Tuesday, March 27, 2012

"Justice In Sanford" (Hip Hop Please Don't Let U.S. Down)

By Barry Michael Cooper

"JUSTICE IN SANFORD (WATCH YOUR BACK); The New Hip Hop Benefit Concert Album Featuring Jay-Z, Kanye West, Rick "Rozay" Ro$$, 50 Cent, Young Jeezy, Lil' Wayne, T.I., Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli (Black Star), Common, Outkast, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, The Clipse, Eminem, Yellawolf, 2 Chainz, Pharrell, and Kendrick Lamar. Special Guest Appearance by Chuck D and KRS One. Intro by Black Thought, ?uestlove and The Roots. Produced by Sean "Diddy" Combs and Dr. Dre. Featuring the lead single, "A Hoodie Ain't A Hood (Watch Your Back)." Proceeds will benefit the Justice 4 Trayvon Fund.

Dear Hip Hop:

Yeah, I know this is wishful thinking. If politics in 2008 was the new Hip Hop, then Hip Hop is the new political movement. Peep it: this is Your CDF; Career Defining Moment. And...we're waiting.

Don't let U.S. down.

Sincerely,

An Ol' Head from The Days of DJ Hollywood.

Be sure to order Barry Michael Cooper's debut anthology of street journalism from the 1980s (from his award winning reporting in The Village VoiceSpin Magazine, in addition to his more current essays on the Huffington Post), titled "Hooked On The American Dream-Vol.1: New Jack City Eats Its Young," which is now available on Kindle/Amazon. Don't have a Kindle? No problem; Amazon has a free app available for download, to read "Hooked On The American Dream-Vol.1: New Jack City Eats Its Young," on your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Android devices. Only $1.99! Click here to go to the Amazon site. 

4 comments:

Chris said...

Off topic question: what do you think about Andrea Berloff writing the N.W.A. movie?

Bmc said...

@Chris: I don't have enough info on that situation to comment on it, but whoever the writer is, I just hope they produce the best script possible, and that the screenplay remains true to the story of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Yella, Ren, and the late Eazy-E. Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it.

Chris said...

Is it racist if I doubt that a white theater actress can write the story of "the world's most dangerous group" as well as, say, someone like you?

Seems to me movies about hip hop legends fail to do them justice and portray what they actually meant to music and the world.

You've probably answered this question before, but are you doing working on anything new?

Bmc said...

@Chris: Thank you for your kind words, and no, I don't think it's racist to ask that question. I hope and believe the screenwriter will apply all of the instruction and first hand information from the principals (Dre and Ice Cube), and do a thorough job. Great writing transcends beyond color lines; at least it's supposed to. I appreciate your feedback.