(AllHipHop News) Hip-Hop mogul Russell Simmons has been named person of the year by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
PETA selected Simmons to due his well known vegan lifestyle, in addition to the Def Jam founder’s activism championing animal rights.
“The horrible abuse of animals is the worst karmic disaster in the history of human kind,” Simmons said of his award. “The work that PETA does to combat this catastrophe is amazing.”
Simmons, who has been a vegan for over ten years now and was also recently selected by PETA to receive his own postage stamp, accepted his award on behalf of animal rights activists nationwide.
“I’m truly humbled to be chosen as this year’s Person of the Year but the praise should go to the hundreds of thousands of volunteers that are on the ground doing the work. I accept this honor on their behalf.”
“Don’t you give me I’ll that jive/’bout things that happened before I was alive.” “Christmas Rappin'”-Kurtis Blow
I ain’t gonna front. One of my favorite X-Mass shows when I was a kid was, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” I always thought it was so gangsta how an ugly green dude with a stank attitude could roll down to Whoville one night and rob the whole ‘hood without waking anybody up. I guess the same way that somebody could steal Hip Hop without anybody noticing…One of the hardest things to do is to break people out of their beliefs in myths. From childhood, we are taught to believe in a tooth fairy that leaves quarters under pillows and Easter bunnies that leave baskets on doorsteps. While most people grow out of such beliefs, the Hip Hop myth that if you hustle hard, you too can live the life of the rich and shameless that you see on tv seems to last from the cradle to the grave.‘Tis the season to believe in flying reindeer and talking snowmen. However, Hip Hop-wise, we must ask ourselves is the myth about a fat, old white dude sliding down “chimneys” in the middle of the night in the grimiest projects any less believable than the story of an overweight corrections officer becoming a drug dealin’ superstar rapper?Also, while no self-respecting “G” would be caught dead walking through the ‘hood in a bright red Santa suit, that same dude would have no problem walking through the mall with his pants saggin’ as a symbol of manhood.Webster’s dictionary defines myth as, “an unproved or false collective belief used to justify social institutions.” While many Hip Hop fans co-sign this when talking about elves, they will give you the screw face when you are talking about Hip Hop.Most religious or cultural myths are based on some historical truth or tradition and since Hip Hop has become a “religion” for some people, the same standard applies. While the roots of rap music can be traced back to the oral traditions of Africa, the same can be said about religion, as the three “major” western religions also have their roots in ancient African civilizations. One of the fathers of western theology, St Augustine once said, “What is known as the Christian religion existed even among the ancients and was not lacking from the beginning of the human race until ‘Christ came in flesh.”While it is true that Christmas is rooted on the principle of “Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards men, ” it is imperative that we study how religions have been used for what the late historian, Dr. John Henrik Clarke called “male chauvinist murder causes.” The same goes for Hip Hop, as Afrika Bambaataa’s vision of “Peace, Unity, Love and having fun” was jacked and has been used to promote the worst aspects of society.According to Dean Dudley, in “History of the First Council of Nice” the use of Christianity as an excuse for military aggression can be traced back to around 300 AD when the Roman emperor, Constantine, supposedly, had a vision where a cross appeared with the inscription “IN HOC SIGNO VINCES” (Under this sign thou shalt conquer.) Following this were hundreds of years of the enslavement of conquered people under the guise of religion. But Hip Hop has also been used to enslave the minds of the masses by corporations who believe that rappers are worth more dead than alive. It must be said that we are not dissin’ a belief system but how beliefs can be misused to manipulate the masses.How many people are aware that when they are poppin’ bottles in the club on Christmas night thinking that they are celebrating the “birth of Christ,” according to Rev. Alexander Hislop in his book “Two Babylons,” they are, actually, celebrating the ‘Winter Solstice” or “Saturnalia” when the Romans got their drink on ? (among other things.)While it may be true that “Jingle Bells’ being pumped over mall intercoms may subliminally seduce you into spending all your money on some bling for your shawtie, we can’t forget that not too long ago songs like “Neva Scared” by Bone Crusher and “Tear da Club Up” by Three Six Mafia were accused of inciting violence.Mental programing runs deep.Although, the “Three Wise Men” who created Hip Hop may be Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, it was some other evil, wise men who have destroyed it. These Ebenezer Scrooges are so ruthless that they would take Tiny Tim’s crutches and give him a beat-down and pump holes in the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.In his book “Afrikan People and European Holidays: A Mental Genocide ,” Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango wrote about how people will “embrace and put energy into a thing without ever analyzing the impact, for better or for worst, it may have upon them and their posterity for generations to come. ” The book goes on to expose the true origins of Santa Claus, Christmas Trees, etc,Unfortunately, you stand a better chance telling a five year old child that Santa Claus is a phony than convincing a 30 year old Hip Hop head that the music that he has labeled “street certified” is really a product of Ivy League think tanks and Wall Street marketing campaigns.We must begin to understand that Knowledge is power and the best way to keep a people powerless is to deny them access to it and keep them locked into accepting myths as undisputed Truth. So this year, the best gift we can give our children is Hip Hop’s forgotten 5th element; Knowledge.That’s the real gift that keeps on giving.TRUTH Minista Paul Scott represents the Militant Mind Militia. He can be reached at militantmindmilitia@gmail.com website http://www.militantmindmilitia.com Twitter @truthminista
(AllHipHop News) Legendary poet Maya Angelou has publicly chastised rapper Common over his track “The Dreamer,” from his album The Dreamer, The Believer.
Maya Angelou, who wrote the poem contained on “The Dreamer,” was offended by Common’s lyrics on the track.
She was especially offended at Common’s usage of the “N-word.”
“I had no idea that Common was using the piece we had done together on [a track] in which he also used the ‘N’ word numerous times,” Maya Angelou told The New York Post.
Maya Angelou said that she was “surprised and disappointed” and that she had never heard Common use the word.
“I don’t know why he chose to do that. I had never heard him use that [word] before. I admired him so because he wasn’t singing the line of least resistance,” Maya Angelou said.
Common told The Post that the N word was “a part” of him, but he admitted that he never warned Maya Angelou about his lyrical content.
“I told her what ‘The Dreamer’ was about and what I wanted to get across to people,” Common said. “I wanted young people to hear this and feel like they could really accomplish their dreams.”
(AllHipHop News) Atlanta, Georgia based producer Zaytoven recently spoke with AllHipHop.com about his recent work on Gucci Mane and V-Nasty’s mixtape, BAYTL, as well as his upcoming work with Nicki Minaj.
The producer, who cut his teeth with JT the Bigga Figga in the Bay Area, said that he enjoyed working with V-Nasty.
“Well I really saw that as a great opportunity for me, cause I kinda got big in Atlanta, but I started doing my music in the Bay,” Zaytoven told AllHipHop.com.
“Gucci called me and was like, man we gonna do a project with V-Nasty and I hadn’t even heard of her, but he [Gucci Mane] was like ‘I might be one of their biggest fans,'” Zaytoven explained.
Zaytoven said the controversial Bay Area femcee reminded him of Gucci Mane.
“She remind me so much of Gucci Mane, I really rock with V-Nasty, I like how she get down, I like how she come across, I like her style, I like the controversy that she brings.”
Zaytoven also commented V-Nasty and collaborator Kreayshawn ‘s use of the N-word, which has drawn fierce criticism in rap circles.
“As far as the N-word, I don’t think that people realize that California is such a different world,” Zay said of V-Nasty. “Its not used for a certain race, its just a common word that everyone uses. Not for no disrespect or nothing like that. I understood what was going on…but I’m pretty sure she didn’t know it was going to be such a big deal.”
In other news, Zaytoven has been putting in work with YMCMB’s first lady, Nicki Minaj. The two have developed a chemistry according to Zay.
“I was working with Nicki from a long time ago, before she got super big, so its always good to work with people before they got super big,” Zaytoven told AllHipHop.com about his work with Nicki.
“Right now with Nicki, you know Nicki got a lot of character, so they really want to use that to her advantage and stuff that I do with Nicki is a little different…Its a little more weird or a little more funky, I guess you can say, not the typical Zaytoven sound.”
[Editors note: This interview was conducted days before the shooting death of Slim Dunkin, who was killed during a video shoot for Gucci and V-Nasty ‘s album BAYTL.]
(AllHipHop News) Police are still seeking the gunman who shot and killed rapper Slim Dunkin in an Atlanta recording studio on Friday afternoon (December 16).
According to Police Major Keith Meadows, as many as 20 people were in a recording studio on Memorial Drive in Atlanta, when a dispute broke out between Slim Dunkin and an unknown individual.
During the altercation, an unknown individual produced a gun and shot the 24-year-old rapper once in the chest.
According to Keith Meadows, police have yet to produce a suspect, despite interviewing as many as eight eyewitnesses.
“We’re still talking to people,” Meadows told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “The truth is we don’t know exactly what happened.”
Slim Dunkin, born Mario Hamilton, was a part of Gucci Mane ‘s 1017 Bricksquad collective, which features artists like Waka Flocka Flame, OJ Da Juiceman, Frenchie, Whoo Da Kid and others.
Slim Dunkin was pronounced dead at Grady Memorial Hospital on Friday after being shot once in the chest.
“WISH IT WAS ME … MY FU**ING RIGHT HAND IS GONE,” Waka Flocka tweeted. “Damn I feel dead. All this stress.”
Police are seeking the gunman and have yet to recover the murder weapon used in the deadly shooting.
So, you know by now that Kobe Bryant is getting a divorce from his longtime wife of like 10 years. He’s also got a pair of girls. But, the girl everybody is talking about is of the home-wrecker type, according to rumor. Apparently, Kobe Kobe has been getting his swerve on with this:
Now, as we all know, Kobe has no prenump, but apparently the divorce is already wrapped up. So, he loses a lot of money, but finds a dime.
