The Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network has issued a response in regards to recent allegations that Rev. Sharpton demanded money from producer Dr. Dre to end a beef between The Game and 50 Cent.
According to Bruce Williams, a confidant of Dr. Dre and author of the recently released book Rollin’ With Dre, Sharpton allegedly demanded $500,000 dollars from the mega-producer to end The Game’s feud with 50 Cent, or NAN would organize a march and boycott.
“The National Action Network and Reverend Al Sharpton were not involved with and did not attend a press conference held by Hip-Hop artists The Game and 50 Cent to announce their truce and donation to charities,” a representative for Reverend Sharpton told AllHipHop.com in a statement.
“At no point has Reverend Al Sharpton or an authorized representative of National Action Network met with Dr. Dre.”
Representatives for Reverend Sharpton clarified that NAN held a Hip-Hop Town Hall meeting that Interscope Records participated in, but noted that NAN’s town hall meeting happened after The Game/G-Unit incidents.
“To state that National Action Network and or Rev. Sharpton threatened to march is almost laughable because the first question would be whom would we have marched upon, since this was reportedly a clash between two black artists and there was no civil rights questions involved, and for what reason would we have marched?”
“If someone gave donations to offset our movement, that would have precluded Reverend Al Sharpton’s personal participation in standing with the teenager James Rosemond and his family at a press conference calling for an end to the kind of street violence that scars the Hip-Hop industry. The press conference was widely reported to be taking issue with the artist 50 Cent, Yayo and G-Unit. It would also have precluded our marching on record companies, many of whom sponsored events with us, for using the “N,” “B” and “H” words, and withdrawing an award from record executive L.A. Reid for those same reasons.”
Reverend Sharpton has vowed to go on undaunted, despite the recent negative press, which also includes allegations of not paying millions in taxes.
“We will continue our work around civil rights, racial violence and police brutality, and will not engage scurrilous banter to help sell books,” the representative said.
The Game’s manager Jimmy “Henchmen” Rosemond also denied that The Game attended the meeting out of a boycott or a march.
““I am 100 percent positive that the Game did not come to the conference in fear of Al Sharpton marching and Rev. Sharpton had nothing to do with that conference or donations affiliated with it,” Rosemond told AllHipHop.com. “The Game has worked with the community and National Action Network in the past and it has never been affiliated with a donation.”
The Game recently did a song in support of Sean Bell and has been vocal about his support for Nicole Paultre-Bell and the victims involved in the case.”