Posted by GhandiOrr:

Posted by Solace:

Too harsh a penalty. I hope anyone who ever uses the word 'nappy' or 'ho' is immediately fired. Let's be fair.

Btw, saying it matters who says it is... racist, is it not? It's either bad or it isn't. Thanks for the confirmation, no offense, but the point is well proved.

Within the context of no context, sure it's all the same.

Confucious say: If a "ho" is in a vacuum, does she still blow? (the vacuum, of course.)

If the weather's nice this weekend I'm going to gather up my hoes and rake up the nappy burrs and pine cones.

(Maybe I've offended Asians now. I don't know, but I'm welcome to being educated if I have.)

Posted by islesfan:

Posted by GhandiOrr:

Posted by Solace:

Too harsh a penalty. I hope anyone who ever uses the word 'nappy' or 'ho' is immediately fired. Let's be fair.

Btw, saying it matters who says it is... racist, is it not? It's either bad or it isn't. Thanks for the confirmation, no offense, but the point is well proved.

Within the context of no context, sure it's all the same.

Confucious say: If a "ho" is in a vacuum, does she still blow? (the vacuum, of course.)

If the weather's nice this weekend I'm going to gather up my hoes and rake up the nappy burrs and pine cones.

(Maybe I've offended Asians now. I don't know, but I'm welcome to being educated if I have.)

I'm offended. I want your livelihood taken away.

It would have been nice if they could have fired Imus after the radiothon was over. Good job by the mob, more worried about getting him fired than letting him do something to help 3 charities raise money.

Posted by Pharzeone:

Solace, I guess you only listen to what you want to listen to but there have been cases without the outcry for the so called shock jocks. I guess if you don't like someone you don't express sympathy.


'Tsunami Song' fallout: 3 suspended, 2 fired

By David Hinckley, New York Daily News

February 2, 2005

Hoping to quell the storm over its "Tsunami Song," WQHT yesterday fired morning-show producer Rick Del Gado, who created the song, and morning-team member Todd Lynn, who cracked on the air, "I'm gonna start shooting some Asians."

But Hot-97 did not meet the demands of some critics and fire the rest of the Miss Jones morning show, which aired the parody for four days last month.

Miss Jones, DJ Envy and production assistant Tasha Hightower will all be suspended for two weeks, said the station. They have been off since last Wednesday.

Reaction from critics was swift yesterday and not all favorable.

"Their statement is a joke," said City Councilman John Liu (D-Queens). "They need to fire Miss Jones, but even more important, they need to accept corporate responsibility."

Noting that Hot-97 pledged a million dollars to tsunami relief, Liu said, "That's a joke, too. It should be $10 million. They said employees will donate a week's pay to relief funds. Fine. So they should donate a week of corporate profits."

Hot-97's statement yesterday cited Del Gado for the song and Lynn for "offensive, racially insensitive comments," calling them "singularly egregious."

Miss Info, the other member of the morning team, was not suspended, though she also has been off the air since last week. Miss Info, who is Asian, said on the air that the song offended her - which sparked the heated exchange during which Lynn made his "shooting" remark.

Racial banter and exaggeration are not uncommon on morning shows, but critics said Lynn went way over the top.

The "Tsunami Song" itself, set to the tune of "We Are the World," has been blasted for use of racial slurs and for making light of tsunami victims.

Kai Yu of the group Asian Media Watch called Hot-97's actions yesterday "a start," but said they fall short of "full accountability ... all the way up to the people who approved this going on the air."

Liu said further protest actions are planned: "We're only getting started."

Several Hot-97 advertisers temporarily withdrew after the initial controversy.

"The actions of the morning show were socially and morally indefensible," said Emmis President Rick Cummings. "The entire Emmis family is ashamed. Our decision ... sends a message that this type of insensitivity is utterly unacceptable."

Jay Smooth, whose HipHopMusic.com has been bulldogging the case and has recorded a half-million hits, had a sharp E-mail exchange yesterday with Lynn, who told Smooth that his on-air remarks were "taken out of context."

In the exchange, Lynn called the episode "one of the biggest mistakes of my life," describing the song as "very poor taste and bad judgment."

But, he added, "None of us are bigots."

Meanwhile, Miss Info will co-host an Asia Relief Fund Benefit on Saturday at Capitale on the Bowery with rapper Jin, who recorded a track blasting Hot-97.

Posted by Pharzeone:

BTW, the radiothron is still ongoing if you want to contribute. And it will be on tomorrow as well.

Posted by Solace:

Posted by bigbeast:

Posted by Solace:

Too harsh a penalty. I hope anyone who ever uses the word 'nappy' or 'ho' is immediately fired. Let's be fair.

Btw, saying it matters who says it is... racist, is it not? It's either bad or it isn't. Thanks for the confirmation, no offense, but the point is well proved.

The "nappy-headed-ho" comment was more like the last straw in a pattern of offensive remarks (the williams sisters, Ewing, Gwen Ifill etc..)

Jeese Jackson was just on the radio down here in ATL and he said that he isn't stopping with Imus. He will continue to pressure Radio, TV to exclude music with violent overtones and sexist/racist remarks and will encourage Musicians to uplift rather than put down.

There have been plenty of black leaders who have tried to intervene when some music has gotten out of hand. Hate him or love him, Farrakhan has dowsed the flames on several heated rap-wars that could have gotten out of hand. C. Delores Tucker had long been an advocate of banning music with sexist/violent messages. Just because you dont hear about people speaking out against some of the raunchier rap music doesn't mean they aint out there.

And that's fine. If he feels that any such talk is wrong, that he should protest everything that is of that manner. That's at least consistent, which I have respect for. If everyone showed the same consistency (you're right, that some do), I wouldn't have any problem with Imus's firing. Thank, good points and I appreciate your take.

Maybe moreso, if the trying to get rid of the offensive rap music and sexist/violent messages were in the media more, it'd be easier to see. The media is horribly inconsistent, showing a flurry of stories about Imus, but you don't hear nearly as much about what you just mentioned.

Posted by Pharzeone:

I brought up 2 Live Crew because this group is the so call grandfather of hardcore rap that started the fall of hip-hop. This group was protest by both Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton, as well as NOW, the American Family Institute and other various groups. There were senate hearings. It was a big deal and they are the reason why there are warings on Alumbs for content.

Posted by eViL:

You know what sucks about protesting a musical artist? The attention will inevitably increase their record sales.

Instead of protesting musical artists, a guy like Jay-Z, who runs a record label, should put up a full-on marketing effort promoting an artist with dope beats and conscious lyrics that promote positivity and unity in the community -- good music with a good message. Robert Johnson, the owner of BET, should drop exploitative videos and music from his programming.

This is just a start, but a move like this will force the hand of White execs who are currently profiting from some of the negatively influential hip hop artists out there...

Am I being naive to think this can help?

As Nasty As They Wanna Be (1989) became the group's biggest hit, largely because of the single "Me So Horny", which was popular in spite of little radio play, thanks, in part, to prevalent play on MTV. The song was based on a quote from a Vietnamese prostitute in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket and took a sample from Mass Production's Firecracker.

The American Family Association did not think the presence of a "Parental Advisory" sticker was enough to adequately warn listeners of what was inside the case. Jack Thompson, a lawyer affiliated with the AFA, met with Florida Governor Bob Martinez and convinced him to look into the album to see if it met the legal classification of "obscene." It was decided in 1990 that action should be taken at the local level and Nick Navarro, Broward County sheriff received a ruling from Judge Mel Grossman that probable cause for obscenity violations existed. Navarro warned record store owners that selling the album may be prosecutable. 2 Live Crew filed a suit against Navarro. That June, Judge Jose Gonzalez ruled against the album, declaring it obscene and illegal to sell. Charles Freeman, a local retailer, was arrested two days later, after selling a copy to an undercover police officer. This was followed by the arrest of three members of 2 Live Crew after they performed some material from the album at a performance. They were acquitted soon after. In 1992, a Court of Appeals overturned the obscenity ruling from Jose Gonzales, and the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear Broward County's appeal. A notable feature of the case was the distinguished literary critic and now Harvard University professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as an "expert witness" on behalf of the defendants. He argued that the material that the county alleged was profane, actually had important roots in African-American vernacular games and literary traditions and should be protected.

As a result of the controversy, As Nasty As They Wanna Be sold over two million copies. It peaked at #29 on The Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A few other retailers were later arrested for selling it as well. The publicity then continued when George Lucas, owner of the Star Wars universe, sued Campbell for appropriating the name from his franchise. Campbell changed his stage name to Luke (and changed the record label's name to Luke Records) and then released an extremely political solo album, Banned in the USA after obtaining permission to parody Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. 2 Live Crew paraphernalia with the Luke Skyywalker or Skyywalker logos are usually sought after as collector's items.



[Edited by - pharzeone on 12-04-2007 7:20 PM]