Quote of the Week

Fox News genius John Gibson on how he knew the shooter at a Cleveland High School wasn’t a hip hopper (his code word for black):

“Hip-hoppers do not kill themselves. They walk away. 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.” Gibson later stated, “I know the shooter was white. I knew it as soon as he shot himself. Hip-hoppers don’t do that. They shoot and move on to shoot again.”

…Gibson continued: “So when I heard the kid shot himself, I said, well, you know, ordinarily I would expect it to maybe be a rapper, thug, gangster on campus with his nine — ‘I shining my nine, you know how I do.’ But, you know, it turns out it was a kid who would shoot himself — well, story over, not a black kid.”

_{If you read the transcript, you’ll note how Gibson repeatedly tries to blame it on hip hop despite the fact that the kid was a Marilyn Manson fan.}

Emmanuel Jal’s one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan, a former child soldier. His mother was killed, and his sister was raped by soldiers by the time he was 9 years old. He’s also a rapper, and instead of the typical fare you might hear in mainstream hip hop, Jal is bringing something very different.

“The music I used to hear was bombs and guns,
So many people die that I don’t even cry no more.
I ask God the question: What am I here for?
Why are my people poor?
I ate snails, roaches rats, frogs — anything that had life.
I know it’s a shame,
But who’s to blame?”

His music has topped the charts in Kenya, and has become popular in Europe. But will an American hip hop audience get it? He has an album coming out soon — we’ll see.

[CNN]

The congressional hearings on hip hop didn’t get very much press, and, based on the footage provided by the Daily Show I can see why. Watch older, white legislators gamely try to understand that which is over (or under, depending on your viewpoint) their heads.

Also checkout the rundown of the black issues debate at Morgan State here.

• Is that really you, Percy Miller? [Politico]

• Ten years later, Biggie’s murder case gets a shaken up, but is still no closer to being solved. [MTV]

• How we’ve missed you, Q-Tip. []

• Don’t worry, says Bill Clinton, we’ve got black voters in the bag. [USNWR]

• It’s certainly true in South Carolina. [LAT]

I would have killed to have seen Al Sharpton and Bill O’Reilly dining together at Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem recently. I could have done without O’Reilly’s on-air description of his shocking restaurant experience.

Bill O’Reilly reported that he “had a great time, and all the people up there are tremendously respectful,” adding: “I couldn’t get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia’s restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it’s run by blacks, primarily black patronship.”

Later, during a discussion with National Public Radio senior correspondent and Fox News contributor Juan Williams about the effect of rap on culture, O’Reilly asserted: “There wasn’t one person in Sylvia’s who was screaming, ‘M-Fer, I want more iced tea.’ You know, I mean, everybody was — it was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun. And there wasn’t any kind of craziness at all.”

CONTINUED »

When Al Sharpton talks, people listen. I’m not the only one who hates that this is the case, but it is the case. And thats why it’s sad that until very recently, Sharpton has been far more consumed by his hip hop crusade than the plight of the Jena Six.

Curiously, now that there is a media-heavy rally today in Jena, Al Sharpton is finally there, visiting the six teenagers that made the small Louisiana town infamous. I’m interested to know what caused him to finally take time out of his busy schedule.

The N-word is still around! So is hip hop! What could have made him leave those worthy causes to lend his voice to six kids in the Louisiana boonies. Maybe the cameras?

CONTINUED »

As 50 Cent nurses his incredibly bruised ego, canceling shows all over Europe and grumbling to anyone who will listen about how Interscope dropped the ball, I can think of one thing that will make him feel better. There’s this new-ish song called “Stronger,” and I’ve heard it has helped some people through hard times. It’s by this rapper named Kanye West? Oh, you’ve heard of him? Of course…

Kanye West’s “Graduation” (Def Jam) easily leads the star-studded class of Sept. 11 releases, posting The Billboard 200’s largest sales total in more than two years. Nielsen SoundScan will show West’s album moved 957,000 during its first six days when the tracking service refreshes its charts tomorrow morning (Sept. 19).

Also pumping album volume are 50 Cent’s “Curtis” (G-Unit/Interscope), which will lock down the No. 2 slot with 691,000 sold. Kenny Chesney’s “Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates” (BNA/Sony BMG Nashville) will bow at No. 3 with 387,000 copies.

Damn Kenny Chesney! It was a great week for hip hop, but not so much for country. Pick a better week next time, KC.

_{I’m full of advice this morning.}
[]

With the tentative word being Kanye West will thoroughly trounce 50 Cent in their race for a number 1 debut on the charts, the loser in the battle royale is getting some preliminary sour grapes in before he has to deal with next weeks Billboard charts.

First, the blame game:

“To be honest the process of selling this record hasn’t been fun,” 50 Cent said. “I’m happy with the performance, but I’m not happy with the set up. We had conference calls and after we created this plan, nobody actually had a plan.”

…50 Cent also said that he was finished with Interscope after the release of his next album, which will fulfill his contractual obligations to the label.

“It was the label,” 50 Cent said. “They’re dropping the ball all over the place. I’ll release my next album and then I’m a free agent.”

Then the unabashed sore-losing:

50 Cent also issued a warning to Def Jam, claiming he would release a new album every time the label had a big release.

“Hypothetically, if I came in under Kanye West, I would release a new album every time Def Jam had a priority. I would release a record verses every one of their top priorities,” 50 Cent said.

But I thought if you lost you weren’t going to… Nevermind. No one really believed that anyway.

[AHH]

Who says everything in Washington is partisan? The “war on hip hop” is certainly a bipartisan effort, with Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) spearheading a congressional hearing on the lyrical content and imagery associated with rap music.

“I want to engage not just the music industry but the entertainment industry at large to be part of a solution,” said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, which will hold the hearing.

Rush hopes to summon record label and entertainment company executives that control the distribution and content of rap music in an effort to examine industry practices as it relates to explicit and controversial content.

“I want to talk to executives at these conglomerates who’ve never taken a public position on what they produce,” contends Rush. “But it’s been surprisingly very difficult to get them to commit to appearing.”

Obviously, I don’t think that hip hop is in any way above reproach, and the degradation of women in the music and the surrounding culture has got to go. This is a dialogue that must be had. But is this the place? It makes me cringe when older, out of touch white men try to understand something they can’t and never will. Totally unproductive — just ask Nas and Bill O’Reilly (although he has succeeded in getting Ludacris fired from endorsements in the past).

So far, Master P is the only artist to agree to show up — a decision that is likely based partly on his honest desire to improve hip hop and partly on his honest desire to remain in the news.

The hearing is tentatively set for September 25 — if they can get anyone to show up.

[SOHH]

Kanye West has joined 50 Cent on the publicity train. And we all knew he would — I believe the Rolling Stone cover is case in point. He’s finally agreed to a “debate” with 50 Cent on BET next Tuesday, when both of their albums come out.

Terrence and Rocsi will host a “battle” during the show, where 50 Cent will perform singles from his upcoming album Curtis, while Kanye West will perform songs from his upcoming effort, Graduation.

ESPN’s Stuart Scott will deliver commentary and a statistical breakdown of both 50 Cent and Kanye West.

“How could I not come to 106 & PARK on the day my album comes out? I’m definitely coming,” West stated, while 50 Cent said ominously: “Just make sure that Kanye West shows up.”

The more publicity stunt-ish this little competition gets the more tiresome it becomes. My Team Kanye enthusiasm has weakened considerably.

Team Kenny Chesney!

[AHH]