Hip-Hop News

The hip-hop community has been shaken to its core in the wake of last week’s “not guilty” verdict in the Sean Bell case. Among other charges, two of the three officers on trial were charged with first and second-degree manslaughter, while a third officer was charged with reckless endangerment. Out of eight charges, Detectives Gescard F. Isnora, Michael Oliver, and Marc Cooper were found not guilty on every count.

This tragedy began during the early morning hours of Nov. 25, 2006 when undercover officers shot at 23-year-old Sean Bell and two of his friends 50 times. Bell and company were leaving a club, where Bell had just concluded celebrating his bachelor party. He was going to be married to the mother of his two daughters later that day. (more…)

The following article is Immortal Technique’s reaction to the Sean Bell verdict and his comments on police brutality. Included are a story about Technique’s youth, in which he experienced police brutality, and a request for others to share their stories.

If you have a story or experience about police brutality, please visits Immortal Technique at his MySpace page (link after the break), and share your story. (more…)

Hip Hop Pioneers Kurtis Blow, The Legendary Grandmaster Jay, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, MC Lyte, Whodini, and The Sugar Hill Gang will appear in Detroit during The 1st Annual Stop The Violence Weekend May 2nd-4th.

On Friday, superstars Kurtis Blow and Grandmaster Jay are scheduled to speak to students at three of Detroit’s middle and high schools prior to a press conference to address the recent increases in gang behavior and violence involving Detroit’s youth. The rest of the hip hop pioneers will participate in a concert at the world famous Fox Theater on Saturday night. (more…)

Two new charter schools that would serve students in kindergarten through eighth grade are being proposed for Trenton, NJ, the state Department of Education said last week. The founder of one school is city resident and hip-hop artist Wise Intelligent, and if his application is approved, the school would accommodate about 600 students.

The proposals for the Trenton Vista Academy and the Trenton Frontier Academy are among 25 applications for new charters submitted statewide, officials said. New Jersey Department of Education Commissioner Lucille Davy said the response makes it “clear that interest in charter schools re mains strong in New Jersey.” The state will now begin determining which applications will be approved. (more…)

Allan Pineda Lindo knew struggle and perseverance early in life. An abandoned child of an American serviceman stationed at the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga, he planted rice and other crops to help his mother earn a living. When the opportunity came for him to travel to the US, he learned to speak English by reading a dictionary.

Now that he’s achieved success as a hip-hop artist, Allan ― better known as apl.de.ap of the Grammy-winning, internationally famous Black Eyed Peas ― says he wants to reconnect and give something back to his native land. (more…)

In a radio ad sponsored by the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti, Grammy Award-winning musician Wyclef Jean is asking his fellow citizens to give up crime and work to improve the country.

“If you love Wyclef, that means you love Haiti. So you should not be raping women, kidnapping people and children, because there can be no excuse for doing so,” Jean said in Creole in a short ad run several times a day by local stations in Haiti. (more…)

Rapper-actor Mos Def will play legendary rock ‘n’ roller Chuck Berry in “Cadillac Records,” which is filming in New Jersey. Also joining the cast is Gabrielle Union, who will play Geneva Wade, a girlfriend of Muddy Waters.

The Sony BMG film is set in 1950s Chicago and follows the turbulent lives of Chess Records co-founder Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody), and the label’s artists, including Waters (Jeffrey Wright), Little Walter (Columbus Short), Howlin’ Wolf (Eamonn Walker), Etta James (Beyonce Knowles) and Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer). (more…)

Sudanese hip hop artist and former child soldier Emmanuel Jal participated at last week’s three-day African hip-hop conference held at Harvard University. The conference, sponsored by Harvard’s Cultural Agents Initiative and the Ford Foundation, drew 38 panelists from 11 countries.

Jal, who was forced to fight in the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army from the time he was about six years old until he dramatically escaped the rebel army when he was about 13, sees hip-hop as one avenue to peace, tolerance and literacy for millions of African youth. (more…)

The Hip-Hop Research and Education Fund, PowerPAC and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network announced today the launch of an unprecedented, focused national campaign to mobilize the hip-hop generation of youth voters to ensure the largest youth voter turnout in American history on November 4, 2008.

The press conference to launch the national “Hip-Hop Team Vote: Turn Up The Vote” campaign will be held in the city of Philadelphia on March 19 at 11am EDT on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, Houston Hall (Bodek Lounge) at 3417 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. In addition, the press conference will announce a statewide youth voter registration effort between March 18 – March 24, the deadline to register voters for the April 22 Pennsylvania primary. (more…)