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State of Hip-Hop, by Alphonso Mayfield
Label Musical Chairs
The biggest news involves one of the most storied labels in hip-hop. Island Def Jam head Lyor Cohen recently left his position to head Warner Music Group's U. S. Recorded Music right on the heels of WMG being purchased by former Vivendi Universal exec Edgar Bronfman Jr. for $2.6 billion. As a result, former Arista chief Antonio "L.A." Reid has been named chairman of the Island Def Jam Music Group. Reid will report directly to Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Doug Morris and president Zach Horowitz. However, trouble is in the air as Def Jam President Kevin Liles reportedly has decided to leave the company in March.
Magnolia Bar to Speak out Against Frank Melton Tuesday
Emergency Press Conference
WHY: The event is being called in response to growing concerns of members of the Jackson community about allegations of improper conduct and abuse of mayoral and law enforcement authority made against Mayor Frank Melton and the Jackson Police Department. The Magnolia Bar joins with scores of local residents and its members in calling for official investigations on local, state and federal levels.
GOP Warriors vs. Rap Music
Salon reports: "'We need to understand rap, folks,' Limbaugh told his listeners, in a mocking tone. 'There's a lot of poetry and anger in this. Social energy. It's important. Look, it's one thing to say you like it, but to try to pass this off as something you've intellectually examined and assigned value to? Sorry, senator. Don't stand up for white music -- associate yourself with rap.' (In the edited version of his comments on Limbaugh's Web site, his reference to defending "white music" is deleted.)
BREAKING: RTI to Build Titanium Sponge Plant in Mississippi
RTI International Metals Inc. today announced both plans to supply titanium products "that support the production of the Airbus family of commercial aircraft, including the A380 and the A350 XWB programs" and to build a titanium sponge plant in Hamilton, Miss., crediting Gov. Haley Barbour in their press release, which states in part:
Fondren ARTMix TONIGHT, 5 to 8 p.m.
Come out to Fondren for one of the coolest nights in Jackson. Shops and galleries will be open from 5 to 8 p.m., with lots of fun entertainment indoors and out. Stop by the JFP table in Fondren Corner (near Basil's) for some free wine and to register for Wilco tickets, Planetarium tickets and massages by Erik Makinnion. We also hear that Domini Bradford will be selling bowls of her famous veggie pad thai behind Rainbow starting about 6. There will be run stuff everywhere you turn. We'll see you out there. Free, of course.
Breaking: All Five ‘Grayhead' Defendants Found Not Guilty
After four hours of deliberations, a jury has acquitted the five defendants accused of kidnapping and assaulting Michael Sanders to warn him away from talking to the police. Police say that Aundre Mason, 29, Darnell Turner, 28, Terrance Womack, 29, Elisha Moton, 26, and Corey Redd, 27—allegedly part of a "gang known as "Grayhead"—shot Sanders in the leg, duct taped his mouth and locked him in a car trunk for several hours on March 10, 2004. However, today the jury exonerated the five men of this crime.
Jermal Clark - District 3
Two Democrats are vying for the position. Jermal Clark is challenging incumbent Frank Figgers Jr., who has served two terms. Clark, however, is not running a very vigorous campaign from what we can see.
Melton: Police Taking Over Court Services; No Crime Stats to Media
UPDATE March 16, 2006: This is now a full transcript of the mayor's press conference, addressing many issues—from crime stats to his pursuit of the Wood Street Players.
‘Black Females Are Valued By No One'
The Village Voice reports on a new study of the attitudes of the "hip-hop generation." Thulani Davis writes: "In reality, the teens interviewed—between 16 and 20 years old—are probably children of the first hip-hop generation (usually considered people born between 1965 and 1980). The subjects of this study, then, have been raised during the rise of this influential culture and may reflect the long-term effects of the devastation of black communities following the civil rights and black-power movements. The most telling attitudinal change from the 'movement' years is the absence of any influence of feminism and the open disdain for black women. As the authors put it, 'Black females are valued by no one.' The study's glossary includes six nouns used to describe males: Dog, homeboy, playa, lame, sugar daddy, and payload, another word for sugar daddy. For women, there are at least 15, none good: Block bender, woo-wop, flip-flop, skeezer, 'hood rat, 'ho, and trick all mean promiscuous female. In addition, there are freak, bitch, gold digger, hoochie mama, runner, flipper, shorty, and the more ambiguous wifey. Young women in the interviews also use some of these terms."
Judge Hears Arguments in Mayor Libel Lawsuit
Interesting report in The Meridian Star today about the lawsuit by MBN officers against Frank Melton for releasing false accusations against them to The Clarion-Ledger in 2003 (the story originally broken by the Jackson Free Press). The judge has already declared summary judgement in the case against Melton because he lied under oath in court documents about passing the document to the newspaper. Now the judge is trying to decide whether Melton will have to pay the damages himself or whether the taxpayers will have to because he was a public official. The judge also issued a gag order in the case because a TV reporter asked a really stupid, uninformed question.
Transcript of Melton Interview About Firefighters
Verbatim interview with Frank Melton conducted by JFP Managing Editor Brian Johnson on Tuesday, Aug. 15. Any use of of quotes from this interview without express attribution to the Jackson Free Press will be considered a copyright violation.
John Arthur Eaves' Speech at the Neshoba County Fair
[verbatim] I'm John Eaves, and I am running for Governor because I believe it is time for a new day in Mississippi. I am tired of hearing our leaders tell the people of Mississippi to lower their expectations. I have seen far too many broken schools and witnessed our neighbors stuck in FEMA trailers along the coast for too long. And I'm sick and tired of Mississippi always being last in jobs, healthcare, poverty, and education and then hearing our leaders say, "What do you expect?" Well, I expect a whole lot more, and I believe Mississippians deserve much, much better. And so I am running for Governor to declare that this era of low expectations is over and a new day is dawning in Mississippi.
Dirty Tricks Against Obama ... Already
Per Joe Conason over at Salon, the right-wing machine is pulling some old dirty tricks out of its archive:
Frank Melton to Keynote Belhaven Journalism Conference
[verbatim] Jackson, MS (BlackNews.com) - Frank E. Melton, mayor of Jackson, Miss., and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the TV-3 Foundation in Jackson, will deliver the keynote address at the MidSouth Winter Journalism Conference held at Belhaven College (Jackson, Miss.), February 24-25, 2006. Mayor Melton served as CEO of Jackson's WLBT TV-3, Inc. from 1984 to 2002, guiding the NBC affiliate to become the leader in local broadcasting. The two-day conference is for college-age aspiring journalists of faith. Attendees will be encouraged to integrate their Christian faith and journalism practice through lectures, discussion and fellowship.
[Ladd] Freedom is Just Another Word
When I was living in New York, we heard that the Klan was coming to march in Manhattan. This, predictably, caused an outrage in the city with folks screaming about why the stupid yuck-yucks shouldn't be allowed to march there. They oughta stay home in New Jersey, or wherever they were shlepping from. Tell them they weren't welcome.
JUST IN: Melton Set to Declare State of Emergency
The Jackson Free Press got a phone call today at 10:45 telling us that the mayor was gathering reporters at City Hall at 11 a.m. to address his "state of emergency" and youth curfew pledges from last week.