Simmons to Save Hip Hop?

You couldn't miss the story at Yahoo -- Russell Simmons now advocates leaving some words out of the Hip Hop vernacular. So I guess we should thank Imus for all this.

Hip Hop has been billed as street poetry or the authentic voice from the 'hood. But moguls like Jay Z, Sean Combs, and Dr. Dre live pretty far from the 'hood, but still mine the same territory as guys hawking mix-tapes -- they use the same language to maintain credibility with the core audience. Or so the story goes.

So Simmons public break with that is positive but...I mean it's positive to perhaps let kids know that there is some credible adult in the Hip Hop world that thinks...err...says it's not the right way to speak. As with everything associated with the whole Imus affair, the idea of policing thought and then speech is ultimately a no-win -- does the market decide by not tuning in or do we legislate speech? It looks slipery at best, with a lot of people jockying to be seen as showing up on the right side of the fence.

Not So Sunny Seaport

South Street is a throwback to New York's seafaring roots. Today's "storm" was a chance to get out into an empty City, and the Seaport is a short walk from home.

The week was full of Imus and the continued drum beat for the War in the Middle East with Democrats threatening to somehow cut the flow of funds, which doesn't seem to me the best way to bring the boys home, so to speak. Lots of loud voices and important subjects.

But Sundays are a treasure. One day to reflect when lately there are six others full of activity. The rain is welcome in that respect. Watched the movie Baraka, and it's a great reminder that there is still much mystery in who we are and why we're here.

Did RED

Product RED is a hard to miss...between the billboards, press, and print they've certainly done a good job in marketing. Blog friend, G. Kofi Annan is def one of the reasons I wanted to blog RED at Fast Company. He just has a better perspective being African, I think. But I read somewhere that the Masaai Warrior, Keseme Ole Parsapaet, was paid $5,000, which while it's a lot of money, it's not what model Gisele earned am sure.

Uncle Ben is Back

Uncle Ben has been promoted to Chairman. The New York Times reports that Uncle Ben, "is taking center stage in a campaign that gives him a makeover — Madison Avenue style — by promoting him to chairman of the company." Somebody at TBWA/Chiat/Day needs to think a little harder and longer or perhaps just think period. Just to be clear, the Aunt Jemima image was used in the Times story, and is not affiliated with Chairman Ben. An updated Aunt Jemima still hawks pancake syrup and mix for Quaker Oats, but as I write this she has yet to match the executive status of Ben (formerly Uncle Ben).

Wall Street Journal's Reign?

The Weekend Journal, (Friday's version of the Wall Street Journal) is usually an innocuous read; movies, unaffordable real estate and some light lifestyle fare. Reading the review of Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle's new movie, "Reign Over Me" was pretty lightweight until Joe Morgenstern shares his opinion that, "Refreshingly, race doesn't enter into the picture; the script is color-blind." Refreshingly?

Don Cheadle's role has been referred to as the "magic Negro" in other reviews, using Spike Lee's term for a Black person that shows up magically only to help the white protagonist. Refreshingly?

Zidane @ The Guggenheim

Saw Zidane, the movie at the Guggenheim Museum. I loved it. The event was sponsored by Adidas. The movie feautures one of my favorite bands, Mogwai, another "post rock" outfit from the UK. They are a perfect fit for the movie. The film was shot with 17 cameras, all focused on one man, Zidane, during one match. I've owned the soundtrack (purchased) for a while. The film is singular in its focus, and depending on what you can read or see within a "game" it either has much to say or not.

The Beauty Behind The Biz

Veronica Webb and I met probably about a decade ago while I was trying to find a way to create a magazine business (Oneworld) with Russell Simmons. She was a very good friend of his and I always suspected that he looked to her for insight into fashion.

This was a little bit before Kimora and well before Phat Farm exploded into the global brand it is today. So, being in New York, it just seemed to me that Veronica and some of the other names of her day have drifted off wherever supermodels end up and we had not crossed paths for quite a while.

But BET produced Real Life Divas, and Veronica was back and though she is keeping her plans close to the proverbial vest, I get the sense that she is pulling some big strings as she resurfaces. So will keep an eye out. Did a FastCompany post - a Q&A. This photo is by Marc Baptiste one of the truly special talents who bring art to the fashion biz.

Hip Hop History @ Fast Company

I interviewed Len Burnett, part of the original Vibe Magazine team that was actually around for the preview issue pictured here from 1992.

The interview is at FastCompany.

"Hip hop was king. The year was 1999. Hip hop became American pop music and it did so on the back of a willing media. The music’s ascendancy was ushered in on the back of one very important magazine, Vibe. The Source was the bible that spoke to the converted. But Vibe was evangelical." Check out the rest at FastCompany.

Book Risks Death

Post Oscar's, I was watching HBO's Bill Maher show. Author, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, was one of the guests. Her book, Infidel, is a New York Times Bestseller.

She wrote an 11 minute film that was directed by Theo van Gogh. The film, Submission, earned her a fatwa or warrant for her death by Islamic radicals. The director, Theo van Gogh, paid with his life, as he was brutally murdered in November of 2004.

She stood out on Bill Maher's show with courageous truths about the reality of the threat posed by people who will kill to silence dissent. The politicians on the show, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif) and Sen. Joe Biden seemed like bickering idiots in comparison. I still can't get over Sen Biden's misguided comments about Obama.

If she were not here in the States at the behest of the conservative think-tank American Enterprise Institute I would be an even bigger fan. She gets a qualified "pass" though, because getting out of Europe for her was truly a matter of life and death. I hope she doesn't become a brown-skinned mouthpiece for their conservative propaganda. Her pass is qualified because it's a curious connection and one worth noting.

On the show, she challenged American politicians, saying that Obama and Hillary should not be arguing about money, but offering solutions about what we need to do about Iran, Iraq and how to lead the world. Agreed. Check her on YouTube.

SOME COMMENTS SHOULD BE UP FRONT
-comment from the heart of a true multi-culturalist from Holland

Harriet said...
Unfortunately, in Holland- where she was a politician and activist before moving to the US- Hirsi Ali's name will be forever linked with radical anti-Islamism, to the extent that made her to team up with extremist right wing politicians and the idol of small town, white anti-multiculturalist sentiment. I see her views as dangerous, as she has always pointed out that there is no such thing as moderate and tolerant Islam, and Islam is the enemy of western civilisation, women's rights etc. There was never even a small opening for dialogue, according to Ayaan it's clash, or should I say war, of civilisations all the way.So if you ask me, the plans she'll develop on international relations in her ultra-conservative think-tank will only amount to that.

Invade Iran, make war anywhere you can fighting Islam. As a European, I can only hope for a future America that will stop its insane foreign politics. The way she addressed the large Muslim communities in our country were always very insulting, degrading to downright racist. And very unrealistic. You can't just stop a billion people from being Muslims, so face it and seek common grounds instead of conflict.She claimed she wanted to emancipate Muslim women, but rejected their rights, even of the most liberated ones, to want to be Muslims. I could go on and on about this. I'm so glad she's gone. And I hope she'll change for a more moderate and humanistic view, and use her talents for that. Nothing wrong with criticizing Islam, but not in this way. So John, I really don't hope she'll be the next icon for liberal black intellectuals in the US. She doesn't deserve it.