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Russell

Simmons will be holding a ‘closed door’ meeting with

artists and executives from the Hip-Hop/urban community for a discussion on the

future of Hip-Hop and how the genre can be moved forward in a positive direction.Sources

told AllHipHop.com that the invitation only meeting takes place on Wednesday (Apr.18)

at Lyor Cohen’s Manhattan residence.The

meeting comes shortly after the ousting of talk show host Don Imus and the heightened

criticism of Hip-Hop’s representation of women. Imus

was fired after making sexist and racist remarks about the Rutgers University

basketball team.A

number of activists are now shifting their focus to Hip-Hop, including Reverend

Al Sharpton, who has received a number of death threats over the past few days

due to his involvement in the Imus controversy. On

Friday (Apr. 13), Sharpton announced that he would turn his attention to the music

industry, specifically Hip-Hop music. Sharpton

said his National Action Network wants to also meet with performers in the industry

about lyrics that he claims are racist and demeaning to women.Sharpton

may have many followers on his side, but some activists aren’t quite receptive

of Sharpton’s stance on Hip-Hop. “Language

can be a powerful tool. That is why one’s intention, when using the power of language,

should be made clear,” said Dr. Benjamin Chavis, president of the Hip-Hop

Summit Action Network and Russell Simmons in a joint statement released on Friday

(Apr. 13). “Comparing Don Imus’ language with Hip-Hop artists’ poetic expression

is misguided and inaccurate and feeds into a mindset that can be a catalyst for

unwarranted, rampant censorship." Russell

Simmons is also scheduled to appear on Good Morning America and an episode

of The Oprah Winfrey Show later this week.