The United Nations has launched a trust fund to build a permanent memorial for victims of slavery, and appointed entrepreneur and hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons as a Goodwill Ambassador to promote the project.

A 2007 General Assembly resolution designated 25 March as an annual day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and called for a permanent memorial to be erected at UN Headquarters to acknowledge the tragedy and consider the legacy of slavery. (more…)

At least a couple of times a week, U.S. Army Capt. Alfonso Johnson opens his laptop at his base in Afghanistan and plays a rap video _ a clip with his young son singing of his fears his father will die in combat.  “I’m 11 years old, already grown up, ’cause my dad’s been gone so much,” Xavier chants into a microphone, his head bobbing to a hip hop beat. Then the boy gets more blunt: “I’m feeling real sad now, I can’t lie, ’cause there’s a chance that my dad might die.”

Rather than depressing him, Johnson says the song, called “Keep ‘em Safe,” makes him feel closer to his son. That is partly because of the memory of working with Xavier to make the song and video in the U.S. But the lyrics also have a harsh honesty that lets 37-year-old Johnson feel the torrent of emotions his son, now 13, is experiencing back in Fort Drum, N.Y. (more…)

Musically, you might say Geoff “Double G” Gallegos fits somewhere between rapper Chuck D and jazzman Charles Mingus. As leader/conductor/composer of the daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra – a makeshift crew of 70-plus musicians that blends elements of classical, jazz and hip-hop – Gallegos, 39, has a little bit of both men in him.

“I would listen to (Chuck D’s) Public Enemy on the T on the way to class everyday, then go to school and learn about counterpoint or harmony or ear training while getting really into Charles Mingus and, afterward, Duke Ellington,” Gallegos said while recalling his days at Berklee College of Music. Gallegos, who now calls Los Angeles home, returns to Boston Sunday to lead a condensed chamber version of his orchestra at the Middle East in Cambridge. (more…)

This is a trailer for what appears to be a very interesting hip-hop documentary called “New Muslim Cool.” The documentary follows three years in the life of Puerto Rican American Muslim hip-hop artist Hamza Pérez, his family, and community – following his spiritual journey through America’s hip-hop scenes.

“New Muslim Cool” premiers on PBS Tuesday, June 23rd at 10 p.m.

New Haven, CT – When Edo. G told hundreds of teenagers to respect the police, there were some audible snickers. Then he started rapping. Pretty soon the auditorium full of high-school students was on their feet with hands in the air, nodding their heads to as he preached nonviolence.

Hip-hop artist Edo. G, known offstage as Ed Anderson, performed at Yale on Wednesday along with another members of the Boston-based rap group, 4Peace. High school students from six southern Connecticut towns — including several New Haven high schools — filled Yale’s Woolsey Hall to hear Edo.G and his partner Twice Thou, a.k.a. Antonio Ennis. Through video, music, and questions and answers, the pair of rappers sent a message: stay away from guns and violence, or end up in jail. (more…)

Greenbrier, AR – High energy. Dancing. Hip-hop music. Teachers getting cream pie in the face. Students driving dragster race cars. Not the usual way to learn science by any stretch of the imagination but certainly a very effective way.

Sixth-grade science teachers Paul VanEvera and Debbie Moreland brought a hip-hop science concert to Greenbrier High School for a unique learning experience for sixth- through ninth-grade students. In two 45 minute programs, Middle School children traveled to the high school to be a part of and learn from an award winning hip hop science education concert. About 700 students attended both concerts. (more…)

Roanoke, VA – Terry McAuliffe brings hip-hop artist and Democratic activist will.i.am onto his campaign for governor for four Virginia stops. The former Democratic National Committee chairman and the Black Eyed Peas leader will appear together next Monday in Portsmouth, Hampton, Richmond and Arlington. (more…)

Brooklyn, NY – The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival is an annual event celebrating Hip Hop Culture and the borough of Brooklyn as a premier cultural destination. Now entering its fifth year, the BHF has become a staple of Summer in NYC.

This year Brooklyn Bodega and F.O.K.U.S. reunite to produce, Brooklyn Hip Hop Family Day. On June 20th, 2009, babies, toddlers, young teens and families are encouraged to head down to beautiful Empire Fulton Ferry State Park for an afternoon of Hip-Hop, community building, and fun. (more…)

Children Uniting Nations (CUN), one of the premier non-profit institutions working with at-risk youth, recently announced its partnership with Russell Simmons’ “Hip Hop Summit Action Network”, heading into the 4th Annual “Keeping the Promise to our Children” conference in Washington DC. Set for June 9th, HSAN president and historic civil rights veteran Dr. Benjamin Chavis held a key role in the new partnership’s formation, which will be formally introduced through a morning press conference held at the House Capitol Building and the following conference with panel discussions in the famous Woodrow Wilson Plaza located in the Ronald Reagan Building. (more…)

Looking forward to catching the whole DVD. The “This Is The Life” Documentary chronicles “The Good Life” emcees, Project Blowed, the alternative music movement they developed, and their worldwide influence on the art form. “This Is The Life” will be released on May 5.