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Tale Of The (Mix)Tape: Jadakiss Puts Boxing Gloves Back On, Best Of Qtip

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Reviews / Music

Amazing isn’t it? Just when you think when you have a handle on music, something arrives and throws your thought process asunder. Hopefully, Tale of the Tape has been able to do that for you with this mixtape game. Even if it hasn’t flipped your wig professor, you are definitely more honorable each week for catching it.

 

Speaking of being enlightened, there are some heavily anticipated mixtapes that gave way to hot music this week. J. Period and Q – Tip sat up for two years to drop The[Abstract] Best. Drake tries to leave us So Far Gone while Jay-Z and Bill Withers get together on The BillPrint. Freshman extraordinaire Blu provides love sounds with HerFavoriteColo(u)r, all while Al Qaeda Jada tells us to Kiss My Ass.

 

The [Abstract] Best

J.Period & Q-Tip

Heavy Rotation

 

Sometimes there is a mixtape that isn’t just about the music. When The [Abstract] Best is listened to cover to cover, it becomes less a collections of songs, but a story. This chronicle is not only pushed by old group favorites (“Check The Rhyme”), production (“Give Up The Goods”) and solo shots (“Vibrant Thing”), but a certain soul that embodies the tape. The [Abstract] Best will stand among the few to be remembered past 2009. Anyone who needs a primer on Q-Tip, and a Hip-Hop history lesson intertwined with good music, give this a listen. As a matter of fact, just listen to this one even if you don’t.

 

So Far Gone

Drake

Heavy Rotation

 

For the title of The Honorable One, I could never figure out why Drake wasn’t mentioned in everyone’s fresh faces to look out for list. Perhaps it’s because he is from the far north (Toronto, Canada to be exact), and not a Yankee. Anyway, the kid has talent, and it definitely shows on So Far Gone. It can shine when he is paired up with Young Money boss Lil Wayne (“Successful”) and when he is on his own (“Say Whats Real”). Those who expect a Comeback Season 2 may feel disappointed with a lack of the underground feel, but this still bangs in the whip.

 

The BillPrint

Jay-Z & Bill Withers

Peep It

 

The Billprint. It’s definition: a combination of Jay-Z and Bill Withers. A quick history lesson to the youngsters who have never opened their ears before, Bill Withers gets it in. You have heard his work sampled at least once and his songs covered by your favorite singer twice.  For those who are expecting a combination of “Aint No Sunshine” sample cuts, prepare to be surprised. Producer Isbjerg went for more, getting tracks such as “Harlem” and “Better Off” to mesh with “The Takeover” and “Never Change” respectively. Whenever someone can dig in the crates and make a solid product, I can’t get mad. Isbjerg did his thing here. The only knock you can find on this one is its too short.

 

HerFavoriteColo(u)r

Blu

Peep This

 

Blu is easily top three of the newest talents coming into this Hip-Hop game. He seems to be constantly evolving, especially as of late, adding the title of producer to his list of skills. To tack on some work to the resume, he has released HerFavoriteColo(u)r. For those in a relationship it rings home, full of angry recollections (“Amnesia”) and surrounded by the sweet memories (“Untitled (LovedU) 2”) we hold dear. It doesn’t rank among his best, as some of the production feels spotty at best (“Pardon”) and there isn’t too much rapping, but whenever you’re going through it with the old lady, this won’t hurt to rotate.

 

Kiss My Ass

Jadakiss

Heavy Rotation

 

Jadakiss was never to be messed with. Anyone who tried always ended up on the receiving end of a never-ending punchline tirade. Even if it has been a while since his last solo album effort, he has been holding down the world with his mixtapes. Kiss My Ass is no exception, as Jada doesn’t hesitate to go in. Jada murders track (“Child Abuse”) after track (“Can’t Stop Me”), while Styles P even gets in on the action (“The People”). Keep this one in the changer until The Last Kiss drops.

 

TALE OF THE TAPE:

 

Tale of the Tape 02.18.09

AHH Stray News: Kanye Returns To SNL

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: News

Chicago rapper Kanye West will make a second appearance on Saturday Night Live, just two months after a previous, high profile appearance went awry. The rapper will return to SNL this Saturday (February 21) where he will perform “Love Lockdown” and “Heartless,” taken from his critically acclaimed and commercially successful album, 808 & Heartbreak. In December, West attempted a performance on SNL, but his appearance suffered from technical challenges, when the auto-tune effect on his voice failed, resulting in accusations of lip-syncing. Actor Huge Laurie will serve as host of this week’s show, which airs Saturday’s at 11:30 PM on NBC.

New RNC Chairman Targeting Hip-Hop Fans To Boost GOP

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: News

Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Michael Steele is launching an effort to attract new members by utilizing Hip-Hop to make the Grand Old Party (GOP) an appealing option worth considering.

 

“We need messengers to really capture that region – young, Hispanic, black, a cross section,” Steele told The Washington Times. “We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-suburban Hip-Hop settings.”

 

Among the vehicles being utilized by the politician are the Internet as well as advertisements on radio, print and television.

 

With his new campaign, Steele hopes to hopes to dispel talk of the Republican Party becoming “too regionalized” and move past defeats in states like Virginia and North Carolina and concerns that his party needs to “reach beyond our comfort zones.”

 

Steele’s plan comes as a new challenge for the former Maryland lieutenant governor, who be came the first African-American chairman of the 168-member RNC after defeating four opponents on January 30.

 

According to Steele, the solution to his current dilemma lies in the Republicans’ need to upgrade its image among attract young blacks and Hispanics.

 

To ensure the project has a fair chance of success, the former state Republican Party chairman is holding weekly meetings with House and Senate republicans to explore what the Times labeled as “strategy, message, policy and tactics.”

 

“It will be avant garde, technically,” he said. “It will come to table with things that will surprise everyone – off the hook.”

 

During the presidential election of 2008, a number of rappers and organizations hit the road to campaign on behalf of the future president, including The Hip-Hop Caucus, T.I., Young Jeezy, Nas, Common and Jay-Z, who gave a performance during Obama’s official inauguration event.

 

“We missed the mark in the past, which is why we are in the crapper now,” Steele said. “We had the White House, the Senate and the House and were not building a farm team over the last years…”

The Last Word: Chris Brown Challenged to a Boxing Match, Halle Berry Steals Jewels, and Tracy Morgan Starts a Fire!

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Alternatives

What’s the word, daydreamers? Here we are at the starting point of another weekend after five days filled with Obama making good to sign his newly approved economic stimulus package on President’s Day, a New York Post editorial cartoon generating outrage and protest from people who believe the image is racist, and Illinois Senator Roland Burris going on the defense as demands for his resignation surface amid reports he raised money for disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich while seeking a U.S. Senate appointment.

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Congratulations to Salma Hayek, who got married on Valentine’s Day. Shout out to the sounding boards for forgiving and forgetting……

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And now the next episode of…the Last Word for the week ending Feb. 20, 2009

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1. Chris Brown Tops Facebook Group’s Most Wanted

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Apologies may be the first step in seeking forgiveness, but it’s never a guarantee towards halting an ass whooping.

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According to Fox News, LA Boxing President Anthony Geisler is spearheading efforts to give Brown his just desserts with the creation of a new Facebook group, I Just Want to Fight Chris Brown. The martial arts expert cited a desire for the crooner to see “what it’s like to face a real opponent” as the basis behind the group.

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To date, there are at least 45 people who would like to see Geisler and Brown go one on one in the ring. In addition to advocating a match between the two celebrities, the I Want to Fight Chris Brown group encourages members to join if by any chance, they want to have a crack at Brown after Geisler finishes his turn.

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I can’t say it’s a big surprise to see folks lined up to give Chris a taste of his own medicine. Let’s hope his dancing feet can cash the check his ass wrote on Rihanna. With folks lined up to knuckle up, odds are Chris may get beat down from wall to wall.

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2. Halle Berry Steals Film Role as International Jewel Thief

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Boyfriend or not, Halle Berry has more than her fair share of admirers. So many in fact that she could put her ability to steal hearts to good use for her next film role.

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Variety reports that Berry will star in Who is Doris Payne, an upcoming movie based on Payne, a real life international jewel thief whose career spanned five decades.

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For those (like me) who don’t know, Doris Payne was known as a career criminal that dressed in fancy clothes and stole high priced jewelry during the day while stores were open. Her last encounter with authorities came after she stole a $36,000 diamond ring from Neiman Marcus in 2005. She was 75 at the time.

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Sounds like an interesting film. For the record, I don’t think Halle would have many problems taking things without permission.

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3. Jazmine Sullivan Revisits Acting Past for the Future

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As her latest single says, Jazmine Sullivan is not afraid of Lions, Tigers and Bears. Now the songstress can add acting to that list as she prepares for her close up with a role in Red Tails, film director Anthony Hemingway’s story on the legendary Tuskegee Airmen.

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According to Sullivan, the role isn’t too big of a stretch.

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“I play a singer who entertains soldiers,” the singer told Billboard. “I’m really just entertainment for them, but I kind of get a little relationship going with one of them. So that’s very exciting.”

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While Red Tails may be seen as Sullivan’s first foray into acting, the Grammy-nominated vocalist harbors previous experience that served as a launching pad.

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“I used to act when I was younger, in little plays,” said Sullivan, who attended Philadelphia’s Creative and Performing Arts high school and revealed that she has a TV project in the works. “It never was really a passion of mine. It’s just something I did and I could do. Anything where I can be creative, I like to do.”

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Sounds like a wide-open future. In addition to Sullivan, fans can also catch singer/songwriter Ne-Yo in Red Tails. As long as she directs her energy towards making hit records and memorable films and not busting my raggedy car’s windows or anything else, then I’m cool with whatever she does.

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4. Tracy Morgan Hosts Four-Alarm Fish Fry at Home

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Leave it to Tracy Morgan to create havoc within his own apartment.

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Media sources report that the New York Fire Department came to the former Saturday Night Live star’s aid after a four-alarm fire was started at his 16th floor Trump Place residence early Wednesday morning

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The culprit? A defective fish tank.

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TMZ reports that the blaze was caused after a light bulb in one of Morgan’s fish tanks busted. At this time, it is unclear whether the 30 Rock star was at home at the time of the fire. Around 8:30 a.m., 78 firefighters from 25 units arrived on the scene to take care of the fire. Damage was minimal at the apartment as it consisted of mainly smoke damage to the walls. Adjacent apartments and units below Morgan’s place (including one occupied by The View co-host Sherri Shepherd) sustained some water damage that probably came from the fire hoses rather than the actor’s aquarium.

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And in case you were wondering, nobody got hurt from the incident, not even the fish that were caught up in the whole situation.

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With his fish safe and sound, a grateful Tracy expressed his gratitude via the following statement:

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“A fire broke out in my Manhattan apartment this morning, apparently starting with a lamp attached to my fish tank. The sprinklers promptly activated and the NYFD came by to make sure it was contained,” the entertainer said. “Fortunately, the fire did not spread and no one in the building was injured – even the fish are OK. My thanks to the New York Fire Department for their quick action.”

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Once again, something to make you say, “Tracy Morgan, you’ve done it again.”

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5. Taraji P. Henson Maintains Oscar Nominated Motherly State of Mind

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For someone with an Oscar nomination, Taraji P. Henson is anything but a souped up diva. Although she admits to being “still kind of numb” about all the exposure she’s gotten from being recognize by the Academy.

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“I’m waiting for someone to say, ‘Wake up!’ I’m just really excited about it, and trying to enjoy each and every moment,” Henson told USA Today while alluding to sharing something in common with the character she portrays in the Brad Pitt film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

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“I am a mom in real life,” Henson told USA Today. “Once a mom, always a mom…It’s like riding a bike: You never forget how to be a mom.”

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Those motherly qualities proved to be an asset for Henson, who earned her critical praise for her Oscar nominated role as Queenie, the woman who raises a baby who ages in reverse after finding the newborn on her doorstep.

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Like her character, Henson has a son of her own. And while it would be easy to play the star role outside the movie studio, Taraji keeps it real when it comes to making sure her son Marcel has a full stomach everyday.

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“My son gets breakfast every morning. I don’t buy cereal,” said the single mom, who takes it upon herself to drive Marcel to his basketball games. “Sometimes he wants scrambled eggs. Sometimes he’ll have bacon. Or pancakes. He gets home-cooked meals every day. “Even if I have a 5 a.m. call, I’ll cook and leave his food in the microwave before I leave. You expect a child to succeed and do well in school, but how are they going to do that if they have no brain food?”

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That’s what I’m talking about. Be a star, but leave the celebrity status at the door when you check in to the house. Looks like Taraji has the right mind state as she prepares to get glammed up for the Oscars.

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“…at the end of the day, I’m still TJ. That’s what my family used to call me, and they still do,” she said. “Besides, I haven’t gotten any calls from Spielberg yet. Or George Lucas. Still waiting.”

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Hopefully, the wait won’t be too long. You can find out if Taraji takes home the Oscar when the 81st Academy Awards airs live at 8 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 22).

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6. Terrance Howard’s Chris Brown Connection Comes to Light

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Days after retracting a statement he made supporting Chris Brown, Terrence Howard has found himself under the same microscope.

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The Smoking Gun has gotten its hands on police and court records that bring to light Howard’s 2001 arrest on suspicion of assaulting his wife, Lori McCommas.

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According to the site, the incident stemmed from a phone conversation the couple had that resulted in the entertainer breaking down the front door of McCommas’ house. Howard and McCommas had been estranged for two years before to the incident occurred.

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Dated Sept. 17, 2001, the Whitemarsh Police Department report goes on to note that Howard ended his argument with McCommas by saying “Don’t disrespect me by hanging up on me or I’ll come over and hurt you.”

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McCommas later called 911 and began talking to the dispatcher when Howard arrived and tried to get in. The report notes that the Iron Man star “broke the front door down and ran through the screen door in the kitchen. Howard then grabbed the victim’s left arm and punched her twice with a closed fist in the left side of the face,” the report states.

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Howard eventually confessed at the scene of the incident to breaking the door and hitting his wife, according to police, who also revealed that the entertainer was booked on suspicion of simple assault, making terroristic threats, harassment and stalking, and disorderly conduct.

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Howard pleaded guilty in 2002 to disorderly conduct after posting $20,000 bail. He is currently separated from McCommas.

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Funny how the past comes back to bite you. You never know when your show of support can open the door to your trick whooping past.

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In Other Words…

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* It took them a while, but the folks at Disney have added a Black princess to their character world. Dreamgirls star Anika Noni Rose was on hand Monday (Feb. 16) when the company debuted a new toy line inspired by its upcoming holiday film The Princess and the Frog.

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Rose, an admitted fan of Disney fairy tales, will provide the voice of the lead character, Princess Tiana, who is Disney’s first new princess since Mulan in 1998. Disney is thinking big with Tiana as the company hope’s the princess’ film debut will bring back musicals and 2-D animation to the Disney family.

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*After a string of family films, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is returning to the action genre with an appearance in the film adaptation of the 1960s animated series The Adventures of Johnny Quest. According to Moviehole, the former pro-wrestler will play Race Bannon, the series’ tough guy special agent who is hired to guard and train Johnny Quest, an 11-year-old who accompanies his doctor father on various adventures.

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* Ziggy Marley is getting a familiar helping hand as he prepares to release his first children’s album Family Time. The Tuff Gong release, which is slated to hit stores May 5, will include assistance from Marley’s mother Rita, sister Cedella and daughter Judah, as well as Paul Simon, Jack Johnson, Willie Nelson, T#### Hibberts, Elizabeth Mitchell, Laurie Berkner and Jamie Lee Curtis, who narrates two stories.

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* As moviegoers welcome Madea back to the big screen with Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail, the entertainment mogul is stepping up to help get teens in Atlanta of the street. Media sources reveal that Perry has donated $110,000 and a brand new 15-passenger van to Covenant House Georgia homeless shelter. The money will be put toward operating costs and the complete renovation of Covenant House Georgia’s Crisis Shelter for homeless adolescents in Atlanta.**To get the latest AllHipHop Alternatives Features, follow us on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/AHHalternatives**

Open Letter: John Legend Addresses NY Post’s “Racist” Cartoon

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Uncategorized

Open Letter to the New York Post

Dear Editor:

I’m trying to understand what possible motivation you may have had for publishing that vile cartoon depicting the shooting of the chimpanzee that went crazy. I guess you thought it would be funny to suggest that whomever was responsible for writing the Economic Recovery legislation must have the intelligence and judgment of a deranged, violent chimpanzee, and should be shot to protect the larger community. Really? Did it occur to you that this suggestion would imply a connection between President Barack Obama and the deranged chimpanzee? Did it occur to you that our President has been receiving death threats since early in his candidacy? Did it occur to you that blacks have historically been compared to various apes as a way of racist insult and mockery? Did you intend to invoke these painful themes when you printed the cartoon?

If that’s not what you intended, then it was stupid and willfully ignorant of you not to connect these easily connectible dots. If it is what you intended, then you obviously wanted to be grossly provocative, racist and offensive to the sensibilities of most reasonable Americans. Either way, you should not have printed this cartoon, and the fact that you did is truly reprehensible. I can’t imagine what possible justification you have for this. I’ve read your lame statement in response to the outrage you provoked. Shame on you for dodging the real issue and then using the letter as an opportunity to attack Rev. Sharpton. This is not about Rev. Sharpton. It’s about the cartoon being blatantly racist and offensive.

I believe in freedom of speech, and you have every right to print what you want. But freedom of speech still comes with responsibilities and consequences. You are responsible for printing this cartoon, and I hope you experience some real consequences for it. I’m personally boycotting your paper and won’t do any interviews with any of your reporters, and I encourage all of my colleagues in the entertainment business to do so as well. I implore your advertisers to seriously reconsider their business relationships with you as well.

You should print an apology in your paper acknowledging that this cartoon was ignorant, offensive and racist and should not have been printed.

I’m well aware of our country’s history of racism and violence, but I truly believe we are better than this filth. As we attempt to rise above our difficult past and look toward a better future, we don’t need the New York Post to resurrect the images of Jim Crow to deride the new administration and put black folks in our place. Please feel free to criticize and honestly evaluate our new President, but do so without the incendiary images and rhetoric.

Sincerely,

John Legend

Editor’s note: The New York Post has apologized with the following statement, but defended their position:

Wednesday’s Page Six cartoon — caricaturing Monday’s police shooting of a chimpanzee in Connecticut — has created considerable controversy. But it has been taken as something else — as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism. This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize. However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past — and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback. To them, no apology is due. Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon — even as the opportunists seek to make it something else.”

Reverend Al Sharpton offered a counter statement:

“The New York Post statement will be discussed by all of the leadership of the various groups that have mobilized and we will respond to it at the rally at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow outside of the New York Post. At this point there will be no cancellation of the rally and though we think it is the right thing for them to apologize to those they offended, they seem to want to want to blame the offense on those of whom raised the issue, rather than take responsibility for what they did. However, rather than engage as they are in name calling back and forth, we will make a collective decision on how to proceed. All of us can only wish the New York Post had taken a more mature position when the issue was first raised rather than belatedly come with a conditional statement after people began mobilizing and preparing to challenge the waiver of News Corp in the City where they own several television stations and newspapers.”

Uncle Luke On Going To Jail

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Uncategorized

MONEY IN QUESTION FOR MOTHER OF THE CHILD’S ATTORNEY FEES NOT CHILD SUPPORT

 

The story in yesterday’s Miami Herald gives a false impression about my arrest on Tuesday. The arrest had nothing to do with “allegedly owing” over ten thousand dollars in a child support case. I have acknowledged that I am the father of the child in question and I am fully up to date on his child support.

 

Rather, I was arrested because I had not paid the lawyer’s fees of this child’s mother. This is a matter of ongoing legal dispute. In December of 2009, the court sided with me in regard to my not paying the legal fees.

 

This past Tuesday I was at the courthouse on other business. When the sheriff learned of my presence on the premises, he had me arrested although the Florida constitution states that a person cannot be jailed for consumer debt. I was released from jail only after I paid the lawyer’s fees of the child’s mother.

 

This is not the end of this matter. Because this writ was originally vacated I intend to fight the legal decision requiring me to make that payment of attorney’s fees and the sheriff’s decision to arrest me. If the court has now decided to lock people up for not paying attorney’s fees then just about everybody is going to jail.

 

But there’s a larger problem here: It’s one in which African-American fathers are routinely demonized as “deadbeat dads” by the legal system. It’s more accurate to call me a “denied dad.” I wanted the right to visit my child. I wanted shared parental rights. The child’s mother opposed my wishes. The court ruled in her favor.

 

In fact, you don’t have to be a black man to face this kind of bias. In a book entitled A Promise to Ourselves: A Journey Through Divorce and Fatherhood, the actor Alec Baldwin describes the terrible custody battle he’s had with his ex-wife. Unfortunately, vindictive mothers all too often use their children as pawns in a war against fathers. In the black community, we often refer to these disputes as “baby mama drama.” It’s a cute name for a problem that is no laughing matter.

 

Moreover, I spend at least two (2) hours of every day that I am in Miami working with at risk kids in inner city neighborhoods. I not only work with them, but also, I work with their parents – mothers and fathers – who are having a hard time raising their children while dealing with the potholes in society today. Running from the responsibilities of taking care of my very own son is the last thing I would do.

 

Luther Campbell