Today is a big day for hip-hop. It is a day that will define who we really are. How compassionate will we be? How loving can we be? How inclusive are we?Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons • Discussing R&B artist Frank Ocean’s decision to publicly reveal that his first love was a man. (He did so in a Tumblr post, posting an image that was initially intended for the record sleeve in his upcoming album, Channel Orange.) That makes him one of the few mainstream hip-hop musicians to openly discuss having a same-sex relationship. He was careful, however, not to describe himself as gay. While Simmons and fellow Odd Future cohort Tyler, the Creator (who has himself faced heat for using homophobic slurs) were quick to give Ocean credit, a quick Twitter search shows that not everyone agrees. But considering hip-hop culture once birthed the catchphrase “no homo,” this seems like a pretty big step.
Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys has passed. GlobalGrind is confirming this very sad news. One of our heroes, Adam Yauch aka MCA of the Beastie Boys has passed this morning after a long bout with cancer. Our prayers go out to the family of Adam and the entire Beastie Boys crew.
Global Grind is owned by Russell Simmons, who played a key role in starting the Beastie Boys’ career. TMZ is now also reporting the news.
Just purchased remaining spots for #allamericanmuslim for next week. The show is now sold out! keep your money @lowes and we will keep ours.Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons • Revealing (via Twitter) that he had purchased the spaces that Lowe’s had vacated when they backed down to pressure over their advertising on the TLC reality program “All-American Muslim.” According to his rep, he bought two spots, but hasn’t decided what to put in them yet. Russell, you’re a badass. Meanwhile, Lowe’s is defending its decision, claiming it was one of “dozens” of companies that had pulled advertising support from the show — a claim difficult to back up, especially considering that TLC is claiming that the show is doing well advertiser-wise. The home improvement chain bent to pressure from an obscure group called the Florida Family Association in removing their ads from the program. source (via • follow)
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