Out of all the things Soulja Boy could do for a new video, I would think writing out his lyrics on the screen might not be the best choice? I guess he really does believe he's saying something..

From the Yemen Times.. they seem to be using "hip-hop" as a label for the dance element, and "rap" for the music:

Hip-hop comes Alive in Yemen

new art – Yemeni hip-hop – was celebrated at the French Cultural Institute in the second part of an ongoing hip-hop series featuring a rap performance by Yemeni-American artist Hagag AJ and a new work tailor-made by French choreographer Farid Berki for a group of young Yemeni dancers along with professional break dancers Ludo and Romu...

...Rapper Hagag AJ performed one of his songs prior to the dance portion of the show, while attendees clapped and shouted praises with gusto. The group of approximately 20 dancers spent a week training with Berki, who flew in from France especially for the event...

...Participating dancer Saif Al-Thamin, a 22-year-old Jordanian who lives in Sana’a, pointed out that although his family is conservative, they understand that hip-hop dancing is an acceptable pastime and gave their approval when he began doing it three years ago.

“They know hip-hop is like football, basketball or any other sport,” he said, “I do hip-hop as an amateur, benefiting from it by improving my physical fitness. I especially enjoy doing acrobatic movements and spinning on the ground.”

Dancer Ludo, whose real name is Brizolier Romuald, began in a similar way to many of the Yemeni youths who participated in the workshop. “I attended a hip-hop event when I was 15 as one of the audience and a year later, I actually started doing it,” he explained.

He praised Yemeni hip-hop dancers as interested, kind and focused, and believes the medium has a future here. “Although hip-hop is a worldwide dance, every country has its own particular style when dancing it,” he noted, adding, “Hip-hop doesn’t cancel out other cultures; on the contrary, it adds to them...”

...Berki likewise wants to ensure that the Yemeni dancers will get to practice and hone the lessons they learned during their week of rehearsals, commenting, “I hope they’ll have places to work because this culture – and for me, hip-hop is a culture – is a way to live, to respect others, to grow and give others what you know...

Kinda random but I'm not gonna knock Nas for this, I've always liked Yoko (she is WBAI fam!).

Nas Thanks Yoko Ono For 'Breaking Up The Beatles'

Outspoken rapper Nas has applauded Yoko Ono for reportedly splitting up The Beatles - because she helped John Lennon develop his solo career.

The "I Can" hitmaker is a big fan of Lennon's music and believes he would not have penned classic songs had he still been a member of the Fab Four.

And he credits Lennon's partner, Ono, for giving her man the courage to go solo.

Going against popular public opinion, Nas says, "How could you not love Yoko...? She gave us "Give Peace A Chance," "Imagine." When John Lennon left the Beatles, he was able to do that shit."

Nas tells the new issue of King magazine that Ono and Lennon are among his heroes, together with Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan.

Innnteresting, I've been wondering why Oprah didn't speak out on this issue, having read she was a member.

Why Oprah Winfrey left Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church.
newsweek

For any spiritually minded, up-wardly mobile African-American living in Chicago in the mid-1980s, the Trinity United Church of Christ was—and still is—the place to be. That's what drew Oprah Winfrey, a recent Chicago transplant, to the church in 1984. She was eager to bond with the movers and shakers in her new hometown's black community. But she also admired Trinity United's ambitious outreach work with the poor, and she took pride in upholding her Southern grandmother's legacy of involvement with traditional African-American houses of worship. Winfrey was a member of Trinity United from 1984 to 1986, and she continued to attend off and on into the early to the mid-1990s. But then she stopped. A major reason—but by no means the only reason—was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright...

The Underground Railroad returns once again tonight at midnight. You can tune in here, or on WBAI 99.5 FM if you live in the tri-state area. And while you're listening you can talk to us live in the chat room.

People often complain about hip-hop not showing up for things like this, but rap citizens have stepped up in a variety of ways on this one. Not that any rap philanthropy is enough to bring solace or justice here.

Jay-Z Sets Up Trust Fund for Sean Bell Children
link

Rapper Jay-Z has established an education trust fund for the children of Sean Bell - the man who was shot and killed by New York police on the day of his wedding, according to reports from AllHipHop.

The Hip-Hop mogul, born Shawn Carter, has close ties to the case, as ads from his "I Will Not Lose" Rocawear campaign featured the children's mother, Nicole Paultre-Bell, who married her fiance posthumously. The woman's participation in the ad sparked outrage and accusations of trial tampering.

A source close to the matter told AllHipHop that the process of setting up the fund began before the trial that recently acquitted three NYPD detectives on all charges related to the death. Activity was suspended during the trial and has now resumed.

The stock-based fund will mature when Jada, 5, and Jordan, 1, become adults.

Papoose weighs in on the Sean Bell verdict: link here

via Nah Right

Who authorized this?

Lil Wayne Cast In Katrina Movie "Patriots"
link

"Lollipop" rapper Lil' Wayne has been added to the cast of director Tim Story's upcoming film "The Patriots."

Forest Whitaker stars as a high school basketball coach whose team consisted of players hailing from five different schools that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Lil' Wayne plays the character Lamont, a student at Al Collins High School who is a skeptic of the newly-assembled team. The movie from the Weinstein Co. began filming in New Orleans this week.

Hey Irina, is this dude singing about you or what?