Iran bans rap music

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Yep, you read that right, Iran has banned rap music. The country made the announcement on Thursday.

Mohammad Dashtgoli, the country’s official for evaluation of music at the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry was quoted as saying:

“There is nothing wrong with this type of music in itself, but due to the use of obscene words by its singers this music has been categorized as illegal. In coordination with the police, illegal studios producing this type of music will be sealed and the singers in this genre will be confronted.”

The country has long complained of about the ‘cultural invasion’ by western music and this is obviously an attempt to slow that trend. However, they have a long battle thanks to the internet.

Nowadays, artists can just sell the records online, in addition to performing concerts for internet audiences at low to no cost - like hip hop artist Timid is doing for his album release concert on December 1.

From the AFP article:

Iran is currently in the midst of its most severe moral crackdown in years, which has seen thousands of women warned for slack dressing, several bootleg music stores shut and “decadent” mixed-sex parties raided.

Conservatives have applauded the crackdown as a bold move to promote virtue but some moderates have questioned the value of the drive at a time when Iran’s economic problems are hitting the poor hard.

When it comes to hip hop in this country, it has been scolded for some of the lyrics (I admit, I have done some of the scolding), however, there is no place for making the music illegal.

Iran cracks down on ‘obscene’ rap music [AFP]

Black Enterprise unveils its 2007 Hot List

In the latest issue of Black Enterprise, the magazine unveils its 2007 Hot List. This year it covers “America’s Most Powerful Players Under 40″. The “players” are, of course, under the age of 40, and involved in media, music, entertainment, and sports.

The list:

DeAnna Allen, 39, Partner, Dickstein Shapiro L.L.P.
Tyra Banks, 34, TV Producer, Bankable Productions
Mary J. Blige, 36, Singer
Chris Brown, 18, Singer, Actor
Nana Boateng, 30, Designer
Kawanna Brown, 34, Chief Operating Officer, Magic Johnson Cos.
Nick Cannon, 27, Actor, TV Producer
Edwidge Danticat, 38, Author, Brother I’m Dying
Adrian M. Fenty, 37, Mayor, District of Columbia
Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, 37, Rapper, President & CEO, Def Jam
Susan Chapman, 39, Global Head of Operations, Citi Realty Services
Sean “Diddy” Combs, 37, Rapper, CEO, Music/TV Producer, Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group
T. Troy Dixon, 36, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Securities
Rosalyn Durant, 31, Vice President, Programming & Acquisitions, ESPN
Chinedu U. Echeruo, 34, Founder, CEO, Hopstop.com
Lisa Ellis, 37, Executive Vice President, Sony Music Label Group
Kirk Franklin, 37, Singer
Amy Ellis-Simon, 35, Managing Director, Head, Multiproduct Sales & Emerging Client Coverage, Merrill Lynch
Njema Frazier, 37, Physicist, National Nuclear Security Administration
Sean “The Pen” Garrett, 29, Songwriter, Music Producer
Magnus Greaves, 33, Founder, Doubledown Media
Richard C. Gay, 39, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Operations,VH1 & CMT
Tracy Green, 36, Associate Executive Director, Finance Department,Bellevue Hospital Center
Thierry Henry, 30, Professional Athlete
Floyd Nathaniel “Danja” Hills, 26, Music Producer
Lewis Hamilton, 22, Professional Athlete, Formula One race driver
Mellody Hobson, 38, President, Ariel Capital Management L.L.C.
Barrington Irving, 24, Aviator
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, 32, Rapper
Paulianda Jones, M.D., 28, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Alicia Keys, 26, Singer, Songwriter, Actress
Melanie Kinchen, M.D., 38, Medical Director, Orthopaedic Surgeon,Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital Spine Center
Ronald Holt, Jr., 39, President & CEO, Hansberger Global Investors Inc.
Charles King, 38, Senior Vice President, Agent, William Morris Agency

The December issue commemorating the list will be sold with five different covers: Lebron James, Chris Brown and Kirk Franklin, Queen Latifah, Wyclef Jean and John Legend, and Venus Williams.

Usher is a daddy

R&B singer Usher Raymond and his wife, Tameka Foster, have welcomed a newborn baby. Usher publicist, Patti Webster, confirmed the birth in an email to the Associated Press, but did not specify a sex of the baby, nor the exact date of birth.

This is Usher’s first child and Foster’s fourth.

Cops shoot black male holding a brush

If any of you live in New York City, specifically, Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, you already know about this.

Last night, a mother called the police on her 18-year old son. New York Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne says that in the call you can hear the woman’s son, Khiel Coppin, saying “I’ve got a gun”. Brown goes on to say that the 911 operator asks Coppin’s mother if a gun is involved. She replied “you heard it from his mouth”.

Read more

Al Sharpton responds to ‘D.O.G.’

Earlier I posted - ‘Dog’ The Bounty Hunter set to lose show over racist comments. In the article, I quoted his statement which mentioned that he wanted to meet with black leaders to apologize. Well, it looks like he reached out to Al Sharpton and here is Sharpton’s response:

Dear Mr. Chapman:

I received your call while on the road promoting a March I am leading on the United States Justice Department on November 16th in Washington, DC, against hate crimes and racial attacks around the country. The revelation of your conversation came at a time that is most frightening to a lot of people because we are in a state of crisis with the proliferation of racial attacks, hate crimes, and bias incidents in the United States and abroad. In fact, Abraham H. Foxman, the Executive Director of the Anti-Defamation League and I released an unprecedented joint statement today because of this climate. Even more concerning to me though is that the Justice Department and the federal government have failed to intervene in cases all over the country of racial bigotry and hate which is the reason we are having our march on Nov. 16th in front of the Justice Department.

As a minister I would be inclined to meet with you despite the racist and grotesque things I heard you say, but I am not willing to rearrange my schedule around the country building up for this march to do so. If you wish to meet with me somewhere on the road that is fine, but be assured that I will not sanitize the kind of hate language that leads to the hate action that has left so many people vulnerable in America today. The company that airs the show has the right to take steps by any means when there is a public display of a character of bigotry. We did not call on your company’s action but we will not call against your company’s action, because what was said in private is now public, and they have a right to deal with their public perception.

If you are sincere that this does not reflect you, you should not only meet with us, but you should march with us on November 16th and call on the government of the United States to protect people, that unlike you don’t have publicist, don’t have lawyers, and don’t have any protection. They used to have the protection of the United States government.

In Progress,
Reverend Al Sharpton
President of National Action Network

See, I like this stance. It is straightforward, nothing trivial. Sharpton said you screwed up and I have no tolerance for bigotry, so you have to come to me. Now, hopefully what will happen is that maybe D.O.G. will go and march or something and the situation be done. I just do not want the handling of this situation to turn into more ammo for race deflectors.

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