Thursday, January 19th, 2006

Benzino and Mays Ousted From The Source

It’s finally happened.

This comes after a tumultuous week in which Mays had sought a temporary restraining order against his new board of directors. He had also fired Dasun Allah and installed himself as editor-in-chief, completing the cycle of events begun in September 1994 with the first editorial walkout.

The full article by the NY Post’s Keith Kelly is below:

In the latest tug of war for control of The Source Entertainment Inc., founder David Mays and the longtime president, rapper Ray “Benzino” Scott were ordered out of their jobs by the newly constituted board of directors after a temporary restraining order blocking the move was lifted.

Four of the six board members voted to fire the duo last week and instead install Jeremy Miller, a one-time chief operating officer, as the new chief executive of The Source.

Scott and Mays had gone to court last week to obtain a temporary restraining order in New Jersey, where they reside, to block the axing while they prepared a lawsuit against the new board.

Yesterday, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Gerald Escala lifted the temporary restraining order, effectively clearing the way for the firings.

The Source was once known as the hip-hop bible, but in more recent years has seen its ad pages and circulation tumble.

Last month, it dropped out of the Publishers Information Bureau, which tracks ad page tallies for major consumer magazines.

Mays and Scott remain defiant and are still pursuing another action in New Jersey, claiming the new board illegally seized control of the company.

The attorney for Mays and Scott, David Finkler, did not return a call from The Post yesterday, but earlier said that his clients feel the new board is not valid.

The genesis of the new board goes back about four years ago, when Black Enterprise Greenwich Street Corporate Growth Partners, a private-equity firm controlled by the Graves family, made a $12 million investment in The Source.

When The Source ran into a cash squeeze, the Graves family introduced them to Providence, R.I.-based Textron Financial Corp., which loaned the magazine $18 million.

Textron in October claimed that The Source had defaulted on its loan and sought to have the New York State Supreme Court appoint a receiver to supervise the company, but in late December the bid was rejected.

A State Supreme Court judge ruled that despite Textron’s eight-figure exposure and a litany of mismanagement complaints at the magazine, the lender had no more rights than other creditors.

Yesterday on the Web site allhiphop.com, Mays said he had fired Dasun Allah as editor-in-chief and instead installed himself in the top editorial spot.

Allah, who also goes by the name David Blanks, was indicted on charges of spray painting a Jehovah Witness church in Harlem in November and is due back in Manhattan Criminal Court on Feb. 9.

Mays said on the Web site, “Right now I am taking the role of editor-in-chief. There were just other issues that caused this to happen in this particular way.”

He did not return calls from The Post. Miller, the newly installed CEO, could not be reached for comment.

The new board includes Earl “Butch” Graves Jr., the CEO of Black Enterprise, plus three others: Ivan Hopkins, Jeffrey Scott and Ed Williams, who are part of the investment firm. Charles Simpson, an attorney representing the board, said of Mays latest claim, “He’s terminated, so he is not going to be doing anything.”

As of late yesterday, despite the board action, Mays remained in the company’s new office at 11 Broadway.

posted by @ 12:16 pm | 6 Comments

Tuesday, January 17th, 2006

Parliament Funkadelic 1969

This is sick sick sick. Parliament Funkadelic 1969! Nuff said. Thanks to Jarn5000 for the footage, and to Jay Babcock, King Arthur, for the linkage.

posted by @ 3:59 pm | 2 Comments

Tuesday, January 17th, 2006

Queens Reigns Supreme On The Small Screen

Ethan Brown’s great book Queens Reigns Supreme has been
picked up by Tommy Mottola’s Mottola Company for production for the small screen. It’s well deserved. Just got deep into it last night and I can say without reservation that it is a classic of hip-hop journalism and a major feat of investigative reporting.

posted by @ 11:00 am | 0 Comments

Monday, January 16th, 2006

Voted, Didn’t Die

Happy MLK Day yall!

Here’s another analysis on hip-hop vote efforts in 2004, including ya boy, from The Bay State Banner.

Looking ahead to 2006, we’ll have the National Hip-Hop Political Convention in Chicago this summer, and the League of Young Voters ready to move in dozens of cities around the country. Stay tuned…

posted by @ 2:12 pm | 1 Comment

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2006

Tribute to Martha Cooper

Martha Cooper, City Pages Artist of the Year! Plus Jon Caramanica on Sandra Oh, Nate Patrin on Ed Guerrero, Dylan Hicks on William Parker, and Matos on Peel, among many others…

posted by @ 8:14 am | 1 Comment

Monday, January 2nd, 2006

2006 Predictions


“Who broke my leg? Ain’t saying, bitch!”

5) With his movie and videogame on sale at used media stores for less than 2 quarters apiece, and no one left to pick a beef with, 50 Cent shoots himself in the thigh before releasing his new album, “10 Times: How Ya Like Me Now?”

4) Miss Jones leaves Hot 97 to become press secretary of the conservative think-tank, the Heritage Foundation. Asked about her lack of academic credentials, Heritage executives scoff, “We never cared about those. Plus she did more for us in 4 hours every morning than an army of rapid-response publicists working around the clock.”

3) MC Big Bank Hank is executed by the state of New Jersey. Opponents of his execution say that he deserved a commutation of his death sentence because he had redeemed himself. Proponents said he was the co-founder of the notorious Sugar Hill Gang, and he never apologized for “Rapper’s Delight”.

2) Clear Channel, Viacom, Microsoft, the New York Yankees, the New Times, and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants merge.

1) Republican Party stalwarts Karl Rove and Scooter Libby feature prominently in a hot new direct-to-the-streets DVD, Stop Snitching: The White House Edition. Their pictures appear on a popular line of t-shirts that say “We’ll never tell!”

posted by @ 12:32 pm | 4 Comments

Sunday, January 1st, 2006

2005 :: The Year Crack Rap Broke (Yet Again)


Will Play UC Davis For Crack!

Yes, the year sucked but music didn’t. And anyone who tells you it sucked is just a jaded ass who likes crack rap, or a point guard named Chris Hernandez. Same difference.

Muy Bueno
Albums (in alpha order)
Amadou & Mariam :: Dimanche A Bamako
Blackalicious :: The Craft
Bloc Party :: Silent Alarm
Curumin :: Achados E Perdidos
Damian Marley :: Welcome To Jamrock
DJ Nuts :: NutsOn2005, Volume 1 & 2 (mixtape)
Edan :: Beauty And The Beat
Fiona Apple :: Extraordinary Machine
J-Rocc :: James Brown and Friends (mixtape)
Keak Da Sneak :: That’s My Word
Konono No.1 :: Congotronics
Lady Sovereign :: Vertically Challenged
DJ Mark Marcelo :: The Ignant Mix (mixtape)
M.I.A. :: Arular
Mistah F.A.B. :: Son Of A Pimp
Perceptionists-Black Dialogue
Various Artists :: Live From Iraq
Various Artists :: Run The Road

Slumper Plus:
Apsci :: Thanks For Asking
Backyard Band :: Live At The Neon
Danger Doom :: The Mouse & The Mask
The Decemberists :: Picaresque
Emmanuel Jal & Abdel Gadir Salim :: Ceasefire
E.S.T. :: Viaticum
The Frontline :: Who R U
General Elektriks :: Cliquety Kliqk
Goapele :: Change It All
Hollertronix :: T5Soul Sessions (mixtape)
LCD Soundsystem :: LCD Soundsystem
Bettye Lavette :: I’ve Got My Own Hell To Raise
The Legendary K.O. :: C.I.G.A.C. (mixtape)
Jamie Lidell :: Multiply
Lyrics Born :: Same !@#$ Different Day
Missy Elliott :: The Cookbook
Platinum Pied Pipers :: Triple P
Public Enemy :: New Whirl Odor
Sean Paul :: The Trinity
Sleater-Kinney :: The Woods
Various Artists :: Keepintime: The Remixes (Vinyl Version)
Various Artists :: Greensleeves Rhythm Album #73: World Jam
Various Artists :: Soul Fire The Majestic Collection
Stevie Wonder :: A Time 2 Love
X Plastaz :: Maasai Hip-Hop
Yerba Buena-Island Life
Young Jeezy :: Let’s Get It (Thug Motivation) ***crack rap alert!***
Zion I :: True and Livin’
Z-Trip :: Shifting Gears

Songs
(roughly ranked, excluding non-mixtape selections from album lists)
The Legendary K.O. :: “George Bush Doesn’t Like Black People”
Amerie :: “1 Thing”
Michelle Sylvester :: “Sleeping In Your Bed”
Kaiser Chiefs :: “I Predict A Riot”
Common :: “The Corner” (Remix with Scarface & Mos Def)
E-40 feat. Keak Da Sneak :: “Tell Me When To Go”
Arcade Fire :: “Cold Wind”
J. Valentine feat. Bailey :: “Go Dumb”
Ya Boy feat. Jin :: “16’s With Us”
Kanye West (featuring Lupe Fiasco) :: “Touch The Sky”
Cham :: “Ghetto Story”
Keyshia Cole :: “I Just Want It To Be Over”
Scweez feat. Mistah F.A.B. :: “Stupid Dumb and Hyphy”
D4L :: “Laffy Taffy”
Balance :: “Gotta Get It”
Mike Jones with Slim Thug & Paul Wall :: “Still Tippin'”
Three 6 Mafia :: “Stay Fly”
Coldplay :: “Speed of Sound”
Nikka Costa :: “Till I Get To You”
Turbulence :: “Notorious”
Jah Cure :: “Longing For”

Spinbacks
Art Ensemble of Chicago :: Certain Blacks
Baby Huey :: Living Legend
Afrika Bambaataa :: Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere)
Glen Brown & Friends :: Rhythm Masters Vol. 2
JC Davis :: A New Day!
Delta 5 :: Singles & Sessions 1979-81
The Legendary Henry Stone Presents Miami Funk Volume 1 & 2
Horace Andy :: Dancehall Style
Horace Andy :: Exclusively
Keith Hudson :: The Hudson Affair
Konk :: The Sound of Konk
Mad Professor :: Method To The Madness
Master P :: Best Of
Maulawi :: Maulawi
Newcleus-Destination Earth: The Definitive Newcleus Recordings
Ossie All-Stars :: Leggo Dub
Peter Tosh :: Talking Revolution
Prince Douglas :: Dub Roots
The Slits :: Cut
Talking Heads :: Brick
Thomas Mapfumo :: Spirits To Bite Our Ears
Watts Prophets :: Things Gonna Get Greater
Wayne Jarrett-Showcase V. 1
Various Artists :: Love’s A Real Thing: The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa
Various Artists: Out On A Funky Trip: Funk Soul & Reggae @ Randy’s 1970-75
Various Artists :: Schoolhouse Funk II

Overrated
Californians’ Stupidity
Homeland Security
New York Crack Rap
New York Yankees
The Red Cross
Republicans
Republican Crack Rap
Stanfurd Basketball and Football Teams

posted by @ 5:08 pm | 1 Comment

Friday, December 16th, 2005

The Last Thread Of 2005

We’re winding down the year here, then going on vacation. It’s been a ride. It feels like this year has been historic. I really can’t remember as tumultuous a year in over a decade. Not even last year.

In any case, barring something big–like we sign Frank Thomas or I actually get my act together and do a year-end best-of before January 1st–this will be the last thread of the year. It’ll expand with more and more links and stuff. If it gets too big, I’ll start topic headers. Anyway…

Best wishes for a peaceful 2006.

+ Mark Anthony Neal’s Best of 2005.
+ Michaelangelo Matos’s Pazz and Jop List of 2005.
+ Saha Frere-Jones’s Best of 2006. Because 2005 is so last year.

+ Jordan Flaherty’s latest piece: “Death, Abundance and New Orleans”.
+ Clear Channel sells a news center’s name to a bank. “‘Now reporting from the Amcore Bank News Center, here’s WIBA’s Jennifer Miller.'” (Link courtesy Rock & Rap Confidential e-list.) I’m gonna start branding my own properties in 2006. Now sh-tting from my Amcore Bank Asshole…
+ Michael Krikorian on Raymond Washington, founder of the Crips.

+ Junichi’s “Everything I Need To Know About Men and Women, I Learned From The Hit Songs of 2005.
+The FBI spied on Patsy Mink, and questioned her citizenship.
+ Ishmael Reed on Richard Pryor and “getting over”.

+ A great NOLA music blog for anyone who isn’t already convinced that New Orleans did it all, and anyone who believes it ought to continue to do it. Thank you, Steve Kiviat.

+ No Miggy for Manny, but Johnny is now Judas. Bosux fans sound off:

In what has become a sports rivalry of biblical proportions, do you find it ironic that Johnny Damon, aka Jesus, turned out to be, in fact, Judas? Can this rivalry between New York and Boston get any bigger? I know you can’t bear to think of it but the only logical countermove by Red Sox management is to sign Clemens and instigate a brawl by having him bean Damon.
— J. Wood, Natick, MA

Remember the SNL skit from the 90’s labeled “Steroid Olympics” and that guy tries to dead lift 900lbs and as he jerks up, both arms rip clean off his shoulders and are still attached to the barbell on the floor and blood is spurting out everywhere from his shoulder sockets … I hope Damon’s arm comes flying off while he is trying to make a throw home and his hand and arm are still attached to the ball as it weekly (sic) lands in front of A-Rods foot and then A-Rod vomits and passes out and Joe Torre has to come out and give mouth to mouth to A-Rods bloated purple lips … That would ease the pain of this trade
— Mark Faselle, Dallas, TX

posted by @ 11:10 am | 6 Comments

Friday, December 16th, 2005

Sampling Junkies & Producers Take Note: Copyright Criminals Remix Contest!

Hey all you hip-hop producers/criminal sampling thieves/free culture frontline warriors/future Dangermouse industry pariahs, whatever you call yourself…

Ben Franzen and Kembrew McLeod are sponsoring a remix contest to go with their new movie, ,Copyright Criminals: This Is A Sampling Sport. I’ll be one of the judges.

The idea is to make a 4-minute song from sound in the movie. Samples from the film include voiceovers from De La Soul, DJ Qbert, members of Public Enemy, Matmos, Coldcut, members of Negativland, and others. The best overall winner will be included prominently in the film and the top 11 other entries are to be included on a companion CD.

Press release is here. All the rules, relevant info, and access to the samples are here. Deadline is February 28, 2006.

Slice and dice!

posted by @ 10:36 am | 0 Comments

Monday, December 12th, 2005

Schwarzenegger: Tookie Must Die For George Jackson’s Sins


In both cases, execution was the verdict.

The Terminator issued a statement today denying Stanley Tookie Williams request for clemency.

“It is impossible to separate Williams’ claim of innocence from his claim of redemption,” Schwarzenegger wrote in his statement. “Based on the cumulative weight of the evidence, there is no reason to second guess the jury’s decision of guilt or raise significant doubts or serious reservatons about Williams’ convictions and death sentence.”

But he doesn’t stop there. He goes on to rewrite the history of San Quentin in the late 60s and early 70s. And here’s where he steps over the line.

I oppose the death penalty. But I have been an ambivalent supporter of clemency for Tookie Williams.

But in this statement, Schwarzenegger makes it clear that Williams is being executed for much more than the facts of the case. He is being taken for George Jackson’s sins.

Rejecting Williams’ efforts to end gang violence, Schwarzenegger practically blames Williams for it: “…(T)he continued pervasiveness of gang violence leads one to question the efficacy of Williams’ message.”

In the most telling paragraph, he notes that Williams dedicates his book to “Nelson Mandela, Angela Davis, Malcolm X, Assata Shakur, Geronima Ji Jaga Pratt, Ramona Africa, John Africa, Leonard Peltier, Dhoruba Al-Mujahid, George Jackson, Mumia Abu-Jamal, and countless other men, women and youths who have to endure the hellish oppression of living behind bars.”

He writes, “The mix of individuals on this list is curious. Most have violent pasts and some have been convicted of committing heinous murders, including the killing of law enforcement. But the inclusion of George Jackson on this list defies reason and is a significant indicator that Williams is not reformed and that he still sees violence and lawlessness as a legitimate means to address societal problems.”

Where did this come from?

It’s an attempt to turn Williams’ execution into an ideological attack on the broad-based movement to question the prison-industrial complex and push for more progressive approaches to rehabilitation.

Schwarzenegger won’t just lose one on this decision.

Download Schwarzenegger’s statement here.

ADDED 12/13:

Schwarzenegger was in such a rush to make an ideological point that he apparently didn’t even try to get the facts of George Jackson’s case correct. Here’s the SF Chronicle:

“The governor’s statement contained misstatements about Jackson, implying in a footnote that Jackson had been present and an accomplice during a 1970 court hearing when his brother stormed the courtroom with a machine gun and took hostages. Jackson was not at the hearing, and the administration later issued a correction.

And here is the original statement with the lying footnote on page 5.

posted by @ 1:44 pm | 4 Comments



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