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How Michael Got Gangsta With Sony Music Over Black Music & Racism

June 30, 2009 By

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How Michael Got Gangsta With Sony Music Over Black Music

Michael Jackson was not as timid as one might think when it came to doing battle with the industry. Not too many people wanna talk about his battle with Sony Music

Michael Jackson was not as timid as one might think when it came to doing battle with the industry. Not too many people wanna talk about his battle with Sony Music

This is what I liked about Michael Jackson. Call him weird, call him eccentric, but the man was no dummy and he would step if needed to.. I am including a story we ran the day after Michael Jackson was in Harlem where he called out Tommy Mottola and Sony Music. He said Mottola was a racist which was bold  given that at the time Motola was one of the industry’s most powerful executives in the industry..

This is the article that we  ran in June 2002 in my FNV Newsletter

-Davey D-

SHARPTON, COCHRAN & MJ GEAR UP TO BATTLE MUSIC BIZ!

The article below is reprinted with permission from  Ayana Soyini asoyini@khamouflage.com who documented this historic event which originally appeared on the website http://www.goldeneyesonline.com. The new website is Khamouflage Productions www.khamouflage.com

PLEASE FORWARD TO FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COLLEAGUES…
PASS THE WORD ALONG TO STAY INFORMED!

http://www.daveyd.com/fnvjuly112002.html

Greetings: On Tuesday July 9, 2002 I attended a music industry summit
in Harlem at the headquarters of the National Action Network.  The
Summit was called by Rev.  Dr.  Al Sharpton, Johnny Cochran, Michael
Jackson and many other prominent people in the entertainment, legal,
and political activist communities.  Contrary to what some of the
media has been reporting, the Summit was not solely for the airing of
grievances by Michael Jackson.  As you may or may not know, Michael
recently said some very candid, open and straightforward comments
about the historical racism and economic disparity that is prevalent
in the music industry.  This has been extremely detrimental,
specifically to the African-American community who has historically
been at the forefront of innovation in America.  One cannot talk about
the history of the United States without talking about the
contributions African-Americans have made.  Most notably, all
recognized popular American musical art forms have been created and
developed first from within the African-American community (i.e.
Blues, Jazz, Hip Hop, R&B, Soul etc…)

Our music was often called “race music” by white Americans to
highlight the fact that as a people, the African-American experience
is unique and our expressions culturally rich.  Let me emphasize once
again that the focus of this Summit was not on Michael Jackson.  No.
The focus of this Summit was on calling attention to the historically
corrupt, exploitative and one-sided business dealings perpetuated by
the music industry.  The focus was on what particular strategies can
be implemented to end the injustice.

Let me clear up some of the inaccurate reporting being done by the
larger media outlets.

THE LIES: Michael Jackson is disgruntled because his last musical
project “Invincible” only sold 2 million copies and he is desperately
trying to save his career.

THE TRUTH: Michael informed the audience that Invincible has actually
sold 10 MILLION copies worldwide to date and he is personally
satisfied with the numbers.

THE LIES: Michael has gone crazy and this is just another “bizarre
publicity stunt” to call attention to himself.

THE TRUTH: The larger media outlets have always been fond of attacking
him at random.  Michael was in Harlem just 7 weeks ago along side the
likes of former President Bill Clinton at a fundraiser for the
Democratic National Committee and the larger media outlets called him
an ICON then.  Why is he “Wacko Jacko” now for bringing up some very
real issues that directly impact peoples lives?

THE LIES: The idea that racism and economic disparity exists in the
music industry is farfetched considering the success of certain
individual artists and people like Will Smith, Mariah Carey, Sean “P
Diddy” Combs etc…

THE TRUTH: There are absolutely no Black owned public relations firms,
travel agencies, advertising agencies etc…  that have contracts with
any of the major corporate labels.  If $20 million dollars is being
spent on marketing and promotion of an African-American artist or
someone doing a recognized African-American art form, then why have
the talents of African-American business men and women been overlooked
and not deployed to help facilitate the process?  Are African-American
businesses unable to effectively market, promote and work in tandem
with any of the major labels?  With African-American consumers making
up a large percentage of the buying public through our extensive
spending power, how much of the monies generated from successful
commercial endeavors pushed by the music industry goes back into
African-American neighborhoods?  For every Will Smith who has
generated tons of income for his employers you have a multitude of
artists stuck in unfair contracts that find them in debt to their
label for expensive which they have no control or say of.

THE LIES: Many African-Americans in the music industry do not support
this cause.

THE TRUTH: This has been a long-standing concern in the
African-American community.  A broad based coalition has already been
mobilized.  Some of the supporters who were in attendance included:

Londel McMillan – the legal mastermind who helped Prince free himself
from a horrible contract with Warner Bros.  He also represents the
Artist Empowerment Coalition which includes members such as Stevie
Wonder & Chaka Khan.

Terrie Williams – founded the Terrie Williams Agency in 1988 and is
recognized as one of the top public relations and communications
firms.  She has written a number of best-selling books and has a
client roster which includes Fortune 500 companies.

Dave Mays – founder of The Source magazine.  One of the more popular
and influential publications geared towards Hip Hop music, culture and
politics.

James Mtume – Musician and Producer extraordinaire as well as a
longtime community activist and spokesperson.

Shakim Compere – Manager of Queen Latifah and Flavor Unit Enterprises.

David Patterson – New York State Senator.

Doug E.  Fresh – longtime Hip Hop entertainer and grassroots community
activist.

Also in attendance were reps from National Music Distribution, family
members of W.C.  Handy (credited with pioneering Blues music), the
daughter of Otis Blackwell (the man responsible for writing many of
the hit records for Elvis Presley) and many others just too numerous
to mention.  The room was packed and the media turnout was extensive.
There are many who support the issues being discussed and are
committed to lending support whether quietly behind the scenes or by
more visible and public actions.  Look for a possible Class Action
Lawsuit to be filed as well as an upcoming meeting being called with
the heads of the 5 major distributors and their respective label heads
(i.e..  Tommy Mottola, Clive Davis, Doug Morris etc…).

In closing, please don’t believe the false hype and negative media
propaganda tactics deployed by the larger communications outlets.
They are only presenting distorted facts in an effort to discredit
what is credible.  They are trying to put the emphasis on a few people
(i.e..  Michael Jackson…  who happens to be the best selling artist
of all time and has generated BILLIONS of dollars) to fool you into
believing that this issue is irrelevant and inconsequential to the
lives of the everyday person.  If you have any sort of conscious or
soul, please don’t make snap judgments as to the motives of this
movement and the people who are spearheading it.  It is really the tip
of the iceberg of a long overdue need to reform how big business
operates in the United States and globally.  It is also tied into the
growing Reparations Movement that has also attracted many heavy
hitters (i.e..  Russell Simmons).  It is time for this generation to
pick up the torch and continue to build on what our ancestors have
accomplished so far.  As Dr.  Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently
stated, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.  Thank
you for reading and Blessed Love!!

Ayana Soyini, CEO Goldeneyes Entertainment
http://www.goldeneyesonline.com http://www.ayanasoyini.com
PLEASE FORWARD TO FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COLLEAGUES…
PASS THE WORD ALONG TO STAY INFORMED!

Below is a video we attached where, Jackson speaks before a crowd in London and explains whats really cracking off. He starts speaking about 3 minutes into this 9 minute video..

Below is an article where long time activist Dick Gregory

Dick Gregory’s Comments On Michael Jackson
By Bakari Akil II
 

 

Dick Gregory spoke about sinister forces at work trying to undermine Michael once he took on these record labels

Dick Gregory spoke about sinister forces at work trying to undermine Michael once he took on these record labels

Dick Gregory, activist, health guru, ex-comedian as well as advisor to many influential people is a man who has been a mainstay in American culture for decades. As a friend to Michael Jackson for many years he offered insight to the current situation involving Mr. Jackson and provided a perspective that has not been evident in many media outlets.

On a radio show entitled Make it Plain, hosted by WOL’s Mark Thompson in Washington, D.C., Dick Gregory stated in response to the mad media frenzy and tilt toward guilt coverage, that those who believe in Michael Jackson’s guilt or innocence should first ask for truth to be exposed. Whether it is damaging for Michael Jackson or not, he insisted that truth is the most important aspect of this issue.

However, Mr. Gregory does not believe that Mr. Jackson is guilty of the
charges and raised many questions concerning the events leading up to the actions of law enforcement and consequent media coverage. He asked why was it necessary for 40 police officers and 20 FBI agents to raid Michael Jackson’s property. More specifically, why were FBI agents present, especially since the allegations against Mr.Jackson are not a federal offense?

He also questioned the legitimacy of the claim of law enforcement that they did not know of Mr. Jackson’s whereabouts and the timing of the raid.  According to Mr. Gregory, there is a monetary element to this entire situation. He states that Michael Jackson purchased the Beatles catalog for nearly $48 million and it is now worth $1.5 billion. He also owns the rights to the Elvis catalog and found out after his purchase of the Beatles collection that these rights also included ownership of Little Richard’s catalog of which, Michael Jackson promptly called Mr. Richard and returned it to him.

His suspicions arise from the fact that Michael Jackson has taken out loans and his lenders wanted collateral, which was none other than his Beatles catalog. Mr. Gregory stated that Michael Jackson did not mind offering that up as collateral because every time he would come out with a record he would make around $500 million from his efforts. For those who doubt those claims, he explained that there is a mischaracterization that occurs when
people think about what is success for Michael Jackson. Although he  different. He also admonished the audience not to forget that Michael Jackson embarrassed SONY and music mogul Tommy Mottola when he claimed that they were racist and that they took advantage of and mistreated Black artists.

Not holding anything back, Mr. Gregory stated that Rev. Al Sharpton, who came to the defense of Michael Jackson during this time was soon
overwhelmed by media coverage of a video tape which showed individuals attempting to frame him in a drug deal.
He went even further stating that this type of behavior could be traced to Bill Cosby and the suspicious murder of his son Ennis, who was gunned down while changing the tire of his Mercedes on a California highway. He claims that this happened after Mr. Cosby hinted that he wanted to purchase NBC when it was up for sale.

Dick Gregory also alleged that when they showed Michael Jackson in
handcuffs, it was symbolic and when they handcuffed him, they handcuffed us all (Black communities). He stated that they allowed Mr. Jackson to board his private plane in Las Vegas, fly back to California and then handcuffed him and immediately took them off when inside the police station. According to Mr. Gregory, law enforcement had not judged him an extreme flight risk if they let him fly in and obviously not a danger if they immediately uncuffed him once inside, so why the posturing?

Mr. Gregory further intensified his discourse by reiterating that the value of Michael Jackson’s catalog cannot be underestimated and asserted that Mr. Jackson could easily be killed, have it consequently ruled a suicide and thus his collection will be forfeited in lieu of his debt.

He further commented that people such as Liz Taylor, whom he knows Michael would rush to their aid in times of need, have not come to his defense or spoke out on his behalf. He also talked about how many people take “Michael” for a joke, yet he is very intelligent and that he knows what is going on.

Yet for all his concerns, Dick Gregory stated that Michael Jackson will
“come out clean” in this dilemma and he called for people to say a daily
prayer for the “truth to come out” about this situation concerning Mr.
Jackson at 12:00 P.M., no matter what the time zone. He believes,
ultimately, people will be shocked at what that truth is.

In the final analysis, many may balk at the comments and observations of Mr. Gregory, believing that governmental officials, media organizations and corporations in the music business may be beyond collusion or conspiracies (when two or more make a conscious effort to bring about a certain reality), which is fine. Yet, free and independent thought that Mr. Gregory exhibits is absolutely necessary, especially in an era where fact and fiction has taken an equal seat in mainstream media and thought.

 Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Political articles, Southern Shift Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Rap COINTELPRO XII – The “War On Drugs” Meets The Hip-Hop Economy

January 10, 2003 By
Cedric Muhammad

Cedric Muhammad

In this month’s Black Electorate Insider Newsletter we are featuring a unique snapshot of the Hip-Hop economy from the standpoint of supply and demand; the five sources of capital (markets, inheritance, savings, government and crime); and RapCOINTELPRO. It is a unique analysis that explains why the seemingly unrelated events of the recent raids on both the Murder Inc. and ‘Tha Row record labels; the meteoric mixtape rise of 50Cent; the resignation from Sony Music of Tommy Mottola; and the unprecedented purchase of Armadale Vodka by Roc-A-Fella Records executives, from the macro standpoint, are all part of one larger picture. To learn how you can become an annual subscriber to the newsletter please visit:

www.blackelectorate.com/n…r_out.asp.

The always interesting Chicago Tribune contributer and In These Times Editor, Salim Muwakkil has written a very enlightening article on the overall impact of Hip-Hop culture in and on the larger American society and its power centers. It is a good read for anyone interested in learning who may be threatened by the various forms of power and influence that Hip-Hop has generated.

I thought of Mr. Muwakkil’s article over the past few days in light of the recent raid by the FBI and New York Street Task Force units of Murder Inc.’s offices, which lie within the same building that houses Universal Music and a host of other Hip-Hop record labels and multi-national corporations at 825 Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. Irv Gotti is the head of Murder Inc.

A New York Times article from Jan. 5, 2003 had the following passage:

Kenneth McGriff

Kenneth McGriff

“The drug dealer, Kenneth McGriff, was known on the streets of Queens as Supreme, and headed a murderous gang called the Supreme Team, which held sway over the crack trade in southeast Queens in the 1980’s. Mr. McGriff was arrested in 1988 and convicted on federal narcotics conspiracy charges, and served 10 years in prison.

In the raid early Friday morning, which was first reported in yesterday’s editions of The Los Angeles Times, federal agents and police detectives, acting on a search warrant, confiscated computers and documents from Murder Inc.’s offices at 825 Eighth Avenue, the officials said.

Prosecutors in the office of the United States attorney in Brooklyn, Roslynn R. Mauskopf, which is overseeing the investigation, would not comment on the search or the investigation.

But several officials said the police and federal agents were investigating whether Mr. Gotti’s music career was fueled with money from Mr. McGriff’s drug trafficking. “We’re still trying to put them together,” one official said. “That’s the main question we’re asking: did McGriff fund Gotti?”

Of course, under the law, Irv Gotti and Mr. McGriff are innocent until proven guilty. But in the court of public opinion, and in the eyes of the FBI, ATF, New York Police Department they are largely anything but that.

Suge Knight

Suge Knight

Here is another interesting excerpt from an article about the raid that took place, two months ago, at the offices of ‘Tha Row records, run by Suge Knight. Of Mr. Knight, a CNN.com article on November 15, 2002 states: “He has been the target of numerous state and federal investigations into allegations of drug trafficking and money laundering, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office. No charges were filed in those cases, sources said.”

Again, Mr. Knight is innocent until proven otherwise. But is he really innocent in the eyes of the Los Angeles Police Department and “state and federal investigators?”

What is this all about? What is behind these recent raids of multi-million dollar establishments, both of which have business relationships with multinational corporations that many researchers say were funded by illegal funds? The music industry is said to be rife with nefarious connections. For years, rumors have swirled around certain relationships to figures maintained by Tommy Mottola. Yet, to the best of our knowledge Sony Music hasn’t been raided by the FBI, NYPD or LAPD in an effort to identify sources of funding, or perhaps money laundering that involves music companies through international banks. Why?

Jam Master Jay

Jam Master Jay

When Jam Master Jay was murdered some interesting innuendo was dropped that the murder was somehow “industry-related.” NYPD officers who were investigating the murder, when interviewing industry figures, openly pursued this supposedly “industry-related” angle. They particularly focused on a few individuals in particular, even informing several artists that they were targets of violence and murder plots. The New York Police Department was visiting record labels and interviewing artists and executives about the JMJ case, while “revealing” information to these same individuals that their lives were in danger. Numerous industry figures took a variety of dramatic security precautions as a result. What type of atmosphere did this mixture of slander, innuendo, rumors and half-truths create in the Hip-Hop industry, when circulated by law-enforcement? Was the intent more than to just solve a murder?

As we have written before in this now over 10-part series and as the Honorable Minister Farrakhan has been stating openly, in a powerful way, since 1989, the United States Government has planned (and is now executing) a war on youth and street organizations under the guise of a war on drugs. The target of the war is really an entire people, with special emphasis on a few individuals. The larger focus of this war is starting to become apparent in light of President Bush’s War on Terrorism. The war on drugs and the war on terrorism have already been merged, yet the vast majority of people don’t see it yet. This, even with commercials paid for by the government that have been running since last year’s Super Bowl that openly state that people who buy drugs are supporting terrorists.

On a radio interview conducted by Davey D. last fall, I openly, and in more detail, explained how all of this would find its nexus, among Black, Latino and Arab young men, in several cities in the United States Of America. Street organizations, Hip-Hop and the religion of Islam would all be tied together. The Racketeering In Corrupt Organization Act (RICO); the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Patriot Act will be involved. The fulfillment and desire of President Bush for a domestic spying agency will be involved.

You can get a microcosm of most of this in looking at how KillArmy and the 5% Nation Of Islam was linked to the sniper shootings. We wrote about this in Part XI of this series, Hip-Hop Fridays: Rap COPINTELPRO XI: Meet The Press And Tim Russert Connect The Sniper Shootings With Hip-Hop and The 5 Percent Nation Of Islam

Still, as the circumstantial evidence mounts in public, many ignore, don’t pay attention, don’t understand. Some are in denial. Some Hip-Hop journalists still mock or want to ignore this RapCOINTELPRO series, which has been running now for almost three years. Hopefully, many will now begin to take what we have presented more seriously. The entire RapCointelpro series is available, for free, in The Deeper Look Archives at www.blackelectorate.com/search.asp.

Irv Gotti

Irv Gotti

Isn’t it interesting that in the aftermath of the recent raids on both record labels, on both coasts (is the East – West Coast angle with Murder Inc. and ‘Tha Row a coincidence) all that leading figures in the music industry could muster, including the corporate business partners of Suge Knight and Irv Gotti was, “no comment.” Will any 100,000 strong street protests involving Hip-Hop fans be planned to highlight the unprecedented nature of the federal government’s and law enforcement agencies’ targeting of the Hip-Hop music industry? Perhaps, many politically-minded Hip-Hop community members only like to handle certain “safe” subjects, and this is not one of them. Can we expect Hot 97, 107.5 WBLS, and Power 105 in New York to go to the airwaves airing program content that investigates the manner in which prominent artists have not just been arrested and harassed by law enforcement agents, but placed under surveillance and wiretaps by them? Will BET and MTV highlight it? Will The Source and Vibe magazine magazine give cover stories to the issue? Perhaps the entire industry executive establishment at Hip-Hop labels, radio stations, video programs and print media outlets are compromised or even, “complicit” in this. Some or, maybe only a handful.

I think it is time to call the roll within the industry. Where do all of us stand on the real possibility and circumstantial evidence-plus, that Hip-Hop culture, artists, executives and opinion leaders are under attack as part of a larger war being conducted by the United States government? Isn’t the question legitimate, by now? How many more arrests, scandals, propaganda pieces, and even deaths will it take before all of the dots are connected?

I will keep writing until we do.

In addition to this we will all have to look in the mirror. The economic condition of our community will be used against us. It has been a double-edged sword. This is especially true in Hip-Hop culture. We have been sued for sampling music – a practice that grew out of the fact that we could not afford musical instruments or the training necessary to play them. We have been arrested for defacing public and private property because our grafitti expression was not confined to murals and art school and painting classes. We have had people die at concerts with deaths uncompensated because we could not afford security or insurance to put on concerts properly. We have followed the principles of mob figures and corrupt corporate organizations rather than the pure science of business to build Hip-Hop related economic activities. We have accepted the pay-rates and standard contracts of an elite cabal of entertainment lawyers in other genres rather than craft a more equitable, innovative, and wealth-creating legal structure, because we didn’t know of any reputable Black or Latino lawyers or understand the recording business.

Among these shortcomings we are faced with the ultimate weapon. The reality that some of the Hip-Hop music industry has, at times, received seed capital from money and operations from criminal activities. This reality has been the case in broader music genres and in ethnic groups. The Jewish, Irish, and Italian communities all have a documented history of criminal activity funding “legitimate” or legal business activity in this country. Their illegal seed capital is a mountain compared to a molehill of Black, Latino and Arab crime “syndicates.” No street organization today can rival the mob of yesterday (and today).

But Black and Latino Hip-Hop artists have fallen victim to the White supremacy and Black/Latino inferiority complex in their cultural expressions, only helping the conspiracy against them. It was an error and always has been for these artists to glorify mob figures, even taking their names on – in business and artistic ways. It has been an error in judgment for Hip-Hop artists to glorify violence and celebrate guns, and for the Hip-Hop media – the fourth estate and conscience of the culture – to project these images for profit and endorse only a segment of the community for magazine covers and prominent features. I can easily make a sound economic case that the sex-and-violence-formula-as-business plan has meant short-term profits but now, reached a point of diminishing returns and very soon, real bankruptcy.

In the recent BlackElectorate.com chat session, on December 30, 2002, Rev. Al Sharpton said that it is not right for Black artists to engage in commerce by projecting and illustrating our negative reality, becoming wealthy; and at the same time not lift a finger to improve that social reality.

Rev. Sharpton is correct.

Now, the worst of our economic reality is being used as part of a political effort to shut down the most powerful cultural force to emerge among the youth in the last few decades.

Will we watch or fight?

Let’s all discuss this:

www.blackelectorate.com/m…msgbrd.asp

Cedric Muhammad

Friday, January 10, 2003

www.blackelectorate.com/a…asp?ID=780

 

Filed Under: archive articles, Rap Cointelpro Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,