Union opposes rapper/poet 'Common' White House visit

[Zax2me]

"The young people who read this stuff, hear this stuff, are getting a very dangerous and deadly message," David Jones, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association union told NBC.

http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2011/05/11/22761509.aspx

[MrScorpio]

1. The publicity hounds come in all shapes and sizes

And they bring stupidity and lies with them

[robcon]

4. Common celebrated a cop-killer who escaped to Cuba.

Assata Shakur, a former member of the Black Panthers, was convicted of murder, escaped, and now lives in Cuba.

Common named her daughter Assata Shakur, and celebrated her deeds in one of his raps.

[MrScorpio]

5. Yeah… That's Tupac's mom, right?

I'm sure Tupac did a few songs about her too. But hey, that was a long time ago, when a lot of bad shit went down between the Panthers and the racist, violent cops of the day.

In light of the man's massive catalogue, why nit pick about that song?

Anyhoo, how do you fell about Woody Guthrie's "The Ballad of Jessie James" and Serge Gainsbourg's "Bonnie and Clyde"?

I'm sure that the exact same criticism would apply to those songs as well.

[meegbear]

2. In a related story ...

Fox News Was For The Rapper "Common" Before It Was Against Him

You don't think what changed the "fair and balanced" network's mind is the fact that he has been invited to the White House for a poetry event, do you?

Eric Hananoki, at Media Matters, reports:

Conservatives such as Fox News, the Daily Caller and Sarah Palin are criticizing the White House's invitation to rapper Common for a poetry event over the purported vulgarity of his lyrics. Fox Nation, for instance, called Common a "vile rapper."

But roughly half-a-year ago, Fox News had a different tone about Common. In an October 2010 report for FoxNews.com, reporter Jason Robinson interviewed the "rap legend" and told him, "your music is very positive. And you're known as the conscious rapper. How important is that to you, and how important do you think that is to our kids?"



http://www.newshounds.us/2011/05/10/fox_news_was_for_the_rapper_common_before_it_was_against_him.php

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Common's own Union is proud of his invitation to the WH

And that is what it is all about. The Troopers oppose the poet, big surprise. There are always plenty of people ready to slander artists and their work. Plenty.