Free Republic

With high-profile rap stars like Jay Z speaking on the controversial George Zimmerman verdict earlier this month, Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon is the latest emcee to reveal his reaction. In Rae's opinion, the Trayvon Martin family's fate was sealed with the selected jurors not having any compassion or realizing how defenseless the slain 17-year-old was. "When I heard about the verdict, about the Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman case, I was sad," Rae revealed in an interview. "I was disappointed in the justice system and I felt like they didn't really pay attention to the case the way they were supposed...

Jay-Z attends a rally in support of Trayvon Martin on July 20, 2013 in New York CityAn extensive interview with Jay Z has revealed that the rapper was “angry” at the outcome of the George Zimmerman verdict, a case he followed closely through its duration. In the interview with Elliott Wilson of Rap Radar, Wilson brought up President Barack Obama’s statement on the verdict, which the MC called “amazing,” after which Wilson asked point blank for the rapper’s thoughts on the trial’s finale. “I was really angry,” Jay said. “I didn’t sleep for two days. We all knew there was...

Coming soon to your television… “All My Baby’s Mamas” a reality show starring rapper Shardy Low and the ten women who had eleven of his babies. The show is scheduled to air this spring on Oprah’s Oxygen Channel. (VIDEO AT LINK) That’s not a house. That’s a harem...

A lieutenant in the Dallas Police Department who goes by the name “Lucille Baller” when she promotes herself as a recording artist promises to shoot anyone who messes with her in a rap song that was posted on her website. “Don’t push Ms. Lucy because you won’t like the consequences,” Dallas Police Lt. Regina Smith raps on the recording. “Mess with me or I will shoot a [expletive] cuz Lucille Baller, she been to hell and back.” Smith, who oversees burglary and theft detectives at the Southwest and Northwest patrol investigative units, will likely face an internal affairs investigation over...

Did you know Juggalos are considered a "criminal gang" by the FBI? "It gets laughs out of people, but think about it," Violent J tells Fuse. "That's insane." After Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope tweeted a mysterious message earlier this week talking about "the biggest announcement of Insane Clown Posse's career," we've now got an answer: ICP is suing the FBI. The problem is that the FBI considers Juggalos—what ICP fans call themselves—a real-deal criminal gang. According to the FBI's 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment report, Juggalos are considered an official "concern to law enforcement." The members of Insane...

Full title: Americans James Blackston, Unnamed Teen, Arrested in Connection with Death of Nicola Furlong After Nicki Minaj Tokyo Concert TOP STORY: Two black Americans, one identified as dancer James Blackstone (James “King Tight” Blackstone or James Blackston), and another unnamed teen, (reported as Larry Perry) have been arrested in connection with the death of an Irish exchange student, Nicola Furlong, in Tokyo, Japan.

Nicki Minaj, the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 list at the same time, announced today the first set of dates for her “Pink Friday” concert tour. The 29-year-old Trinidad-born rapper, who now makes New York City her home, is perhaps best known for the bump and grind she performed this past February while sharing the stage with Madonna during the Super Bowl half time show. She was no less provocative last month in an appearance on ABC’s “Nightline” when she said that she contemplated killing her father when she was younger. In...

Two young ladies who are leaders in youth groups for Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN) grilled a radio executive about his lucrative hip hop music programming, asking whether it was any different than drug dealers making money and why would the executive promote material that “degrades us and dumbs our African American people down just to make money?” At the NAN convention in Washington, D.C., a panel discussion was held entitled “Media Race” that was led by MSNBC’s Rev. Al Sharpton, who founded NAN, and included Alfred C. Liggins III, the CEO of Radio One, the seventh largest...

Kanye West didn't bring a picket sign, but he was flashing a big gold grill on his bottom teeth. The outspoken, be-blinged rapper was the latest celeb to join the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City yesterday, but wound up beating a hasty retreat after the crowds got a little rowdy at the sight of him. So what went down when he popped up at Liberty Square?

"Politics" is the latest dirty word for rapper Luther Campbell to work into his vocabulary. Campbell, the raunchy rapper from 2 Live Crew, is running for Miami-Dade County mayor in Florida and thinks he could boost the economy with a tax on exotic dancers. "I'm mad frustrated," Campbell said about crime in his hometown in an interview in the Miami New Times. "Why aren't we getting it right in Miami-Dade? Why is our government only serving one set of people? That's what is pushing me to run." Retna / Corbis; Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images Pictured is Luther Campbell...

PALM BAY, Fla. -- A 14-year-old black Palm Bay teen, accused of attacking a white man for listening to rap music, could be charged with a hate-crime. Officers arrested Joshuah Eligah Lamb late Monday and charged him with battery.In a report released Wednesday (read report), Lamb told the victim to turn his music off, but the man refused and told Lamb that he could listen to whatever he wants. The report also states that the teen was in the company of other juvenile males and females, who also attempted to get involved in the dispute.Police say Lamb told the 22-year-old...

Last week, MTV News unveiled its list of the Hottest MCs in the Game (topped, rightfully so, by none other than Jay-Z). This week marks a key moment in hip-hop history, as the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" — the first real hip-hop single — was unleashed a full 30 years ago. If you had described the concept of "Rapper's Delight" to somebody ("Hey, I've got this breakdown in the middle of a disco song — let me rhythmically recite poetry over it!") in the age before rap music, that person probably would have rolled his eyes at the very concept....

Three energetic young girls from Arcadia High School have been successful in having 20 offensive Rap songs banned from their high school prom dance. The trio got 1,000 other students to sign a petition excoriating Rap tunes that employ against women derogatory terms such as "bitches" and "Hos." With their campaign the girls of the Arcadia High Women's Health and Issues Club convinced school administrators to drop the songs from the prom music playlist. Club members were not advocating for replacement songs nor for any particular genera of music, just to eliminate songs that featured abusive language toward women, presented...

“The roots of hip-hop subculture are demonic, and are similar to other subcultures with an antiestablishment, “Down with the man” mentality. Fatherless-ness, rebellion, oppression, anguish, poverty, violence, and other negative influences created this subculture.” – G. Craig Lewis G. Craig Lewis gets real about the Rap and Hip-Hop subculture in the world. The devil is trying to erase lines that divide holiness from godlessness – and he’s using hip hop to do it. So says G. Craige Lewis, founder of EX Ministries. Lewis is shouting from the rooftops about the Satan’s strategy to infiltrate the Church of Jesus Christ with...

Rapper Snoop Dogg made an appearance Sunday at the Nation of Islam's annual Saviours Day convention, praising Minister Louis Farrakhan and suggesting that he is a member of the movement. Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, gave a $1,000 donation to the Nation and said he will always seek the minister out.

Finally, a candidate speaks the language-izzle of the youth-n-tizzle. Stating that the only thing we have to fizzle is fizzle itsizzle, Barack Obama hopes to pull in more young Americans with his Fireside-izzle Chat-n-tizzles. These weekly radio chats--or raps, as the youngsters call them--will be used as a psychological stimulus plan in conjunction with a massive spending plan aimed at re-igniting Americans' addictive reliance on credit and habitual over-spending for non-essential bling. The bling industry has been particularly hard-hit, according to suburban rap artist BIG-E Def-i$it. "My grill is now only 18 carat and cubic zirconium, dog," said Def-i$it. "And...

T.I. is joining the Hip Hop Caucus for the newly announced Respect My Vote! campaign to register and mobilize voters: "The campaign, led by T.I. will employ other celebrities, athletes and high profile influential figures to get out the vote in a variety of ways including PSAs for radio, television and online use; in person appearances; press events; mobile and email alerts from celebrities themselves; and an aggressive online campaign." "Famed photographer Jonathan Mannion has been exclusively tapped to shoot portraits of the famous faces adoring the "Respect My Vote!" slogan and t-shirt produced by forthcoming AKOO clothing line as...

Al Gore likes to say that human caused global warming is an indisputable fact. And using the same way of thinking of an Al Gore, it’s just as rational for me to say that it’s an indisputable fact that RAP music kills more people than cigarettes. I mean we can see from a random sampling of two decades prior to RAP music in a scientific assessment of two decades since RAP music the increase in killings which, of course, we must attribute to human caused RAP music, not to speak of the message of murder, cop killing, rape, drugs and...

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Comedian Bill Cosby's hip-hop album, described as an "unflinching look at life in the 21st century, but without the profanity, misogyny, violence and braggadocio" is expected to reach stores within the next several weeks, a spokesman said. "Cosby Narratives Vol. 1: State of Emergency" is designed as a companion to Cosby's provocative book "Come on People: On the Path From Victims to Victors," which he co-wrote with Dr. Alvin Poussaint last year. The album weaves hip-hop, jazz, pop, funk and other genres around frank, positive messages drawn from Cosby's lyrics, stories and musical ideas. Cosby does...

Will this rap song with a positive message get any play in the MSM? Will a rapper that is telling kids to quit acting like a punk and grow up resonate?Okay, I'm a nearly 50 year-old white dude, so you won't catch me trying to be "all that" with the kid's rap music. In fact, I hate the stuff. [I was listening to Beethoven, Glenn Miller, U2 and The Police today, if that helps pinpoint me] HOWEVER... and this is a big one, too... I am compelled to pass on the latest tune from Mr. Bomani D. Armah, the self-proclaimed...