HSAN Chairman Russell Simmons Calls For Closed Door Meeting To Discuss The Status Of Hip-Hop

By Danielle Harling
AllHipHop.com
April 16, 2007

Russell Simmons will be holding a ‘closed door’ meeting with artists and executives from the Hip-Hop/urban community for a discussion on the future of Hip-Hop and how the genre can be moved forward in a positive direction.

Sources told AllHipHop.com that the invitation only meeting takes place on Wednesday (Apr.18) at Lyor Cohen’s Manhattan residence.

The meeting comes shortly after the ousting of talk show host Don Imus and the heightened criticism of Hip-Hop’s representation of women.

Imus was fired after making sexist and racist remarks about the Rutgers University basketball team.

A number of activists are now shifting their focus to Hip-Hop, including Reverend Al Sharpton, who has received a number of death threats over the past few days due to his involvement in the Imus controversy.

On Friday (Apr. 13), Sharpton announced that he would turn his attention to the music industry, specifically Hip-Hop music.

Sharpton said his National Action Network wants to also meet with performers in the industry about lyrics that he claims are racist and demeaning to women.

Sharpton may have many followers on his side, but some activists aren’t quite receptive of Sharpton’s stance on Hip-Hop.

“Language can be a powerful tool. That is why one’s intention, when using the power of language, should be made clear,” said Dr. Benjamin Chavis, president of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and Russell Simmons in a joint statement released on Friday (Apr. 13). “Comparing Don Imus’ language with Hip-Hop artists’ poetic expression is misguided and inaccurate and feeds into a mindset that can be a catalyst for unwarranted, rampant censorship.”

Russell Simmons is also scheduled to appear on Good Morning America and an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show later this week.

Source: allhiphop.com