S. Samuel
Rap mogul Jay Z and Lil Wayne may have to worry about more than just Bill O'Reilly at Fox News these days as one of the network's political analysts has singled out the rap moguls for their offensive messages 50 years after the March on Washington.
In a Wall Street Journal post, Juan Williams speaks heavily on last week’s memorable March on Washington celebration and why the dreams of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. are being tainted by hip-hop entertainers.
Now, half a century after the lyrical promise of that inspiring music and poetry, there is the inescapable and heartbreaking contrast with the malignant, self-aggrandizing rap songs that define today’s most popular music. In Jay-Z’s current hit, “Holy Grail,” he sings about “psycho bitches” and uses the n-word seven times while bragging that he is “Living the life . . . Illest [n-word] alive.” Another top rapper, Lil Wayne, released a song in the spring with an obscenity in the title, using the n-word repeatedly and depicting himself as abusing “hoes” and “bitches.” (Wall Street Journal)
Williams also places blame on civil rights leaders for not speaking out and taking action in light of artists like Jay dropping offensive tunes.
Similar examples abound in the rap-music world and have persisted for years with scarcely any complaint from today’s civil-rights leaders. Their failure to denounce these lyrics for the damage they do to poor and minority families–words celebrating tattooed thugs and sexually indiscriminate women as icons of “keeping it real”–is a sad reminder of how long it has been since the world heard the sweet music of the March on Washington. (Wall Street Journal)
Last week, handfuls of public figures united to commemorate civil rights icon MLK Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, DC.
Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter — as well as celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Jamie Foxx — will be among a list of speakers who will address a nation that has made great strides in racial equality since King’s “dream” remarks helped bring about landmark civil rights legislation. Organizers told The Associated Press that 200,000 people are expected to attend Wednesday’s event. Occasional rain showers were forecast to hit Washington throughout the day, but the weather didn’t deter crowds: Thousands had already packed the National Mall as of early Wednesday morning. (NBC News)
Over 300 locations were expected to celebrate the memorable day by ringing bells in the afternoon.
The final refrain of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous speech will echo around the world as bells from churches, schools and historical monuments “let freedom ring” in celebration of a powerful moment in civil rights history. Organizers said people at more than 300 sites in nearly every state will ring their bells at 3 p.m. their time Wednesday or at 3 p.m. EDT, the hour when King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington. Commemorations are planned from the site of the speech in Washington to the far reaches of Alaska, where participants plan to ring cow bells along with church bells in Juneau. (Boston Herald)
