Bill
Stephney, a former president of Def Jam Records and member of Public Enemy’s Bomb
Squad, will play host to a day-long conference on Fatherhood to be held at The
Apollo Theatre in Harlem on February 3. Stephney,
who now heads up Joseph Media, said that he has seen the need to cultivate fatherhood
through the mind state of many rappers that he’s worked with over the years. "Having
worked closely with many young rappers during the last 20 years, I can’t overstate
the amount of emotional and psychological damage that is done to young people
who grow up in what are, in essence, fatherless neighborhoods," said Stephney,
one of the conference’s organizers. Presenters
and panelists include basketball star Allan Houston, filmmaker Tyler Perry, Assistant
Secretary for Health and Human Services Dr. Wade F. Horn, Dr. Ronald Mincy, and
Alicia Crowe, author of "Real Dads Stand Up." The
conference, scheduled to coincide with Black History Month, hopes to highlight
the plight of young fathers. "Young
men seem to have no faith in their own potential so they adopt a ‘get rich or
die trying’ way of life," Stephney said. "Young women have an idea of
adult male parenting that is abstract at best, often resulting in unhealthy relationships
and a distorted view of the relevance of males to their families and communities."
The
conference will feature a screening of The Pursuit of Happyness, an award-winning
film, and a preview of Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls. Both
movies feature rappers. Will Smith stars in Happyness and Idris Elba, an
aspiring UK emcee, is the centerpiece of Daddy’s Little Girls. Stephney
has been in the entertainment arena for decades. He’s worked closely with Public
Enemy and helped to produce for the legendary rap group. He
also served as an executive at Def Jam into the 90’s. Additionally, he’s overseen
the musical direction of films like Boomerang, Clockers, CB4
and Shaft. These
days, in addition to his duties with Joseph Media, he works closely with comics
Paul Mooney and Chris Rock. With
Rock, he established the Chris Rock internship Project with Comedy Central to
create writers for TV shows. For
additional information, log on to www.realdadsnetwork.com
or call (212) 875-7725.
