EDITORIAL
From The Publisher’s Desk...
RECORD LABELS: “STOP DISRESPECTING BLACK WOMEN!”
One of the most destructive forces to the minds of black children has been the
consistent cultural decay of hip-hop music. Black women are regularly referred to as
b*tches and hoes, and the continuous murder of young black men in the streets is
now being celebrated. We cannot deny the impact that this mental illness has had on
the black community, where we are the only group of people to sing and dance to the
beat of our own genocide.
Even hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons is asking that artists refrain from promoting
ignorance and self-destruction. What’s ironic is that if this same ignorance being
financed by large (mostly white) record labels were being targeted at white women,
the gay community or Jews, it
would never be tolerated. So,
the question is: Why do they
(the white-owned record labels)
continue to make a profit by
degrading black men, women
and children?
America, greedy artists and their love of money.
The petition also calls out record companies for allowing rappers who are employed
by them to earn a profit from songs that glorify the killing of black people and contain
n!gger and n!gga in the lyrics. Paulk also points out that these same companies
would not allow rappers to use derogatory terms about Jews or LGBT people or to
glorify the killing of members of these groups, but they allow rappers to do it to black
people. Paulk makes the valid point that Stevie Wonder has been able to sell more
than 100 million records without having to use derogatory racial terms.
A change.org petition has been
started that petitions record
companies and rap artists to stop
using lyrics and images that are
degrading and disrespectful to
black women. The petition was
started by Kenneth Paulk and is
specifically addressed to Lucian
Charles Grainge, who is the
Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of Universal Music Group.
Universal Music Group (UMG)
is the largest music corporation
in the world and also owns the
second largest music publishing
company in the world, Universal
Music Publishing Group. It is
also addressed to other record
companies that sign rappers.
Paulk specifically calls out
a list of record companies
and their CEOs, of which 99
percent of rappers are signed
to. The list includes Sony
Music Entertainment, Warner
Music Group, Island Def Jam,
Interscope, RCA Records, Virgin
EMI, Atlantic Records, Young
Money, Cash Money Records,
and Capitol Music Group. He
states that his message is
that, “40 million black people in
America will no longer tolerate,”
the derogatory lyrics and that if
the companies continue to allow
the disrespect, legal action will
be taken against companies and
artists who continue to perpetrate
the problem. (www.change.org)
TO VIEW THE
PETITION AND
SIGN IT
http://www.change.org/petitions/
record-companies-and-rappersstop-degrading-black-people
TO GOD BE THE
GLORY!
Paulk states that the petition
is for “our future children and
grandchildren,” as well as, “our
ancestors that sacrificed and
died to make things better for
us.” Paulk wants people to take
a stand so that the legacy left to
black people by their ancestors
is not destroyed by corporate
Sincerely,
Phyllis Coley
Phyllis Coley
(CEO/Publisher:
[email protected])
www.spectacularmag.com | August 2014 | SPECTACULAR MAGAZINE
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