Free Republic

Rappers like Trae Tha Truth and Bun B have been helping residents in their city of Houston and its surrounding areas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. While Trae has been on the ground rescuing people from flooded homes and Bun B is organizing a telethon to raise money for victims, much criticism has been directed toward President Trump and his apparent lack of effort. Houston rhymer Lil’ Flip thinks the hate should be turned into help from those criticizing the Commander-in-Chief. The 36-year-old rap veteran, who released his new song “B*tch I’m the Man (B.I.T.M.)” yesterday, is praising Trump...

Those who long for a traditional high school or college curriculum, particularly when they never experienced one, might not appreciate the internal conflicts that plague multicultural education. "Many Hip Hop pedagogies, from Alim's critical Hip Hop language pedagogies (2004) to Emdin's work on Hip Hop and science education (2010), for example, argue for the use of rap battles--improvised verbal duels--in classroom learning," Django Paris and H. Samy Alim write in the book Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies. "Yet few take up the fact that the Hip Hop battle can sometimes be a masculinist space that excludes young women, queer youth, and young...

If Drake looks smug and Dave Grohl looks a little stricken in the photos above, there's a good reason: Nielsen tracking indicates hip-hop and R&B have officially become the most dominant form of popular music in the United States for the first time ever. As HuffPo reports, the reason for hip-hop's supremacy—25 percent of the retail music market over 23 percent for rock—may not be a big surprise. The reason for hip-hop and R&B overtaking rock is simple: online streaming. When it comes to album sales, rock continues to dominate, claiming 43 percent of physical album sales and 37 percent...

Rapper Bow Wow took to Twitter to defend his mentor Snoop Dogg in his public feud with President Donald Trump, but he drew in First Lady Melania Trump and in a way that was derogatory, offensive and sexist. He told the president he should shut his punk (executive) up about Dogg. He then if said the president didn’t stop attacking Dogg, “we” would take an action that suggests turning the First Lady into a prostitute. His tweet crossed several important lines. First it implied a certain attitude among rich, powerful, arrogant and misogynist men. It is that women only exist...

T.I. has issued a stern warning to his celebrity peers meeting with Trump: “Do not accept any invitation to have any meeting... No matter how positive you think the outcome may be.” On Monday, T.I. shared his two cents on the matter in a series of Instagram video posts explaining his theory on the Trump administration’s “strategic plan” to help normalize the president-elect. “They see how adamantly against [Trump] being president the hip-hop community and the young black people was in America,” he said. “So what did they do? They get Kanye West to come in. Well, surely, ‘if you...

Kanye West didn’t participate in the election earlier this month, but he would have voted for President-elect Donald Trump if he had. The 39-year-old rapper and songwriter told concert-goers in San Jose that he supported the business tycoon and future POTUS on Thursday. “I told y’all I didn’t vote, right?” the “Fade” performer asked the crowd during his performance at the SAP Center. “But, if I would have voted, I would have voted on Trump.” The audience responded with a combination of cheers and boos, but that didn’t stop West. “To black people, stop focusing on racism,” he continued. “It’s...

Portland Public Schools officials are rethinking a district ban on rap music on buses after allegations of racism. The district had banished hip-hop from its buses, deeming the genre "inappropriate." Teri Brady, senior director of transportation at Portland Public Schools, sent a directive to bus drivers in March forbidding "religious, rap music, or talk show programs." The memo included a list of acceptable stations, broken down into three genres: pop, country and jazz. Parent Colleen Ryan-Onken obtained a copy and it circulated in August among outraged parents, prompting the district to walk back the directive in statements released Wednesday.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A hip-hop video shoot shut down parts of Route 66 in New Mexico last weekend because lowriders were driving around in circles as a crowd of hundreds twerked in the street. ... Macias said "it was nice to see families coming together on a summer night."

As I watched a video recently of Black Lives Matter protestors, I saw several of the mostly peaceful marchers raise their hands in the "Hands Up, Don't shoot" routine. Apparently, they haven't heard that Michael Brown never said that but since, celebrities, athletes, the mainstream media and of course, Democrats continue to spread that lie, who can blame the low infos from believing it. [snip] Certainly, the demonstrators don't even pay attention to what black journalists have reported but they aren't interested unless Beyonce, Jay-Z and other hip-hop singers tell them what to think. When MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart, wrote an...

The man who killed five Dallas police officers and wounded seven others was described as a loner, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and a follower of black militant groups on social media. Among the Facebook "likes" of 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson were the African American Defense League and the New Black Panther Party, which was founded in Dallas. He also was a member of the Facebook group "Black Panther Party Mississippi." A photo on Facebook showed Johnson wearing a dashiki - his raised, clinched fist over the words "Black Power."(continued)

Seven people were arrested and nearly 100 needed medical attention after country singer Kenny Chesney performed in Pittsburgh last night on his Spread the Love tour. The concert at Heinz Field drew about 40,000 people on Saturday night, 37 of whom were taken to the hospital mostly due to dehydration and intoxication, according to the city's public safety director, the Post Gazette reported. From midnight to 6am on Sunday, the city's sanitation department cleared a shocking 48 tons of garbage left behind from the tailgate party, TribLive reported. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3672409/25-people-taken-hospitals-Kenny-Chesney-concert.html#ixzz4DNedIr3C Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A shooting left multiple people wounded Wednesday night during a concert at Irving Plaza in Union Square. Shots were fired at the concert venue, at 17 Irving Pl. near Union Square, around 10 p.m., officials told CBS2. There were reports of multiple shooting victims – as many as two or three – and one of the victims reportedly had life-threatening injuries. It was unknown if there were any arrests. Hip-hop artist T.I. was performing a concert at the venue at the time.

“The small drug users who were diseased and locked away deserve it? Bill Clinton u owe the black community and black lives matter an apology,” Def Jam Recordings co-founder says Russell Simmons was not impressed with Bill Clinton’s comments about the Black Lives Matter movement — and let the former president know it. “The small drug users who were diseased and locked away deserve it? Bill Clinton u owe the black community and black lives matter an apology,” the Def Jam Recordings co-founder and Phat Farm founder tweeted Thursday night. Simmons also linked out to a report on NPR detailing...

Mike also compares Sanders to Jesus. Killer Mike and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders sat down for a conversation at the Run The Jewels MC’s barbershop recently. The talk, which is broken down in six parts, was released today and it goes over everything from Donald Trump being scary for America to free healthcare being available to everybody. Their conversation also gave Mike a chance to fully endorse Sanders for President. “You have been the only candidate that I have seen able to connect people who were once disconnected in this way,” he said....

A California mom with a passion for dance and a third child on the way has come out swinging at suggestions her high-energy hip hop moves could endanger her unborn baby. Christina Litle, a 28-year-old Napa photographer who's been dancing nearly all her life, caused quite a stir when she posted a video in which she showcases her impressive moves while 27 weeks pregnant. While discussing the online reaction to her video, Litle told INSIDE EDITION she believes her rump shaking isn't just safe--it's also kept her body strong and better prepared for labor. "There are ways to be careful,"...

Thousands of black men, women, and children convened at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for the “Justice or Else” rally to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March on Saturday (Oct. 10). Some celebrities were in attendance including Diddy, Common, J. Cole and Snoop Dogg. Also in attendance at the rally were rappers Jay Electronica, Jeezy, Ty Dolla $ign and Bryshere Gray who plays Hakeem on Fox’s hit show Empire. Rap mogul Russell Simmons and Public Enemy founder Chuck D was also spotted in the crowd. The event was organized by Nation of Islam leader the Honorable...

Donald Trump has become public enemy number one in the rap world and now Jeezy is chiming in. Trump pissed a lot of people off during a recent press conference when he claimed that Mexican immigrants entering the United States are criminals. “The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems,” said Trump. “It’s true, and there are the best and the finest. When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re...

The IRS wants to know more about the income of one half of hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse. In a court filing, the government asked a judge Wednesday to enforce a summons against Joseph Utsler, better known by his stage name, Shaggy 2 Dope. Utsler's partner in Insane Clown Posse is Joseph Bruce, known as Violent J. Separately, they have been challenging the U.S. Justice Department over a 2011 report that described their fans, the Juggalos, as a "hybrid gang."

An imprisoned hip hop artist currently serving a 10-year sentence in a California state penitentiary released a track decrying the prevalence of state violence against black communities. The song, 28 Hours, by Richie Reseda, was co-released by Black Lives Matter and Los Angeles-based art collective G.R.E.E.D.Y. City last month. With lyrics that reference the deaths of Renisha McBride, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and others, the song represents a passionate, politically charged condemnation of police violence and mass incarceration. “Suicide, genocide at the same time,” sings Reseda. “No one’s on my side so I throw up gang signs. Red and...

Where can you find graphic depictions of kidnapping, nudity, torture, vandalism, forced drug use, drowning, and murder? Probably not even in the worst horror movie, but Rihanna’s new seven minute music video (WARNING: Highly Graphic Imagery) somehow manages to fit in every one of these things. “Bitch Better Have My Money” tells the story of a sadistic woman (Rihanna), her accountant, and the accountant’s blonde-model girlfriend. The end is bad – Rihanna murders the accountant for not ‘having her money.’ But most of the video doesn’t even focus on this. Instead, it depicts Rihanna kidnapping and abusing the nameless blonde,...