eleven11.twelve12.seventy-four74: hip-hop

Showing posts with label hip-hop. Show all posts

Thursday, August 23, 2012

The Changing Face Of Homophobia In Hip-Hop

When Frank Ocean revealed last month on his blog that his first love was a man, it may have marked a shift in hip-hop's attitude toward homophobia. The AP asked a handful of hip-hop recording artists to react to Ocean's announcement.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Ashley Judd: Hip-Hop Has A 'Rape Culture'

Judd, as YouthAIDS Global Ambassador, speaks a...

Image via Wikipedia

By: Jenée Desmond-Harris

RadarOnline reports that actress Ashley Judd's new memoir, All That Is Bitter and Sweet, includes attacks on Snoop Dogg, Diddy, and rap and hip-hop overall. The commentary, which was made in the context of discussion of her work in AIDS awareness, includes the following quotes: CONTINUE....

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

COMMENTARY: Relationship Between Obama and Hip Hop Is Being Tested

By Tonyaa Weathersbee

It was a romance that was bound to hit a rough patch on the Barack Obama campaign trail.

For some time now, a flirtation of sorts has been going on between the hip-hop world and the first black presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Common mentions Obama in his song, “The People.” Vibe Magazine dubbed him “B-Rock.” Obama even borrowed a bit from Jay-Z with the “dirt-off-your-shoulder” gesture he used to blow off opponent Sen. Hillary Clinton and others who were hatin’ on him.

But that relationship was bound to be tested in a big way.

Obama‘s campaign recently had to disavow remarks by Ludacris who, in typical street style, praised Obama by dissing his opponents. In a song titled “Politics as Usual,” Ludacris used the B-word to describe Clinton, called President Bush “mentally handicapped,” and said that Obama’s septuagenarian GOP challenger John McCain doesn‘t belong in “any chair unless he’s paralyzed.”

COMMENTARY....

Monday, November 26, 2007

NBC 'NIGHTLY NEWS' TO EXPLORE BLACK WOMEN

Beginning tonight, "NBC News with Brian Williams" will examine issues facing African-American women across the U.S. in a new series "African-American Women: Where They Stand."

The series will cover a wide-range of topics - from their role in the '08 Presidential race, to the increased health-risks that have been of longtime concern.

Monday's installment will discuss the progress of African-American women in the field of education. Nearly two-thirds of African-American undergraduates are women. At black colleges, the ratio of women to men is 7 to 1. And that is leading to a disparity in the number of African-American women who go on to own their own businesses. Rehema Ellis will talk to educators, students and businesswomen about the reasons behind the disparity.

Tuesday, Ellis will look at the relationships of African-American women, and how the gender disparity in education and business has an affect on relationships sought by those women. Some even say the implications could redefine "Black America's family and social structure." In the past fifty years, the percentage of African-American women between 25-54 who have never been married has doubled from 20% to 40%. (Compared to just 16% of white women who have never been married today). Ellis sits down with the members of a Chicago book club and talk about this difference and how it impacts them.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman will discuss the increases risks for breast cancer for African-American women on Wednesday. Mortality rates for African-American women are higher than any other racial or ethnic group for nearly every major cause of death, including breast cancer. Not only are African-American women more likely to die from breast cancer, but they're less likely to get life-saving treatments. Dr. Snyderman will profile one of the only oncologists in the world who specializes in the treatment of African-American women with breast cancer.

On Thursday, Ron Allen will take viewers to South Carolina -- the first southern primary state -- and ask the question: Will race trump gender or gender trump race? In South Carolina, black women made up nearly 30 percent of all democratic primary voters in 2004. This year, polls show a significant number are undecided, torn between choosing the first African-American or first female Presidential candidate. Allen talks with the undecided, as well the state directors for the Clinton and Obama campaigns, who happen to be African-American women.

To close the series on Friday, Dr. Snyderman will raise the frightening statistic that African-American women are 85% more likely to get diabetes, a major complication for heart disease. And, like breast cancer, more black women die from heart disease than white women. Dr. Snyderman will profile a leading expert and a unique church-based outreach program in South Carolina that seeks to spread the word about heart disease risks to black women congregants.

Meanwhile, Mara Schiavocampo, Digital Correspondent for "Nightly News," will address two hot topics in the African American community: interracial dating and the impact of hip hop music on black women.

• An Essence.com poll found that 81% of participants approved of black women dating non-black men. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report in 2000, 95,000 black women were married to white men. In 2005, that number increased to 134,000. Schiavocampo will talk to experts about the trend and discuss how this defines the "Black family" of the future.

• Schiavocampo will convene a panel of leading black men and women from the hip-hop industry for a discussion on whether hip hop lyrics and videos positively or negatively affect black women. The roundtable also will address how these portrayals are affecting relationships between black women and black men.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

HIP-HOP BLAMED AGAIN

By Chris Richburg

Shades of Don Imus’s controversial radio scandal arose this week, as nationally syndicated Fox News host John Gibson placed the blame of a recent school shooting in Cleveland, Ohio on Hip-Hop culture.

During a Wednesday (Oct. 10) broadcast of Gibson's radio show the John Gibson Show, Gibson said he "knew" that the person at the center of the shooting, 14-year-old Asa Coon, was white, because "'he killed himself."

Coon was a student at Success Tech Academy, a predominately black high school in Cleveland.

According to reports, Coon went on a shooting rampage on Wednesday (October 10th), wounding two teachers and two other students before killing himself.

"Black shooters don't do that; they shoot and move on," Gibson said.

During his show on Thursday (October 11th), Gibson defended his comments, as he alleged that Coon’s suicide did not fit the mold of a "classic Hip-Hop shooting," after realizing the student was a fan of rocker Marilyn Manson.

"He killed himself. Hip-Hoppers do not kill themselves. They walk away," Gibson explained. "Now, I didn't need to hear the kid was white with blond hair. Once he'd shot himself in the head, no Hip-Hopper."

As authorities continue to investigate the incident, Gibson hinted that the influence of Hip-Hop may have been a motivator.

"I mean, where do they think these kids are getting these messages of, you know, loading an extra shot in their mac? [Military Armament Corporation Model style of gun]," the radio host said of the criticism, before playing a portion of 50 Cent’s song "Fully Loaded Clip."

"I got a fully loaded clip. Why would you think African-American kids would be so enamored with messing around with guns?," Gibson asked after playing the song.

"I mean, it's only in every third Hip-Hop song," Gibson continued.

Although his views have generated opposition, Gibson justified his stance with his observation on what he called "African-American gangster shooters."

"I'm being accused of being a racist for making this observation about an issue we've been talking about here for over a year, and that is the black-on-black boundaries of the African-American community," he said. "They [African-Americans] don't shoot somebody and then say, ‘Oh, I'm so unhappy. This is such a scar on my soul, I've got to shoot myself in the head.’ Am I right about that or wrong about that?..Gangster shooters don't do that. They're happy they got off the first shot. They're happy they killed the guy they were aiming at. They get in their car, and they move on down the road, probably looking over their shoulders a little bit."

Prior to the shooting, Coon had been suspended after a fist fight on Monday (Oct. 8).

His 19-year-old brother, Stephen Coon was taken into police custody on Thursday, adding that it was unclear why he was taken away.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON HIP-HOP

Congressional Hearings on Hip Hop - Panel 2

David Banner Interview After Testifying Before Congress

Michael Eric Dyson After Testifying Before Congress

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

CONGRESS ASKS QUESTIONS ABOUT HIP HOP LYRICS

Congress took aim yesterday at rappers and the labels who promote them as lingering fallout from the DON IMUS controversy continued, writes THE NEW YORK POST. Testifying were VIACOM CEO PHILIPPE DAUMAN, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP CEO DOUG MORRIS, WARNER MUSIC GROUP CEO EDGAR BRONFMAN JR. and RADIO ONE CEO ALFRED LIGGINS.

The execs, along with rappers MASTER P and DAVID BANNER, were summoned before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, chaired by BOBBY RUSH (D-IL), to answer questions about sexist and racially charged lyrics in hip-hop.

MORRIS, whose company has a pair of smashes with new albums from KANYE WEST and 50 CENT, was quick to downplay hip-hop's influence. He noted that sales in the genre are off by 44% since 2000 and now account for just 10% of total industry sales.

Meanwhile MORRIS and BRONFMAN both said their companies attempt to alert parents about potentially inappropriate lyrics by including parental advisory labels on releases intended for mature audiences. DAUMAN said that VIACOM, owner of MTV and BET, monitors videos for offensive language and gestures.

"You won't hear the "b" word or "h" word or "n" word in any of our music videos . . . nor will you see gang symbols or portrayals of violence and drug use," said DAUMAN.

Rappers testifying were split in their opinions on the situation. MASTER P apologized for his past use of offensive lyrics, while DAVID BANNER said hip-hop was misunderstood and the subject of unfair scrutiny."Hip-hop is sick because AMERICA is sick," he said.

MORRIS cautioned that the issue is ultimately one of free speech and choice. "People buy and listen to what they like -- and we have landfills full of CDs they don't like," he said.

JUMP OFF TV NEWS

24 September 2007 Hip Hop NewsCast

Friday, September 21, 2007

BMI Urban Awards Held In Las Vegas

The Newest BMI "Icon"

U.S. performing rights organization BMI saluted the world’s premier R&B, rap and hip-hop songwriters, producers and publishers at its Urban Awards, held at the ZUMANITY THEATRE at NEW YORK-NEW YORK HOTEL AND CASINO in LAS VEGAS.

T.I., NE-YO and MR. COLLIPARK each earned Songwriter of the Year titles. "Check On It" secured Song of the Year honors for co-writers SLIM THUG and SEAN GARRETT, and a special presentation officially recognized legendary MC JOSEPH "REV RUN" SIMMONS of RUN DMC as the newest BMI Icon.

The night’s other big winners included PHARRELL WILLIAMS, who earned the Producer of the Year title; EMI Music Publishing, named Urban Publisher of the Year; and T-PAIN’s "I’m N Luv (Wit A Stripper)," which nabbed the BMI Urban Ringtone Award.

As one third of RUN-DMC, REV RUN helped change the sound of rap by simultaneously being more street and rock ‘n’ roll than his contemporaries. From the boom-box classic single "Sucker MCs" (1983) to their standard-setting discs RUN-DMC, King of Rock, Raising Hell and Tougher Than Leather, RUN-DMC defined a new level of cool for the world. Dressed in their trademark black hats and outfits to match, RUN-DMC stayed at the top of the pop charts for most of the ’80s and knocked open the doors to commercial freedom for the rap generation.