilson from XXL obvious saw his shyt talking editorials as more important then keeping you informed. I guess I can understand, all these Hip Hop Internet websites were eating into business.

All you artists who felt like you can easily get your music out there via Myspace and the other sites, that’s about to change Oh yeah lets not forget the punk ass RIAA who like to sue everybody. They stayed silent on this and in fact while all this is going on they have quietly lobbying Congress to change laws so that they can fundamentally change the copyright laws in such a way that it will make it damn near impossible to pass things around via the net. Please read about this here:

 
and here:
 
Also lets not let Steve Jobs and his vast i-tunes network off the hook. Perhaps I missed it, but I didnt see him alerting us when you went to download your favorite song or stepped into his stores. Perhaps he figures he’s rich enough to pay for the inevitable increases while the rest of us cant. In other words controlling 90% of the market is not enough.

bobbyrushglasses-225Shame on former Black Panther, Congressman Bobby Rush for selling us out and supporting these corporations. Shame on the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and any other Civil Rights group pretending to represent our interests while selling us out and taking the money to front for these groups. And while Im glad former Congressman Ron Dellums did well in his Mayoral bid in Oakland, we should not forget that hes also a lobbyist with one of his main clients being Verizon so shame on him as well. How’s Oakland gonna be a world class city that is a beacon for new technology and innovation when his client is one of the main people trying to shut down the Internet?

In closing I’m gonna say this and it may be sobering for some… It’s what my pops told me after I got caught fuccing up and then went home and tried to kiss up to him so I wouldn’t get in trouble. He told me to stop acting like a wuss and start acting like a man. He told me it was time I grow up and accept responsibility. He then punished me for 3 weeks not for the fucc up, but for me trying to kiss his ass instead of owning up to my mistakes. This is about to happen to all of us…

My point is this. Hip Hop is over 30 years old. We’re not kids no more. This industry is not run by kids. To not involve ourselves in shaping the institutions that we rely on to get our information and music out is irresponsible. Thats some thing to pond about. Here’s another breakdown on this issue courtesy of www.playahata.com

Peace out for now

Holla at your Senator before you holla back at me..
Davey D

House Rejects Net Neutrality

The First Amendment of the Internet the governing principle of net neutrality, which prevents telecommunications corporations from rigging the web so it is easier to visit sites that pay for preferential treatment took a blow from the House of Representatives Thursday.

Bowing to an intense lobbying campaign that spent tens of millions of dollars and held out the promise of hefty campaign contributions for those members who did the bidding of interested firms the House voted 321 to 101 for the disingenuously-named Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (COPE). That bill, which does not include meaningful network-neutrality protections creates an opening that powerful telephone and cable companies hope to exploit by expanding their reach while doing away with requirements that they maintain a level playing field for access to Internet sites.

“Special interest advocates from telephone and cable companies have flooded the Congress with misinformation delivered by an army of lobbyists to undermine decades-long federal practice of prohibiting network owners from discriminating against competitors to shut out competition. Unless the Senate steps in, (Thursday’s) vote marks the beginning of the end of the Internet as an engine of new competition, entrepreneurship and innovation.” says Jeannine Kenney, a senior policy analyst for Consumers Union.
In case there was any question that Kenney’s assessment was accurate, the House voted 269-152 against an amendment, offered by Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey, which would have codified net neutrality regulations into federal law. The Markey amendment would have prevented broadband providers from rigging their services to create two-tier access to the Internet with an “information superhighway” for sites that pay fees for preferential treatment and a dirt road for sites that cannot pay the toll.

After explicitly rejecting the Markey amendment’s language, which would have barred telephone and cable companies from taking steps “to block, impair, degrade, discriminate against, or interfere with the ability of any person to use a broadband connection to accessservices over the Internet,” the House quickly took up the COPE legislation.

The bill drew overwhelming support from Republican members of the House, with the GOP caucus voting 215-8 in favor of it. But Democrats also favored the proposal, albeit by a narrower vote of 106 to 92. The House’s sole independent member, Vermont’s Bernie Sanders, a champion of internet freedom who is seeking his state’s open Senate seat this fall, voted against the measure.

Joining Sanders in voting against the legislation were most members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, including its co-chairs, California Representatives Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey, as well as genuine conservatives who have joined the fight to defend free speech and open discourse on the internet, including House Judiciary Committee chair James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, and Intelligence Committee chair Pete Hoekstra, R-Michigan.

The left-meets-right voting in the House reflected the coalition that has formed to defend net neutrality, which includes such unlikely political bedfellows as the Christian Coalition of America, MoveOn.org, National Religious Broadcasters, the Service Employees International Union, the American Library Association, the American Association of Retired People, the American Civil Liberties Union and all of the nation’s major consumer groups.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, opposed COPE, while House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, and Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, were enthusiastically supported it.

Among the Democrats who followed the lead of Hastert and Boehner as opposed to that of Pelosi were House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and Maryland Representative Ben Cardin, who is running for that state’s open Senate seat in a September Democratic-primary contest with former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume. Illinois Democrat Melissa Bean, who frequently splits with her party on issues of interest to corporate donors, voted with the Republican leadership, as did corporate-friendly “New Democrats” such as Alabama’s Artur Davis, Washington’s Adam Smith and Wisconsin’s Ron Kind all co-chairs of the Democratic Leadership Council-tied House New Democrat Coalition.

The fight over net neutrality now moves to the Senate, where Maine Republican Olympia Snowe and North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan have introduced legislation to codify the net neutrality principles of equal and unfettered access to Internet content into federal law. Mark Cooper, the director of research for the Consumers Federation of America, thinks net neutrality will find more friends in the Senate, at least in part because the “Save the Internet” coalition that has grown to include more than 700 groups, 5,000 bloggers and 800,000 individuals is rapidly expanding.

“This coalition will continue to grow, millions of Americans will add their voices, and Congress will not escape the roar of public opinion until Congress passes enforceable net neutrality,” says Cooper.

Cooper’s correct to be more hopeful about the Senate than the House. But the House vote points up the need to get Democrats united on this issue. There’s little question that a united Democratic caucus could combine with principled Republicans in the Senate to defend net neutrality. But if so-called “New Democrats” in the Senate side with the telephone and cable lobbies, the information superhighway will become a toll road.

Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Industry news & Views, June '06 Articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , ,

Lupe Fiasco Talked About Uganda’s NightWalkers

May 31, 2006 By
dbanner1newparis
Lupe Fiasco Talked About Uganda’s NightWalkers
by Davey D
original article- May 31 2006
In our interview with Lupe Fiasco, he spoke about the tragedy taking place in Uganda. He was in support of trying to help find solutions to the nightwalkers. Read about this issue where you further learn about this and hopefully get involved…

A Defining Issue for African Americans: Saving the Child Night Commuters
 
Dear Friends of Black People World Wide:
 
There are thousands of children that will travel 7 – 10 miles by foot tonight just to sleep in partial safety. Many of them will sleep on the ground. I went to bed tonight at 10pm only to awake at 2am because I could not sleep knowing that our babies are going through this hell tonight (and every night).  About 2 months ago, I interviewed some college students that were sleeping outside to bring attention to the “child night commuters in the northern region of Uganda . These college students were all white. My procrastination and inaction has caused me to lose sleep over this. So, I make this plea for your help in this most serious cause. Because these are African children, I believe African-American elected officials, media and activists must take action. And, we all should do something.

 
I ask that you please:
 
1.) Send an email and/or call the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus (Rep. Melvin L. Watt) and ask that the Caucus take the lead and immediate action on this issue. You may even forward him this email at nc12.public@mail.house.gov or call him at (202) 225-1510.

2.) Send this email to your list of people who will forward it to others who care about Black people.

3.) Learn more about this (at http://www.Poli-Tainment.com) and mention it to one other person you know – in person.
 
Thank you for caring about OUR babies.

Your Friend,

 Opio Lumumba Sokoni 
 
  ABOUT THE CHILD NIGHT COMMUTERS

Children continue to be the main casualties in the 20-year-old war in northern Uganda between government forces and rebels who are known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA has abducted more than 20,000 children. These boys and girls are beaten, tortured, raped, forced to fight, and sometimes killed.
 
Night Commuters
Terrified of being abducted by the LRA at night, as many as 40,000 children leave their rural homes every evening. Known as “night commuters,” these children walk to neighbouring towns (including Gulu, Pader, and Kitgum). They sleep on the street or in public buildings. They hope there is safety in numbers.

 Abducted Children
Abducted children are often forced to murder their own family members and burn down their villages. The LRA does this to make the children believe they won’t be welcomed back to their communities should they escape.

 Children Who Escape
Thankfully, thousands of children have escaped or been liberated by government forces. However, these children are usually severely traumatized. There are few social services available to help them recover. Most children have little education and few vocational skills. They are often rejected by their families and communities because of the atrocities they have committed. Many girls who were raped in captivity are now mothers. HIV rates are high. Although they are free, these children have little hope for the future.
 
AGAIN, PLEASE:
 
1.) Send an email and/or call the chairman of the Black Congressional Caucus (Rep. Melvin L. Watt) and ask that the Caucus take the lead and immediate action on this issue. You may even forward him this email at nc12.public@mail.house.gov or call him at (202) 225-1510.

2.) Send this email to your list of people who will forward it to other people who care about Black people.

3.) Learn more about this (at http://www.Poli-Tainment.com) and mention it to one other person you know – in person.
 
to Learn More go to http://www.Poli-Tainment.com

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Hip Hop News articles, May '06 Articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , , ,

KRS-One: Is He Potentially to Hip Hop What Marcus Garvey was to Pan-Africanism?

May 7, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

KRS-One: Is He Potentially to Hip Hop What

Marcus Garvey was to Pan-Africanism?

 

By Bro. Tony Muhammad

Politrix2012@yahoo.com

 original article-May 07, 2006

 

tonymuhammedchitown-225Just hours prior to his lecture at Florida International University this past month, KRS-One and myself had a deep conversation about how controversial the topic of discussion for the evening was Hip Hop and the Art of Civilization Building.  We talked about the general feelings, beliefs and characteristics associated with being part of a culture.  We discussed how the concept of a cultural identity is by and large something invented, a process that comes into being as a result of social circumstances.  The word culture in root, means to cultivate as you would do to a tree or a plant with the purpose of making it grow and flourish.  At the lecture, which was opened up by a panel of scholars from various walks of life, all influenced greatly by Hip Hop culture, KRS-One mentioned how today Hip Hop is in every profession: teachers, lawyers, doctors, even FBI Agents.  He also mentioned how people of different religions throughout the world claim Hip Hop. 

 

From a layered perspective of what culture is, the concept of culture is much more complicated than merely claiming identification with one particular group of people.  Under this view, we can identify with different sets of people in different circumstances.  For instance, I myself am what is typically known as a Latino and I am able to relate to and identify with other people within this diverse group based on the language, customs, food and music we generally share.  In other circumstances, as a Muslim, I am able to relate and identify with others based on the Islamic traditions that they hold (i.e. prayer, fasting, social customs, religious holidays, etc.).  From a constructionist point of view of what ethnic identity and culture is, a culture includes the concept of having a common history, traditions, myths, art, music, literature (or oral traditions) and language (even merely in the form of sayings, catch phrases, or even what is generally regarded as slang).  According to Dr. Joane Nagel, cultural identification among a group of people could come about as a result of either it being imposed by others, self-realized as a result of political and social realities or simply chosen based on perception of meaning.  When analyzed carefully, Hip Hop includes all of these characteristics and the people who have entered into it in different ways throughout its history.

 

marcus-garvey-225Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the founder and leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in the early 20th century, was deemed controversial for arguing that peoples of African descent are in fact one people because they share a common racial condition and history.  Based on this, he developed a universal flag, newspaper, religion, national anthem and attempted government and economy under the banner of Pan-Africanism.  Garvey also organized world conferences which attracted and involved the participation of African peoples throughout the world who spoke different languages but identified with each other solely on the concept of being African.  Mind you, this was unheard of prior to this time and Garvey received both praise and scorn for it during his time.  Today, much of the cultural symbolisms and traditions that were birthed in the Garvey movement are found among African peoples throughout the world.  We even have an attempted unification of African countries, The African Union, which surely could not have been developed without the idea and belief that the peoples that live within the region have some form cultural connection to one another and should come together based on it.

 

 Is this much different from the path that KRS-One is headed towards?  He has already been both highly praised and scorned for introducing the concept I am Hip Hop.  Under the Temple of Hiphop, for the past 8 years, he has pushed the idea of celebrating Hip Hop Appreciation Week in mid-May.  He has even had the United Nations sanction Hip Hop as an official culture, developed what is known as The Hiphop Declaration of Peace and is currently in the final process of releasing the universally driven Gospel of Hiphop.  Just as Garvey, at one point of his life, became greatly frustrated with Blacks in the United States for being too focused on their own problems (rather than viewing the scope of their reality from an international perspective), KRS-One this year seeks to celebrate Hip Hop Appreciation Week in Europe to see if there is a difference of response to his calling.  Overall, to many of us of the Hip Hop generation in the past 20 years, KRS-One has many at times driven us to question our world views and identity within it a mental and spiritual exodus that Marcus Garvey inspired in a similar way almost a century ago.

 

krsone1smile-225Those who do not take KRS-One seriously in these endeavors typically just view him as an artist.  As you look deeper into KRS-One, you will see much more than this; a philosopher who expresses himself in the traditional ways of the West African griot breaking down history, science and universal principles backed by the popular music of the time.  Today, in our superimposed Western form of thinking we tend to separate and categorize (and sub-categorize) all of this and tend to limit each other based on one main thing that we do in our lives.

 

When we take Hip Hop a step further and say we are going to form a government and economy over it, this may not be possible at this particular time when the corporations of the world are defining for people generally what Hip Hop is supposed to be and what a typical Hip Hopper is supposed to look and act like.  When the ice of this age melts and the glits and glamour are gone, will we be able to distinguish between who the real community builders are from the trend followers?  With how diverse the Hip Hop community is and how certain members are so highly ego driven, would a political and economic system over it be successful?  How would we be able to deal with the concept of diversity itself, especially considering that racism itself continues to be a highly unresolved problem in this world?  What about dealing with issues in the community such as homosexuality, which is highly expressively unacceptable among many within Hip Hop?  How much of this can potentially become a mass movement rather than a spectator sport situation?  Truly, these questions need to be answered before we move forward in this increasingly complex and technological world.  Surely, we can not rely on just one man to answer them for us.  We must all do our part within the dialogue – The Reality!

 

Stay tuned to the Urban America Newspaper website, www.uannetwork.com, as to how you can get a copy of the historic KRS-One lecture at Florida International University on DVD in the following months.

 

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, May '06 Articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

LA Loses Two Hip Hop Icons-The Nation Loses a Freedom Fighter

May 5, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

LA Loses Two Hip Hop Icons-The Nation Loses a Freedom Fighter

By Davey D

original article-May 05, 2006

Davey DThe city of Angels is in mourning as it has lost not one but two iconic figures within a week. In fact both passed away on the same day Saturday April 30th.

The first was DJ Dusk a well known member of the Universal Zulu Nation and an incredible DJ whose most recent exploits had him spinning every Thursday night at Rootdown at a club called Little Temple. Over the years Dusk made a huge impact for not only being an incredible diversified DJ who could spin everything from Salsa to Hip Hop to Reggae, he also made inroads on the radio. I believe he got down at Pacifica’s KPFK. He was one of those deejays who kept himself rooted in the community and tried to make a difference.

The circumstances surrounding Dusk’s death speak volumes to the type of man he was. The way it was explained to me, was He had a gathering of close family and friends at his home and was walking a woman back to her car when an out of control driver sped towards her. The woman was destined to be hit when Dusk leaped to her rescue. He pushed her out the way and tucked his head down to take the full impact of the vehicle which he knew would hit him. He was dragged for about 80 yards as the driver tried to escape. Luckily an alert passerby swung their pick up truck in front of the driver and prevented him from leaving. I’m not too sure about what sort of charges if any will be levied on the driver.

Last night (Thursday) all sorts of folks including Dusk’s family came out to the Little Temple to pay respects. People tried to stay upbeat, but in reality it was sad. It was sad to see his family experiencing such a major loss. It was sad to see those close to him holding it together, putting on a brave face, but inside mourning and missing Dusk greatly.

Ironically, the last time I saw Dusk was three weeks ago when he put together the annual tribute for DJ Rob One another iconic DJ from LA who passed away from brain cancer 5 years ago. Lots of people from all over including Hip Hop pioneer Prince Whipper Whip flew in from Michigan to pay tribute. The loss of Rob One, although 5 years later seemed to still be fresh on a lot of people’s minds. Dusk was the perfect host as he meticulously pulled old mixtapes and drops for the late DJ and played them for the audience. He wanted to make sure that a cat like Rob who meant so much to so many people would not be forgotten. He wanted to make sure that that those who attended would strive for the excellence that Rob One came to represent.

I’m sure no one in their wildest dreams would’ve thought we’d all be back at Rootdown paying tribute to DJ Dusk. It’s a sad thing and just underscored the importance of us not to take anything for granted.

As I sat at the bar listening to them play two of Dusk’s mixtapes… ‘Top Ranking’, a classic reggae and dancehall CD and ‘La Musica’ a classic Salsa CD, it hit me just how harsh this past year has been in terms of untimely deaths.

First it was J-Dilla, then it was Professor X and later on we lost Proof. We just lost Big Hawk down in Houston. We lost Taurus aka T who was hype man for The Coup. Atlanta rap star T.I. had his van shot up and lost one of his peoples. On top of that we lost LA Hip Hop pioneer Mixmaster Spade, Crip Founder turned Peacemaker Stanley Tookie Williams, C. Delores Tucker who fought to clean up the filth in the music industry, Rosa Parks the mother of the Civil Rights Movement and Coretta Scott King the first Lady of the Civil Rights Movement and widow to Martin Luther King. It seems like we were just talking about losing comedian Richard Pryor and heck it just a year ago I recall getting that painful phone call from Red Alert telling me that Justo Faison who was the deejays biggest advocate was killed in a car crash. Thats an awful lot of people who have meant something to us to be passing all within a year. Sadly I know I forgot a couple and I didnt include those who were close family and friends, like my cousin Michael who was like an older brother.

Again Im laying all this out so that we take this to heart and strive to make the most out of life and try and make life for those around you betterPlus I think its important that we always take time out to reflect on those who pass. I mean really reflect and not become so hardened that we see these passings as routine. I also think we need to be honest with ourselves about whether or not we actually gotten over the passings of people from a few years back.

Ill be honest its going on 10 years and I still think about 2Pac. I recall missing Rob One when we were at his tribute. The death of Jam Master J is still fresh in everyones minds. Many still mourn over Biggie. Those loses are still being processed by many of us and it gets harder and more complicated because we get hit with all these others

As we were sitting here dealing with the passing of DJ Dusk I got word that another LA legend passed away. Michael Mixxing Moore who used to spark the airwaves with his trademark Militant Mix on a number of radio stations including KKBT. This brother was all about taking Hip Hop and using it as a tool to spark social change and bring consciousness to those who needed it most. He wasnt the first to play speeches over break beats and dope Hip Hop instrumentals. But he was among the first to do it with an unmatched focus and determination to wake folks up at a time when radio was starting to dumb people down.

Im not sure what lead to Moore’s passing. Dude was only 46 years old and I hadnt spoken to him in quite sometime. I know I got hit up on Myspace and asked to be his friend. That was on Thursday or Friday of last week and in retrospect Im not sure if it was Mike or one of his peeps. I just recall getting his email and I said soon as I get back to LA, Im gonna give dude a call. He was a big part of LA history and just never got his props. By Saturday he was gone.

Because of Moore’s militant, uncompromising stance on important issues, he wont get the shine that others will get. No one should forget him getting a helicopter and dropping flyers calling out KKBT and accusing them of being racist during the Summerjam back in the early 90s after he had a huge falling out with them. No one should ever forget the passion in that exuded when he spoke about wanting to wake folks up. He was a mentor to many including DJ Mark Luv who heads up LAs Zulu Nation chapter. Damn I wish I could find copies of his militant mixes. He made his mark and should not go unnoticed. May he RIP.

damusmith-225Lastly we need to make a moment of silence for an activist who set the standard and never wavered from speaking truth to power. Damu Smith out of Washington DC may not get the accolades and praise that we have given to some of our fallen Hip Hop heroes who have passed on, but Damu was a giant figure among giants. He was known all around the world.

The work that he did and continued to do up to his recent passing where he advocated for Peace and Justice with his organization Black Voices for Peace is such that it helped elevate us all. In fact when you look at what Damu Smith stood for damn near all of his life, youll note that he championed causes that have led to so many untimely deaths. Damu was about spreading Peace and promoting both spiritual and physical health.

He was the type of cat who was knee deep in the battles along the environmentalist front. Talk about beef. He was the type of cat that fought tireless in places like Louisiana and Mississippi and throughout the south demanding that unscrupulous companies not use our neighborhoods as toxic dumping grounds. He wasnt some tree hugging hippie type. He was focused on getting rid of the dangerous toxins and chemical plants that was directed at many of our communities. Damn I wish I could run down everything this cat did. This man was an incredible organizer. And when he spoke he lit up the room. Damu was one of those cats who really set the standard because he walked the walk and talked the talk and he was humble. There were very few contradictions and discrepancies with him.

The sad part about Damus passing is that because of the dumbing down we have going on in urban radio and throughout a lot of urban media in general, he wont be given a moment of silence. No deejays are gonna play his speeches or talk about his life. Hell be one of those unsung heroes who one day well realize we came this far because of the work he put in You can peep more about Damu Smith here: www.damusmith.org/

So many deaths in so short a time I cant help but think and feel that God is asking for each of us to step up our game. Weve lost so many of our heroes to violence. We gotta do more then say RIP and play a few tribute songs. We lost so many to bad health and disease, and yet many of us are continuing down the same unhealthy paths that have taken our friends and loved ones. Many of us are not spiritually fit. We say we love the people who died but how many of us take the time and effort to carry out the sound ideals and solid effective work of those we so admired? All this is a jarring wake up call. Either we wake up or start doing the right thing or well soon find ourselves doing a lot more tributes…

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, May '06 Articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

How Radio Continues to Dumb Down Blacks in Los Angeles

May 5, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

How Radio Continues to Dumb Down Blacks in Los Angeles

http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur26174.cfm

original article-may 05, 2006

One need only to look at the recent booting of John Salley of “The John Salley Block Party” on Radio One’s KKBT-FM (100.3) The Beat and the chosen replacement of Dallas based personality Tom Joyner, to see the crisis in black radio in Los Angeles.

In the nations second largest media market that is home to almost one million blacks, there is only one daily talk show that focuses on issues relevant to blacks in Los Angeles and unless youre up at 4:30 a.m., you miss it. And this is not a plug for the Front Page on KJLH, but it is what it is.

Please tell me that I am not the only black person in Los Angeles to notice the gradual yet progressive downward spiral of black radio into meaningless banter by obsolete personalities who are solely focused on their own lives and use four hours during morning drive time to tell you about it. And if its not the Chatty Kathy personalities then its the celebrity who has a new movie, television show, album, video, ring tone, sneaker, or whatever that just wont shut up.

Then theres the issue of community news, you know news about issues relevant to you and me. Well, thats just about disappeared too. If radio stations read news, its usually Associated Press or City News copy that wasnt written by us and usually doesnt pertain to us. How many black radio news reporters do you know of? Off the top of my head I can only come up with one, Jacquie Stephens.

Lets be clear here. There are only two black owned radio stations in Los Angeles, Stevie Wonders KJLH and Radio Ones KKBT.

KJLH gets a pass simply because they are home to the only daily black talk show in Los Angeles and they actually have a black reporter that goes out into the community to report our news. However, KJLH would do better by moving the Front Page into the Home Teams time slot and vice versa.

Radio Ones KKBT has been a constant disappointment for years. I didnt think they could go much lower after hiring Steve Harvey but then they hired John Salley and made a fool of me. It was a bad move to nix then KKBT personality Dominique DiPrima, but Da Poetess has been trying to hold it down over there for the community.

Consider this. Spanish language radio disc jockeys were the moving force behind the mass numbers of people in attendance at the pro immigration rallies and marches. They told their people where to go, when to be there, what to bring with them, and the people came.

When was the last time John Salley, Big Boy, or Cliff Winston told you to attend a rally in support of an issue that was important to blacks? My point exactly.

Illegal immigration is all everybody is talking about these days, everybody except you know who.

So imagine my own surprise when I found myself tuning in to KFI 640 AM of all stations to get briefed on the latest immigration news. Notoriously known for being Los Angeles conservative talk station, KFI has been the only station in Los Angeles to really address immigration in a language that I can understand, English. And even though I dont always agree with their points of view, I can appreciate a station that is actually willing to at least talk about the issue. It was KFI not a black radio station that first asked blacks how they felt about illegal immigration and had blacks call in to the station to voice their opinions. Go figure?

Someone reading this article is going say, Well, these stations play music. Their focus is not news. That may be true, but if its a black station, we should also be able get our news from them as well. I dont expect KFWB News 980 or KPCC 89.9 FM to do a special broadcast on community news specific to blacks, although it would be nice. I do however expect stations that cater to this community to address the issues that are important to us and provide us with comprehensive news that we can use to educate ourselves.

Who was voted off of American Idol the night before is irrelevant when we are in danger of losing a community like Leimert Park.

Somehow I just dont think a Dallas based radio personality who has no connection to the community is who we need on the airwaves in Los Angeles. Its just a hunch.

# # #

Kennedy Johnson is a black writer who lives somewhere in Los Angeles. Kennedy can be reached at johnson_kennedy@hotmail.com.

The State of Black Radio

An instrumental part of the immigrant rights supporters mobilization was the cooperation from Spanish language media. What is black and urban radio doing in Los Angeles to educate and mobilize blacks on the issues? Or should they be educating the community?

Confirmed panelists include radio pioneer Lee Bailey of eurweb.com, KJLH Public Affairs Director Jacquie Stephens, and 100.3 The Beat Community News Director Poetess. Invited guests include Eddie “El Piolin” Sotelo of Radio la Nueva.

Join the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable for a candid discussion on the state of black radio in Los Angeles Saturday, May 6, 2006 at 10 a.m. at the Lucy Florence Coffee House located at 3351 West 43rd Street in Leimert Park. For more information, please call (310) 672-2542.

Saturday, May 6 at 10:00 AM at the Lucy Florence Coffee House.

3351 West 43rd Street in Leimert Park Los Angeles
$5 donation
All Proceeds Benefit the Educational and Community Engagement work of the the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable
501C-3 Non-Profit
information, please call (310) 672-2542 or visit www.laurbanroundtable.org.

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Hip-Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women

April 26, 2006 By

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Hip-Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women

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