Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons Slams FNC's Hannity Over Rapper Criticism

The Washington Times ^ | Wednesday, May 11, 2011 | Kerry Picket

[crosshairs]

Okay, whatever. So it’d be cool with Simmons for the White House to honor, for instance, neonazi- or KKK-sponsored poems. There’s probably one called “Hang ‘Em From the Trees” or “Burn That N*gger!” Because people think about racism, even if I don’t like it. Provocation is the poet’s vocation [so long as it doesn’t provoke politically important interest groups].

So theres no problem displaying Confederate flags. Cool.

[newzjunkey]

Snoop Dog is a lot less gangster than (Sean Hannity).

Now there's a mental image!

[Publius6961]

Well-known movie.

"I want you to talk! I want you to scream!"

"Play some Rap "music."

[opentalk]

link

The first lady invited a group of Detroit high school students, they are attending.

This really is a disgusting message to be giving young people struggling in a tough environment.

[chris_bdba]

I guess I’ve come to accept no class/low class from this whitehouse and am not surprised a bit. I do wonder if they realize that everytime they pull a stunt like this that they lose more and more white support and that whites still are the majority of voters in this country?

[Tublecane]

“If you go to a rap concert, most of the concertgoers are white.”

Yes, absolutely. That’s because most Americans are white. Hip-hop couldn’t be the dominant pop music genre without them.

People make too much out of racial divides. Or, rather, they don’t get the divides correct. Because obviously race matters, culturally and otherwise, but that doesn’t mean rap speaks to the black experience, exclusively or even especially. It’s definitely not popular because it reflects the audience’s experiences back at them. Most of the audience would never set foot on the other side of the tracks in their own town, let alone think about thinking about drving through Compton in an armored car. Nor does it mean when the racist version of Sean Hannity (which may be Sean Hannity himself, who knows?) decries rap he is letting slip his anti-black animus. Because racists can be racist and like rap. It’s exceedingly easy, often easier than not being racist and liking rap. Also, they can dislike rap for purely moral, aesthetic, political, etc. reasons.

By way of comparison, HBO has this obsession with race in its sports documentaries, as apparently the only way to ground athletics in a social/economic/political/cultural context is to inquire into its relationship with that particular class of interest groups. One specific movie dealt with Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and their respective constituencies. Blacks were for Lakers, you see, and whites for Celtics. Examples abounded in anecdotes concerning what sort of sneakers were acceptable on certain streetcorners, and in news footage from pimply Boston youths about how great it is that the best player in a black sport is a white dude like him.

Amid the hyperbole, a sole voice of reason rang out by clarifying that whereas 80% of the national viewing audience was white, somewhat less than 80% were Celtic fans. A little more than 20% rooted for the Lakers. Which is, well, duh! Don’t know how long that could’ve been overlooked. If it makes HBO feel better, I’ll stipulate that every single white Lakers fan was nevertheless proud that Larry Bird was one of them.

[Pharmboy]

From here

...Later that day, with Lee and Abrams accompanying him, Broadus [Snoop Doggy Dogg]was driving his Jeep past a park when he encountered Woldemariam again. Accounts of the encounter would differ, but there was no dispute over the fact that Lee [Snoop's bodyguard] shot and mortally wounded Woldemariam. Police found Woldemariam's bloody corpse in a nearby carport. Murder charges were filed against Broadus, Lee, and Abrams, all of whom had disappeared into hiding. While Broadus's attorney negotiated the terms of a surrender and bail, the rap star appeared at a televised music awards ceremony on September 2 and shouted his innocence to a cheering audience. He turned himself in later that night.

The killing occurred as Broadus's alter ego, Snoop Doggy Dogg, was becoming the most popular rap star in America. His debut album, Doggystyle, released several months after the shooting incident, sold over five million copies. One of its songs, "Murder Was the Charge" was promoted heavily by his record label in a video that featured Snoop as a man who kills someone in self-defense, but is convicted of murder. The notoriety of Snoop Dogg's impending trial

Read more: Snoop Doggy Dogg Trial: 1995-96 - A Rising Rap Star - Woldemariam, Broadus, Shooting, Gang, Murder, and Lee http://law.jrank.org/pages/3692/Snoop-Doggy-Dogg-Trial-1995-96-Rising-Rap-Star.html#ixzz1M4S1ApYC