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June 24, 2008
June 23, 2008
June 12, 2008
June 10, 2008
Nas Names Album Nothing & Sets Release Date
Nas has finally announced a release date for his long-awaited LP. The release of the controversial album - formally known as Nigger - will be known now as Untitled and hitting stores July 15.
As followed extensively by HipHopDX, Nas' album was initially given the title Nigga, before Nas decided to enrage Civil Rights leaders and spark numerous heated debates by changing the title to the more controversial Nigger. As the controversy came to a fever pitch, Def Jam executives came to Nas' aid and supported the project, citing his right to freedom of speech, creativity, and the opportunity to open much-needed dialog about the word. Civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton as well as other critics deemed the album's title "dangerous" and "disrespectful".
Though he initially held firm in his choice of album title, Nas eventually caved after major retailers including Wal-Mart threatened to refuse to stock the CD in their stores. Now, instead of Nigger being the album title, Green Lantern has partnered with Nas to release The Nigger Tape, a mixtape preview of the controversial album once titled with the same name .
"It's important to me that this album gets to the fans," Nas said in a statement to the media. "It's been a long time coming. I want my fans to know that creatively and lyrically, they can expect the same content and the same messages. It's that important. The streets have been waiting for a long time. The people will always know what the real title of this album is and what to call it."
Polow Da Don produced the first single, "Hero." The album will also include appearances from Jay Electronica, Busta Rhymes, Mark Ronson, and Cool & Dre among others.
May 09, 2008
Sharpton & Sean Bell's Widow Arrested For Protesting
The Rev. Al Sharpton made good on his promise of civil disobedience and a vow to “shut this city down” in response to the acquittal of three New York police officers in the shooting death of Sean Bell by leading a protest in rush hour traffic yesterday.
Along with hundreds of supporters—including Bell’s widow, Nicole Paultre-Bell, and mother, protesters blocked entry to several of the city’s busiest bridges. The demonstrations took place at Queensboro Bridge , the Triborough Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, the Holland Tunnel and the Queens Mid-town Tunnel.
According to a report by the New York Times, the largest bloc of demonstrators protested outside of police headquarters in Manhattan .
216 people, including Sharpton, the other two victims in the shooting, and Paultre-Bell were arrested during the peaceful demonstration.
While other high profile police killings in the New York area have been met with protests, advocates say they will not stop until justice for Sean Bell is served.
"We're going to keep coming until we get federal indictments. It's wrong," one man told the Associated Press.
Even drivers caught up in the traffic jam seemed supportive, and not too upset at the delays.
"I disagree with doing anything illegal, but, hey, this is what makes America great," Aaron Hanson told the AP while waiting to get into a tunnel. "If this is what people really need to do to make a statement, it's what they should do."
Sharpton and Bell’s relatives are scheduled to meet with New York City Governor David Paterson today.
Despite the acquittal, the NYPD has not ruled out disciplinary action against the officers.
HipHopDX
May 06, 2008
Rev. Al Sharpton Plans Sean Bell Peace Rally, Protesters Prepare To Go To Jail
A week after three police officers who fatally shot 23 year-old Sean Bell were cleared of all charges, the Reverend Al Sharpton will lead a citywide "pray-in" on Wednesday (May 7) at six locations around New York City.
Along with Sean Bell's fiancée Nicole Paultre Bell, fellow shooting victims Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, and other community and religious leaders, Sharpton and his National Action Network will stage an act of civil disobedience tomorrow, calling upon the United States Department of Justice to intervene in the criminal trial of Sean Bell.
The demonstration, which will take place in six different locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn, will gather participants to get down on their knees in prayer. Rev. Sharpton advises that all demonstrators should be prepared to go to jail to protest the acquittals of the three detectives.
"If you are not going to lock up the guilty in this town, then I guess you'll have to lock up the innocent," Sharpton said in a statement.
As SOHH previously reported, on April 25, Queens Supreme Court Judge Arthur Cooperman found detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora not guilty of first and second-degree manslaughter charges, assault and reckless endangerment, and officer Marc Cooper innocent of a single count of reckless endangerment. The verdict sparked widespread disappointment and outrage in the city.
Sharpton, who has been advising the Bell family throughout the trial, hopes the acts of civil disobedience will continue until eventually a citywide dissent will be organized to shut down the entire city, later this spring.
Some reports have linked this civil disobedience act to the demonstrations that surrounded the Amadou Diallo case in 2000 - where Sharpton and others staged a 13-day protest at One Police Plaza, which eventually led to indictments. However, the Reverend points out the 50,000 protestors in the Bell case, by far exceeds any protest acts conducted during the Diallo case.
The rally for the citywide slowdown and pray-ins will begin tomorrow at 3 p.m. at the six sites listed below:
Site A: 125th Street and 3rd Avenue (led by W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman of National Action Network)
Site B: 60th Street abd Third Avenue (Led by National Action Network senior staff)
Site C: 34th Street and Park Avenue (Led by National Action Network Senior Staff)
Site D: Varick and Houston Streets (Led by Hazel Dukes, NAACP and Labor leaders)
Site E: One Police Plaza (Led by Sharpton. Nicole Paultre Bell, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield will be at this location as well)
Site F: House of the Lord Church, Brooklyn, New York (Led by Rev. Herbert Daughtry)
SOHH
March 21, 2008
Al Sharpton vs Greta Van Susteren (About Obama Pastor Remarks)
Part 1 (March 19, 2008)
Part 2 (March 20, 2008)
