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.
